‘Little Mermaid Live’ Viewers Blast Flounder as ‘Creepy’ and a ‘Rejected Muppet’

Kermit The Frog and Fozzie Bear may take some offense after viewers of The Little Mermaid Live! called one of the puppets in the live-action special a “rejected Muppet” among other things. The special, airing on ABC, featured an array of performances from its stars, Auli’i Cravalho as Ariel, Queen Latifah as Ursula, and John Stamos as Chef Louis. There was even a real sheepdog taking on the role of Prince Eric’s dog, Max, that won over the fans. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Flounder, the friendly companion fish of Ariel.

One user questioned, “How is it that Little Mermaid Live spent so much on sets, costumes, etc. and has such a creepy Flounder puppet?”

The look of the puppet was off-putting for many users on social media. One user even joked that the production team must’ve used “cloth from JoAnn’s fabrics” to put the character together.

There was definitely something off with the choice of Flounder. As one user pointed on Twitter, the shape was not as it was in the original or in any of its other live adaptations. There were even some calling for a simple stuffed animal to replace it.

“Whoever designed the flounder puppet needs to be fired,” one tweet began. “I’ve seen better stuffed animals.”

There was also some confusion in the decision considering Sebastian had an actor in Shaggy, yet Flounder was relegated to a puppet.

After all, both had many speaking lines in the original movie. Flounder was heavily featured in the clips from the original that coincided with the musical numbers.

Along those same lines, the decision to not cast an actor to play Ariel’s father, King Triton, didn’t go over well with fans who questioned the absence. King Triton’s only appearance in the two-hour special was through the clips shown in between sets from the original.