Jacob Tremblay thinks Flounder's design in live-action Little Mermaid 'works out perfectly'

The Little Mermaid actor Jacob Tremblay is speaking out after the redesign of his character, Flounder, in Disney's live-action remake made some serious waves online.

When character posters for the movie were unveiled recently, some fans complained that the lovable cartoon fish's update — which saw him become smaller and less round — was a little too realistic-looking compared to his 1989 predecessor. But while walking the blue carpet at the film's Hollywood premiere Monday, Tremblay voiced his support for Flounder's new look.

"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," Tremblay told PEOPLE. "I think that they were geniuses and they knew exactly what they were doing."

He also noted that Flounder's lifelike appearance makes sense given the movie's live-action ecosystem. "I think it works out perfectly. I think it matches everything," Tremblay continued. "So if it was different, I don't think it would really work."

Flounder isn't the only oceanic friend of Ariel (Halle Bailey) to go through a live-action transformation. Sebastian the crab, played by Daveed Diggs, looks much more like an actual crab than his animated counterpart, while the plucky seagull Scuttle, brought to life by Awkwafina, was changed into a diving bird.

Everett Collection; Disney Flounder in 1989's 'The Little Mermaid' and in the 2023 live-action remake

In addition to the new CGI creatures, The Little Mermaid features three new songs from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda: "For the First Time," "Wild Uncharted Waters," and "Scuttlebutt," which Menken described as "accidental art."

"It's the most deliciously ADHD runaway train of thought," Miranda told EW about the song. "There's tangents inside of tangents."

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