The Little Mermaid characters then and now — how do live-action versions compare?

Disney’s remake of The Little Mermaid is set to hit cinemas next month and earlier this week, it offered fans a first look at some of the most-loved characters.

While audiences had already been offered a glimpse at Halle Bailey as Ariel in the hotly anticipated live-action film, the posters introduced some of her animal companions, including Sebastian the crab, Flounder the tropical fish, and Scuttle the seagull.

As with some other Disney live-action remakes involving animals, seeing cartoons transformed into true-to-life animals has left fans divided.

“Maybe I’m being out of line here, but I was expecting The Little Mermaid characters to be idk [I don't know] … cute," one person wrote on Twitter. “Live-action animation doesn’t have to be expressionless. At least give our boy Flounder his chubby cheeks back!”

Here, The National looks at the side-by-side comparisons of Disney’s The Little Mermaid characters, old and new …

Ariel

When Disney announced it had cast Bailey, a black woman, to play Ariel, who was depicted in the 1989 original animation as white with bright red hair, several people were quick to praise the company.

Since the posters have been released, many social media users have expressed their excitement to see Bailey take on the role, especially after hearing the first snippet of her singing the famous Part of World.

Flounder

Ariel’s anxious best friend and sidekick Flounder the tropical fish has undergone perhaps the most dramatic makeover. Gone are the chubby cheeks and bright colours of the animated version, voiced by Jason Marin, instead replaced by a small and markedly less cute tropical fish, set to be voiced by Jacob Tremblay, which is being deemed as perhaps too real by social media users.

Scuttle

Scuttle, the eccentric seagull and self-proclaimed expert on human stuff that Ariel regularly chats to on the surface, is perhaps the animal with the most likeness to the cartoon original. The new version, voiced by comedian Awkwafina, has the same dishevelled appearance in the poster released this week.

Sebastian

Fans have also had plenty to say about the live-action version of Sebastian the king crab, set to be voiced by Hamilton's Daveed Diggs. The animated version of Sebastian, originally voiced by Samuel E Wright, featured big eyes and a large smiley mouth, something that Disney has not been able to recreate with a more lifelike representation of the animal.

“I feel bad for the animators when they told them to humanise a crab and make him realistic, Disney set them up for failure,” one Twitter user wrote.

Prince Eric

People have been quick to praise the casting of Prince Eric, set to be played by Jonah Hauer-King, for his likeness to the original cartoon, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes.

Ursula

Comedian and actress Melissa McCarthy takes on the role of Ursula, the evil sea witch who offers Ariel a deal to become human. The poster sees McCarthy transformed into the creature, who is part octopus, and there is a striking likeness with the original cartoon creation.

King Triton

Ariel’s protective and overbearing merman father King Triton is played by Javier Bardem, who appears in the posters with long flowing grey hair and a beard, similar to the cartoon version of the character, voiced by Kenneth Mars.

The Little Mermaid will be released in UAE cinemas on May 25

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