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Disney’s live-action adaptation ofThe Little Mermaidhas been surrounded with criticism since the studio cast Halle Bailey as the lead of the film. Many were not ready to see a Black person portraying a character that has been represented as white-skinned since the beginning. The criticism only took heights when Disney revealed the first look at Halle Bailey’s Ariel at the 2022 D23 Expo.
But many still loved seeing the American singer-actress as Ariel and were excited to see her as a Disney princess. While people were thrilled with the accuracy of Bailey’s character, that may not be the case for other characters in the film.
Read More:‘Halle Bailey is Ariel, no one can change that’: Internet Unites to Defend The Little Mermaid Star after Official Poster Release Reignites ‘Fictional Characters Should Be White’ Debate
The Little MermaidRevealed Sebastian the Crab’s First Look
Earlier this month Disney released a new promo for itsThe Little Mermaidlive-action adaptation. The teaser gave a look atHalle Bailey’sAriel, Jonah Hauer-King’s Prince Eric, and Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula.
The initial reviews for the film have also been very positive with the lead stars getting praise everywhere. Melissa McCarthy is reportedly the standout in the film, and many even deemed it the“best Disney remake”ever. The studio recently released the official look at another character, Sebastian the Crab, in the live-action adaptation.
Sebastian the Crab had a prominent role in the animated series and film, where he served as an advisor to King Triton and was constantly tasked to look after the King’s youngest daughter, Ariel. While the animated features did have ways to portray the character accordingly, the live-action adaptation seems to have gone all the way with Sebastian, who looks a lot like a real crab.
And given that this is a live-action adaptation, introducing a real crab as Sebastian would make sense. While some understand the reason, others seem to argue against a realistic Sebastian the Crab.
Read More:“We saw everybody and every ethnicity”: The Little Mermaid Director Rob Marshall Claims Halle Bailey Casting Was Based on Merit, Had No Other Agenda
Internet Divided Over Sebastian the Crab’s Look
People over the internet seem divided over Sebastian the Crab’s look in the live-action adaptation ofThe Little Mermaid. Some believed that Sebastian looked too realistic in the live-action adaptation. Many even pointed out that they would not prefer having too realistic“walking mermaid and a sea witch octopus.”
Look, I understand it’s a crab. But may I remind people that this is literally a movie with a walking mermaid and a sea witch octopus. Not everything is supposed to look and feel realistic.
— Ayman (@GuyWhoConquers)June 24, 2025
This movie just gets uglier and uglier looking the more that comes out about it. Please stop with these live action remakes, use up the slots for all these films for actual original ideas.
— CheekaDee (@AlishaDee88)July 01, 2025
Cancel the movie
— Michael Chavis (@MichaelChavis55)June 08, 2025
It’s gonna face the same criticism of The Lion King unless the voice acting is superb
— Save Avengers 5 & 6 (@SaveAvengers5n6)August 13, 2025
https://twitter.com/ShillofNothing/status/1629912510659801094
I really don’t understand all these comments complaining about people complaining Sebastian the crab looks like a real life crab. I mean, imagine if these guys were there years ago, accepting these Garfield and Scooby Doo when could we have had the Garfield and Scooby doo we had.pic.twitter.com/2CGcoItskU
— VG feat Zox, o brabo. (@VG2273)June 07, 2025
Others compared it withThe Lion Kingremake, saying thatThe Little Mermaidwould face the same criticism asThe Lion Kingremake. People even demanded to straight off cancel the film due to Sebastian the Crab’s look in the film. However, the film still has some support as fans called out trolls for being shocked to see a realistic crab in the live-action adaptation.
Sebastian the Crab is voiced by Daveed Diggs in the upcoming film and fans of the film still have high expectations from Disney’s live-action adaptation. It has been getting mostly positive reviews followed by its recent test screenings.
The Little Mermaidis set to release on 31 July 2025.
Read More:‘Snowflakes losing it over a black mermaid? Here’s Idris Elba as James Bond’: Internet is Backing Idris Elba as New 007 After Halle Bailey’s The Little Mermaid Controversy
Source:Twitter
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
