“The Little Mermaid”: Sardinia is among the locations of Disney’s live-action movie

“The Little Mermaid” in Sardinia: the Disney movie set in Santa Teresa Gallura

“The Little Mermaid” will swim in the blue and crystalline waters of the beautiful Sardinian sea. The live-action remake of the famous Disney animated film about Ariel, the mermaid princess fascinated by the human world, will be set on the island in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.

The film directed by Robert Marshall, Disney’s author of the musical Into the Woods and The Return of Mary Poppins, will be filmed in Pinewood Studios in London and in Santa Teresa di Gallura, Castelsardo and the Golfo degli Aranci over June and July. The production may choose to shoot some scenes of the film in other areas of the ancient island of Ichnusa.

Princess Ariel, the protagonist of one of the most beloved cartoons ever, is not the only mermaid to emerge from the sea. Perhaps not everyone knows that Golfo degli Aranci already has its mermaid: the bronze statue Canto della Sirena by the sculptor Pietro Longu.

The 3,50 meter tall and about 6,50-ton artwork is a sinuous and slender mermaid which emerges twice a day from the waters of the town’s promenade, blessing Figari nel cuore with a song of good luck and representing the story of the first fishermen who arrived on the Golfo degli Aranci after leaving Ponza.

Canto Della Sirena is a tribute to the uniqueness of the Sardinian woman that Longu describes as “A strong, wise, discreet, patient and courageous woman, with a proud soul, the backbone of the Sardinian family and society, which has d and inspired man since prehistoric times. The mermaid of Golfo Aranci is in fact a Sardinian woman, distinguished by her graceful posture and typical beauty, her hair is collected into the traditional bun to better show her face. On the arms placed along the bust, are the half-spheres that recall and symbolize the jewel buttons that adorn the traditional Sardinian costumes, along with the long pleated skirt which is shown off while dancing“.

“The Little Mermaid” in Sardinia: the cast, the soundtrack and the novelties in the plot

After the project carried out between Olbia and the coast of Gallura in 2017 by George Clooney, director and author of the mini-series Catch 22 produced by Sky Atlantic and Paramount Television, the spotlight of great international cinema returns to illuminate Sardinia. The island is preparing to host 350 people including actors, extras and crew of the live-action Disney “The Little Mermaid”.

Princess Ariel will be played by the young actress and singer Halle Bailey, and Prince Eric will be played by British actor Jonah Hauer-King, already known by the general public for his role in the BBC miniseries Little Women, in the war drama World on Fire and in the family film A Dog’s Way Home.

The cast will also include Javier Bardem (King Triton), Melissa Mccarthy (Ursula) Jacob Tremblay (voice of Flounder), Awkwafina (voice of Scuttle), Daveed Diggs (voice of Sebastian) Noma Dumezweni who will probably play Ariel’s mother, and up-and-coming actress Jessica Alexander who has a mysterious role which has not yet been revealed by the production.

In the live-action Disney, we will discover the story of Ariel and the unexpected relationship between the Triton’s daughter and Ursula: it appears that the evil witch of the sea is the protagonist’s aunt.

This is an important twist that differs from the story told by the animated adaptation of 1989 and does not find reference even in the original fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. However, it is not truly a novelty because the family relationship between Ariel and Ursula, sister of Triton, had already been focused on in two musicals about the sea princess.

As for the soundtrack, there will be the original tracks of the animated film to which will be added some new ones by composers Alan Menken and Lin Manuel Miranda.

In an article published on the website of the weekly magazine Variety, the most authoritative and reliable source of news about the entertainment business, we read that in Sardinia the production of the live-action “The Little Mermaid” is carried out in compliance with the so-called Green Set protocols to reduce their environmental impact.

“The island offers financial incentives that include a local co-production fund and a cash discount for hospitality, in addition to the Italian tax credit of 30% (covering about 22 million dollars), which also has a cashback structure that allows manufacturers to use 80% of the incentive while filming“.

The shooting of this live-action was scheduled to begin in mid-March 2020, but the film was delayed due to the Coronavirus emergency.  The release date of the film has not yet been announced, but it’s expected that “The Little Mermaid” by Rob Marshall will arrive in Italian cinemas between 2022 and 2023.

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