Scuttle in Disney's 2023 Live-Action Little Mermaid is a Northern gannet.

This marks a key change from the original 1989 animated film, where Scuttle was an eccentric seagull providing comic relief with his wildly inaccurate "expertise" on human objects—like calling a fork a "dinglehopper" for hair- combing.

Why the Species Switch?

Director Rob Marshall redesigned Scuttle as a female Northern gannet, a powerful sea-diving bird, to fit the story's early underwater focus. Ariel, who hasn't surfaced yet, meets Scuttle below the waves for surface-world intel, building tension for her dramatic first breach.

  • Narrative boost : Gannets dive deep (up to 100 feet), making underwater chats natural—no need for Ariel to risk surfacing prematurely.
  • Visual upgrade : The live-action look swaps scruffy seagull feathers for sleek black-and-white plumage, voiced vibrantly by Awkwafina.
  • Gender flip : Now "she," but the goofy charm endures, from misidentifying gadgets to hyping "human stuff."

Original vs. Remake Breakdown

Aspect| 1989 Animated 9| 2023 Live-Action 158
---|---|---
Species| Seagull (male)| Northern gannet (female)
First Meet| Ariel surfaces to chat| Underwater dive encounter
Role| Surface gossip source| Early story guide, retains humor
Voice| Buddy Hackett| Awkwafina

This tweak sparked fan debates in 2023—some missed the classic seagull vibe, others praised the fresh logic.

Picture Scuttle plunging like a feathered torpedo, surfacing with a shiny trinket and her signature squawk: "Humans use this to... make music!" It keeps the whimsy alive while modernizing the tale. TL;DR : Northern gannet in the "new" (2023) Little Mermaid—smarter story fit than the original seagull.

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