Flounder is a bright yellow and azure colored tropical fish and Ariel's best friend. Despite the name, he is not a flounder. In most appearances, he is seen to be younger.
Personality
Flounder scares easily, and is prone to panicking under stressful situations, but when Ariel is in trouble, he comes through for her without hesitation. He is undoubtedly loyal, freakishly adorable, and charismatically lovable. He is portrayed as the perfect friend, always helping Ariel in her quest.
Appearances
The Little Mermaid
In the film he is the only character to give unconditional support for Ariel's fascination with human things, and at one point gives Ariel a statue of Eric as a gift. When Ariel confesses she is in love with Eric, she strikes a deal with an evil sea witch. Flounder joins Ariel in Eric's Kingdom as she tries to win his heart.
Flounder joins Sebastian, Scuttle and other pond and sea creatures in the song Kiss the Girl. Flounder then helps Ariel defeat Ursula who is planning to capture Ariel by battling Flotsam and Jetsam. When Ursula is killed, Flounder attends the wedding and gets a good-bye kiss as she and Eric enjoy their marriage. He is voiced by Jason Marin in the 1989 film and the album called Sebastian From The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid: The Series
Flounder appears in all the episodes of the prequel television series, sharing constant adventures with Ariel. According to the television series, Flounder's real name is Guppy Number 35. In the episode "Land Of The Dinosaurs", when he has been found frozen in an ice cube, Ariel thaws him with King Triton's trident and he gets a cold. In the series, he is voiced by Edan Gross and Bradley Pierce.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
Flounder has a small role in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, where he is reunited with Ariel and takes part in the search for Melody. He is shown as an adult and to have become a father himself, having a number of children of his own. In this film, he is voiced by Cam Clarke. He is a father in both the franchise and this movie.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
He has a larger role in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, in which he first meets Ariel (contradicting the TV series, specifically the episode "The Evil Manta", which showed a completely different version of their first meeting) and later unknowingly leads her to the Catfish Club, where he works as a waiter, but dreams of being a part of the the Catfish Club Band. His characterization is notably different in this movie; he doesn't scare as easily and is much more carefree and high-spirited. He's obsessed with music, constantly humming and beatboxing even at inappropriate moments, which, given that music is forbidden in Atlantica, lands him into trouble on more than one occasion, but which also helps others keep their spirits up, most notably when his beatboxing kicks off the reprise of "Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora)" when he, Ariel, Sebastian and the Catfish Club Band are on the run from Atlantica. In this film, he is voiced by Parker Goris.
Kingdom Hearts series
Kingdom Hearts
When Sora, Donald, and Goofy first arrive, Flounder was chased by Heartless with Ariel and Sebastian, but was saved by the trio. Because Sora and the others were new to the sea world, they did not know how to swim flexibly. Flounder, then became their instructor and was chased so he could teach them.
When Ariel and the others set off to find the Keyhole, Flounder was the one who told them about the dolphin that would help them swim against the water currents.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Flounder appears as a fragment of Sora's memories. In this story, he was sent to the surface by Ursula so she could use him to make Ariel steal the Trident from her father. Towards the battle, Ariel was supposed to choose between giving the Trident to Ursula or losing Flounder. Ariel willingly gave up the Trident so that Flounder would not lose his life - but Sora defeated Ursula in the end.
Kingdom Hearts II
When Sora, Donald and Goofy revisited them, Ariel was under deep depression. Flounder wanted to cheer her up, and so he showed them a statue that resembled Prince Eric and asked them to move it to Ariel's cave.
When Ariel was turned into a human by sea witch Ursula, he and the others stayed near the princess to assist her.
Disney Parks
Flounder is a character at the Disney theme parks.
Mickey's Philharmagic
Flounder makes cameo appearances in the Mickey's Philharmagic 3D show.
He's in the Hong Kong Disneyland version of "It's a Small World".
Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party
He has also appeared in the parks as a walk-around character, but mostly in parades, shows and special events such as Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party.
Disney On Ice
Flounder joins Ariel, Sebastian, Ursula and the occasional King Triton in nearly all Disney On Ice live shows.
Musical
Flounder appears in the stage adaptation of The Little Mermaid. His supporting role is similar as in the film, but he does not give Ariel the statue of Eric, and does not help Ariel reach Eric's wedding barge, as the Vanessa subplot has been removed. However, Flounder performs a new song titled "She's in Love", which he sings with Ariel's sisters when they notice that Ariel has been acting "fishy lately". The stage role was originated by Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton, but the two actors had to leave the show when their height overshot that of Sierra Boggess, who originated Ariel. The role was taken over by Trevor Braun and Brian D'Addario. On the Original Broadway Cast Recording, Brian D'Addario performs as Flounder.
He is voiced in Japanese by Rica Matsumoto as a child and Yūji Mitsuya as an adult.
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