Burbank, CA — In a press conference on Sunday, Disney announced that the company would cast legendary rapper Snoop Dogg as Flounder for the live action remake of The Little Mermaid.

“We felt like Calvin would be perfect for the role, because of his larger than life personality,” the spokesperson explained. “At Disney, we pride ourselves on our ability to cast cultural icons for our most memorable roles. We hope that this casting choice will bring The Little Mermaid to the next generation of viewers.”

“We were rather disheartened by the ignorant reactions to our casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel, but we won’t let such things stop us from doing what we think is best.”

Unsurprisingly, public reactions to the casting choice have been mixed.

“How can we have a black Flounder? Everyone knows that Flounder is YELLOW,” Sylvia Davis, a 55 year old homemaker, told The Millennial Snowflake. “I am sick and tired of these corporations forcing diversity on us. Besides, how am I supposed to explain who Snoop Dogg is to my children? I don’t want them to see that gangbanger as a role model.”

However, others seemed more excited about the surprising development.

“Snoop will definitely bring something new to the role. I am really pumped about this. It isn’t often that you see hip-hop culture in the mainstream,” Bill Sanders, a 35 year old software engineer, said in an interview. “I hope that he and Ariel share a few bong hits.”

The Little Mermaid is set for release in April of 2020.