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Walt Disney Studios recently dropped a new, 30-second-long teaser for The Little Mermaid and gave further insight into what the musical comedy intends to offer. The new clip features the lead character of mermaid princess Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King’s human prince Eric, Sebastian the crab, and the treacherous sea witch Ursula, among others. But it was Sebastian’s look that got Twitter talking.
Fans of The Little Mermaid (1989 animated film) took royal jibes at how the crab looks in the upcoming live-action venture. While some expressed confusion as to whether Sebastian is being shown as a crab or a lobster, one user gave a straight “awful” tag to the Daveed Diggs-voiced character.
Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid has been heavily promoted since its predecessor was a massive hit at the box office and with the critics. The animated offering was in fact Disney’s first blockbuster smasher.
The production firm has reportedly pumped in a stellar US $150 million for the upcoming movie, however, it invited controversy from day one, thanks to the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel and Sebastian's look.
"Disney has already ruined The Little Mermaid": fans remark at Sebastian's look
The Little Mermaid is slated to hit theaters on May 26, 2023, hence, Walt Disney Studios is putting all its energy into carving a path for its possible success. The first trailer, for instance, was presented by Bailey and her co-star, Melissa McCarthy, at the prestigious 95th Academy Awards. Reports state that Disney paid $10 million to broadcaster ABC to showcase the trailer live at the ceremony.
Marketing efforts like these continued till the latest teaser, however with every new drop, The Little Mermaid is leaving fans of the animated film more miffed than thrilled.
The recent teaser is no exception, wherein fans ignored everything and focused on Sebastian, a beloved character, thanks to its endearing nature as seen in the 1989 film.
As per the fairy tale, the chirpy crustacean watches over Ariel and is a trusted servant of her overprotective father King Triton (played by Javier Bardem in the upcoming film). In the latest teaser, Sebastian appeared in a couple of sequences, but that was enough for netizens to leave sarcastic comments, who were not happy with how the character looked.
When the trailer had dropped previously, fans complained that the crab’s look left them “horrified.” They opined that it looked too real to match the cutesy Sebastian of the animated film.
But all is not bad. Oscars attendees praised the film’s graphics and underwater sequences, and the trailer garnered more than 108 million views within a day of its release.
The Little Mermaid will hit theaters on May 26, 2023, across the country.
