What Kind of Bird Is Scuttle in 'The Little Mermaid' Live Action? Fans React To Change From Seagull to Gannet

The Little Mermaid is opening in theaters in just a couple of more days and many fans are looking forward to it.

While reviews of the movie are raving about Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy as Ariel and Ursula, it’s Awkwafina‘s Scuttle that’s going viral on social media right now.

Fans are starting to realize that in the live action movie, Scuttle isn’t a seagull, but a Northern Gannet.

Keep reading to find out more…

Fans have taken over TikTok and Twitter, sharing how they really feel about the bird change in the live action movie.

If you’re unaware, a seagull actually isn’t able to go underwater, unlike the Northern Gannet.

The bird is one of the largest sea birds in the Northern Atlantic, and is able to dive into the seas for fish, swimming more than 100 meters below the surface, according to the Audubon Society.

The change was apparently made so the bird can have more underwater scenes with Ariel. In the novelization, it’s also stated that Ariel hasn’t been to the surface at all to hang out with Scuttle.

Awkwafina recently spoke about voicing Scuttle, and how she was able to make the character her own.

“Buddy Hackett’s performance in the original is so good and so memorable, and I think you can’t duplicate that performance,” she shared. “The Scuttle that we’ve grown up with is Scuttle, but what I definitely did want to incorporate was that Scuttle is a nosybody, she’s a meddler and she’s also very neurotic, so I feel like those came easy. It was so fun to play Scuttle.”

The Little Mermaid is in theaters on Friday, May 26.

Scuttle isn’t the only animal character that fans have taken issue with in the movie.