By ashley nash baltazar
Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid" was released in theaters in 2023. Singer Halle Bailey became the first Black actress to play Ariel (of Atlantica) in the Caribbean-set film.
Making history in its casting, it also became the eighth-highest-grossing Disney live-action adaptation, racking in close to $600 million. Here's where "The Little Mermaid" was filmed.
Production was set to begin in London in March 2020. However, it was delayed due to COVID-19. Shooting began 10 months later in the UK and Italy.
Like the original animation, the live-action rendition tells the story of a mermaid who debates giving up her life underwater for a man with whom she's fallen in love.
Ariel's love interest, Prince Eric, lives on land in a castle located in Castelsardo. This southwestern part of Sardinia is a medieval village and one of the oldest of its kind.
Despite being set in a Caribbean underwater town, the film was partly shot in the UK. Pinewood Studios is where the underwater scenes were captured, often up to 13 hours a day.
Beach and exterior shots were filmed in Sardinia, an island south of Corsica, north of Tunisia. In following the local Green Set protocol, production earned a 30% tax credit.
More specifically, beach shots, like Ariel and Prince Eric on the sand together, were captured at Ena Majore Beach in Aglientu. This area is known for its art galleries.
Within Sardinia, non-beach scenes were also captured around the northern tip in Santa Teresa di Gallura. The city is known for its summer tourism and quaint local shops.
A car is suggested to get around both Iver Heath and Sardinia. Similarly, spring is the best time of year to visit both cities for milder weather and fewer crowds.