Fans Outraged At Sebastian's Look For Live-Action 'Little Mermaid'

Disney fans everywhere are anxiously waiting for the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid" to his theaters.

The upcoming live-action film will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder.

As the premiere date inches closer, the Walt Disney Company continues to promote the film, and a new leak is giving fans their first look at Sebastian.

A Disney fan account took to Twitter recently to share some photos from a new "The Little Mermaid"-themed puzzle, which will be released soon, and on the puzzle is a photo of what Sebastian will seemingly look like in the upcoming film.

"New Little Mermaid puzzle coming out soon 😍 closer look at Sebastian! 🦀," the user Tweeted along with a handful of photos.

https://twitter.com/mmdisney200/status/1629829075773603841

Thus far, fans have seen Ariel (played by Halle Bailey) and Ursula (played by Melissa McCarthy), but this is the first time viewers have seen Sebastian -- and they are not happy.

One user used a side-by-side of the live-action Sebastian alongside the animated version, writing, "Sebastian in The Little Mermaid live action 🤔."

https://twitter.com/animenews_news/status/1629871326033768449

While another Disney fan brought up what the future of advertisement for the live-action film will look like now, writing, "Ah yes, So when marketable plushies release of Sebastian the crab from the live action little mermaid it’s just a plush crab you can get from the zoo."

https://twitter.com/CrazyComet107/status/1629939846088368128

While one user brought up Louis from "The Little Mermaid", sharing, "Really bad idea to make Sebastian from the Little Mermaid realistic in the movie because everyone's going to end up rooting for this guy."

https://twitter.com/TheAlexSylvian/status/1630220342814814208

As another simply Tweeted, "They done ruined Sebastian in the little mermaid live action."

https://twitter.com/linasversion/status/1630528454843064321

Sebastian's look is not the first time the upcoming live-action film has faced backlash.

In 2019, the Walt Disney Company announced that actress Halle Bailey, who is known for her work in ABC’s “Grown-ish” and as one half of the popular R&B singing duo Chloe and Halle, would portray the iconic Disney Princess, Ariel, in the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”

However, not long after the announcement, Disney fans took to social media to express their frustrations about the casting of the Disney Princess and the hashtag #NotMyAriel immediately began to trend.

Just a few days ago, Halle Bailey addressed the backlash surrounding her portrayal as the Disney Princess.

“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” Bailey told The Face in a new interview. ​”When [Chlöe and I] first signed to Parkwood, [Beyoncé] was always like: ​’I never read my comments. Don’t ever read the comments.’ Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”

She added, “I know people are like: ​’It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her…People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”

This was not the first time Bailey spoke out about the backlash from fans. In September, the actress said, “And even still today with all of the commentary and people’s opinions going on, it just reminds me to be number one: grounded, and grateful that I have this opportunity.”

She continued, “And the fact that it’s sparking such a discussion for all of us … I mean, I know what it would’ve meant to me as a little girl to have been able to see a Black Ariel."

“When I was younger, if I would’ve seen that, it would have changed my whole outlook on life so the fact that I’m kind of getting to do that is really cool and unbelievable to me and the little girl inside of me is screaming and freaking out,” Bailey concluded.

Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” hits theaters on May 26, 2023.