The Little Mermaid Live Viewers Have a Lot of Thoughts About Flounder

The Little Mermaid Live aired on Tuesday night, aiming to bring the iconic Disney movie musical to a whole new audience. The live television event combined scenes from the 1989 animated film with immersive live performances from a star-studded cast, including Moana‘s Auli’i Cravalho as Ariel and Queen Latifah as Ursula. The telecast certainly had a lot for audiences to take in, particularly with the unique approach to the musical’s technical elements. But if Twitter is any indication, one element of the musical has gotten a bit of attention — and not quite for the right reasons. (And no, we’re not talking about Shaggy’s Sebastian costume.)

While many of The Little Mermaid Live‘s characters were portrayed by real actors, the musical used puppetry for some characters, including Ariel’s trusty fish sidekick, Flounder. The puppet, which had the ability to blink and move, took a decidedly-different design from the animated film, and audience members weren’t quite sure how to feel about it. Some were quick to argue that Flounder looks traumatized in some way, while others compared him to the beloved children’s book The Rainbow Fish. Here are some of our favorite reactions to it.

Oof

Nightmare

Same?

When It Arrives in the Mail

Save the Ocean

Deserves Better

LOL

True

Accurate

Welp