What If Gordon Ramsay Had Played Chef Louis?

This past decade we have enjoyed quite a few epic live-action releases of classic Disney animated films we grew up with. Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, just to name a few.

This year, it was The Little Mermaid. With every release, some changes are made to the overall story. This is to be expected; with a new release or remake of a film, there will always be changes, sparking a variety of opinions — some in favor, others more critical.

The Little Mermaid consisted of its fair share of changes, but did something more — adding new scenes and songs, and in fact, dropping an entire scene and its accompanying song.

You know which one: The kitchen scene, involving Sebastian and Chef Louis. In the animated film, this was the official comic relief.

Despite it being a film for children, the plot is quite adult: A mermaid who's no longer a child and desires to choose her own path in the world, making an extremely risky decision in the hopes of fulfilling her dreams. The slapstick kitchen scene gave children — and in fact viewers of all ages — an island of comedy in the midst of this sea of drama. There was also a lesson in it: Demonstrating that there is always an alternate point of view. To human beings, the kitchen is, well, a kitchen. To a crab like Sebastian, it's absolute horror; an execution room where fish are decapitated, gutted and burned alive. Of course this concept takes backstage to the ensuing slapstick sequence wherein the bumbling Chef Louis fails to turn Sebastian into a chef special, and trashes the entire kitchen in an unsuccessful and hilarious chase.

So why didn't this scene make it into the live-action adaptation? Perhaps the filmmakers viewed the scene as too violent for a live-action remake. But if so, c'mon. This was clearly a lost opportunity for a spectacular sequence.

When the live-action Little Mermaid was first announced, there was some speculation on the Internet on if Chef Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen fame might play Chef Louis, which certainly would have made for comic gold. (Imagine Ramsay finding the live crustacean in his kitchen and yelling out his signature exclamation: "It's raw!")

As far as live-action adaptations go, The Little Mermaid certainly made its mark, and will be re-watched and enjoyed for many years to come. But, at least to the fans of the original animated film, the kitchen scene will always be missed.

And... Ramsay as Chef Louis. Once you see that sequence play out in your mind, you can't unsee it!