The Little Mermaid’s Flounder Looks Like Steve Buscemi And We Can’t Unsee It
Some people think that the new The Little Mermaid's Flounder looks like Steve Buscemi and the internet is going wild.
For better or for worse, Disney is continuing to unleash more live-action adaptations of their animated classics. Previously, this has included films such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Now, The Little Mermaid is nearly upon us, and while there is a lot to discuss about it (including some really awful CGI), the weirdest thing that the internet can’t get over is that Ariel’s once-colorful companion Flounder looks a hell of a lot like Steve Buscemi.
If you’re having trouble envisioning how Flounder could ever look like Steve Buscemi, this tweet should help. In giving us a side-by-side comparison, this user makes sure that we can see how both the fish and the actor have tired, haggard expressions. And Buscemi’s eyes (perhaps the most famous eyes in Hollywood) look like they really were the basis for Flounder’s peepers.
While we think their tongue is very firmly in cheek, this user points out that making Flounder look like Steve Buscemi by accident is a real marketing fail on the part of Disney. That’s because this user, like many others, would unironically enjoy a movie starring where the fish explicitly looks like (and perhaps stars) Buscemi as a fish. In a world where movies like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent simply feature Nicolas Cage being himself, we think there need to be more films that just let Buscemi be a funny little weirdo (fins optional).
If you’re wondering how the hell Disney ended up making Flounder look like Steve Buscemi, this user points out that this is basically a side effect of making the fish overly skinny. In the original cartoon, Flounder was a chubby companion that really contrasted with Ariel’s skinny body. Now, Flounder looks so skinny that we’re getting flashbacks to ‘90s models (just stay away from the cocaine, little fish).
This user dared to ask the question that we’ve all been thinking as soon as we saw Flounder looking like Steve Buscemi: just why? Disney is richer than God and has been responsible for creating some of the most beautiful and breathtaking character designs in history. However, the company now spends all its time cutting corners and ordering cut-rate special effects (just go ask the VFX artists on Marvel films), and we’re left with a badly-designed fish that looks like something on the bottom of your shoe.
While it’s not a shockingly original observation, we loved this tweet because it helped us go beyond laughing at Flounder looking like Steve Buscemi. Instead, we started imagining what Buscemi himself must have looked like when he first saw this strange character design. Honestly, it probably looks a lot like the face the famous actor is making in this GIF.
Ultimately, we may never know why Disney decided to make Flounder look like Steve Buscemi. And very little that we have heard or seen about The Little Mermaid is inspiring much confidence in this new film. But if they have a scene where Flounder infiltrates a school of fish and says, “How do you do, fellow kids?”, then all will be forgiven.
