Disney Fans’ Reactions to ‘The Little Mermaid Live’ Were…Mixed

Thanks to Disney’s The Little Mermaid Live, fans now know it’s not always better down where it’s wetter.

In honor of the beloved animated film’s 30th anniversary, Disney’s live musical event aired last night on ABC…to relatively mixed reviews: Some loved it, others were terrified by Flounder. The two-hour production featured Auli’I Cravalho as Ariel, Queen Latifah as Ursula, John Stamos as Chef Louis, Shaggy as Sebastian and Graham Phillips as Prince Eric. While the actors did their thing, the movie played behind them on a projector.

With heavy hitters like the IRL Uncle Jesse and the Girls Trip star rounding out the cast, one would assume the live musical event would be a smash. Well, some felt that it was. Take, for instance, these Twitter users.

One fan proclaimed Stamos’s Chef Louis as “instantly iconic.” 

We might have chosen a different photo, but still.

Another felt waves of the nostalgia thanks to the live rendition and said it got them “right in the feels of my childhood.” Same.

Twitter user @AmberDawnLand called Queen Latifah “an actual goddess,” which sounds about right.

But other fans weren’t quite as convinced. In fact, hordes of people were quick to point out that the mechanical flounder used in the production was, well, terrifying. 

As one Twitter critic said, “It’s like they ran out of budget and bought a piñata at Party City then shoved a stick in it. I’ll see that thing in my nightmares.” They definitely didn’t mince words.

But they weren’t the only one with questions about the set design and costume.

Another Twitter user wondered if Disney is “low key struggling,” adding that she needs “an explanation for this.”

Yeah, it does make you wonder why Shaggy appears to be wearing a jacket made of red duct tape with holes in it…

Finally, one disappointed fan summed up their feelings with an all-too-familiar phrase, “The Little Mermaid Live…I’m not mad, just disappointed.”