Jacob Tremblay on Flounder's 'Little Mermaid' Design: 'They Knew Exactly What They Were Doing' (Exclusive)
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The Room star voices the fish in the re-imagined, live-action take of the original 1989 movie
Jacob Tremblay has no issues with the way Flounder is portrayed in The Little Mermaid — in spite of some Internet pushback.
At the world premiere of the live-action movie in Los Angeles on Monday night, the Room star, 16, told PEOPLE that the transformation of the fish — whom Tremblay voices — from the 1989 animated movie to the new film "works out perfectly."
"I was shown the design when I went in for the audition and I saw the movie last night and, I have to say that I think it really, really worked," the actor says. "I think that they were geniuses and they knew exactly what they were doing."
He adds, "And I think it works out perfectly. I think it matches everything. So if it was different, I don't think it would really work."
In the original movie, Flounder sports a yellow and blue body and expressive eyes. The new version, armchair Internet critics argue, is a little too real.
The re-imagining of the animated classic tells the story of Ariel, who pines for life on land and falls in love with human Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King. Melissa McCarthy plays villainous Ursula, Javier Bardem is Ariel's dad King Triton, Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian and Awkwafina voices Scuttle. Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) directs the movie.
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While Flounder's new look has sparked debate, Tremblay said at the premiere that the story benefits from the fresh take.
Related:Everything to Know About Disney's Live-Action 'The Little Mermaid'
"What I think is cool, is that it goes in more depth into characters," he says. "And I think that's really cool because they're really beloved characters that fans get to see more of."
The Little Mermaid swims into theaters May 26.
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