The 1989 Disney classic, ‘The Little Mermaid,’ is a much-loved family movie, known for the story, the music, and the characters that everyone knows.
When Disney announced the live-action remake of the popular film, there was much jubilation from all generations of fans. Earlier this month, the first images of Melissa McCarthy in the role of Ursula were released, and fans couldn’t wait to see what was next, until they did.
The characters of Flounder and Sebastian are two of the main characters of the movie, and although we were expecting the popular characters to look exactly as they did in the original, many are trying to see any resemblance in the new, very real-looking animations.
Flounder is the much-loved best friend of Ariel, known for his bright yellow colour with teal fins. Sebastian is a red, Jamaican-accented crab serving as King Triton’s advisor and “distinguished” court composer. Despite the classic cartoon characters engrained in our minds, in the recent images released by Disney they look like they should, a fish and a crab.
The new movie has used CGI animation technology, unlike the classic “old school” animation the audience is familiar with. This adds a much more realistic approach to storytelling, and is very much on par with Disney’s live-action catalogue it has accumulated over recent years.
In 2018, Disney released a new version of the 1994 classic “The Lion King,” which was a box office smash hit and credited for being almost identical to the original film. In 2019, “Aladdin” proved to be popular among fans of the 1992 original, as well as including several new songs and the sing-a-longs the audience was hoping for. Many fans have been sceptical about the new “The Little Mermaid” remake, but with several more productions in the wings (most notably “Moana,” “Snow White,” and “Lilo & Stitch”) time will tell if this under the sea instalment will last the test of time.
“The Little Mermaid” is set to hit cinemas globally on May 26, 2023.
