10 More Amazing Roles Ruined By Terrible Acting
7. Javier Bardem (King Triton) - The Little Mermaid
As another entry on this list will also later highlight, trying to follow some of the tremendous work produced in some of Disney's most iconic animated pictures is a rather tall order. And while some actors certainly rose to the challenge and brilliantly added their own interesting flavour to a classic character, others weren't quite as successful during Disney's recent live-action remakes.
Take Javier Bardem in last year's The Little Mermaid, for example.
The usually super reliable performer looked like an actor perfectly suited to the role of the fierce and strict but loving father of Ariel. But his version of King Triton in this underwater tale ultimately sank when all was said and done.
Along with not possessing anywhere near the level of commanding energy as his animated counterpart (brilliantly voiced by Kenneth Mars), Bardem also doesn't really bring much emotional depth to the role either. It's just a bit of a bland, nothing-performance really, and one that most likely swiftly forgot about the second the credits began to roll.
Bardem would at least follow this up with a far more compelling and memorable turn as Stilgar in Dune: Part Two this year, but the fact one of the finest actors working today wasn't able to do something interesting with such an iconic Disney figure was a genuine shock.