The Little Mermaid is set in the Caribbean But while filming took place on the Italian island in the heart of the Mediterranean, the action of the film is meant to take place in the Caribbean.
The 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid takes place in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica and a town on the coast of the Caribbean. Still, the movie's cast and crew never ventured to the Caribbean to film scenes.
The Little Mermaid animation was set under the sea in the kingdom of Atlantica and its adjacent surface world, both of which were believed to be located in Denmark. It's also where author Hans Christian Andersen, who penned the original story, was from.
The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale of Danish origin and was originally conceived by writer Hans Christian Andersen, who was best known for his riveting fairy tales. Andersen lived from 1805 to 1875. He published The Little Mermaid in 1837 as a part of a larger collection titled Fairy Tales Told for Children.
Ariel's story really begins in Ancient Greece. According to lore, she is a nereid, one of the dozens of daughters of the sea-god Triton. This isn't the first time that the internet has been set alight over the suggestion that famous figures of antiquity could be anything but white.
The Little Mermaid Story Doll Version - Titi Toys & Dolls
What is Ariel's ethnicity?
The movie is loosely based on the fairy tale, so Disney has the freedom to give Ariel any skin color they want. In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish.
First published in 1837, The Little Mermaid was written in Danish and titled Den lille havfrue. The Little Mermaid is a literary fairy tale. The plot is drawn from Hans Christian Andersen's imagination rather than a specific folktale.
This choice was made by director Rob Marshall because of Sebastian's Creole accent, but also to allow the cast to be more diverse. As Allo Ciné explains, the Caribbean islands were colonised by Europeans during the Napoleonic Wars.
Carl Jacobsen fell in love with the character after watching a ballet performance based on the fairy tale at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. The brewer was so captivated by both the fairy tale and the ballet that he commissioned the sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture of the mermaid.
The original movie is shorter than this one, but because they added in new songs and plotlines, there's quite a bit to go off of when thinking about this version versus the original. This version is clearly set in the Caribbean, which we get from the stylistic and music choices.
While some of Sebastian's features resemble a lobster, Sebastian is definitely a crab, as is stated in The Little Mermaid itself a few times. This includes the scene where the obsessed Chef Louis refers to Sebastian as a crab, and since he's a professional, he really should know.
The Walt Disney version is also in Denmark. Because that's where this fairy tale is from. H.C. Andersen's fairy tales often took place in different countries because he was an internationalist and was fascinated with foreign cultures, particularly France and the United States.
How much did Halle Bailey get paid for The Little Mermaid?
It's believed that Bailey made about $1.5 million for her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but that number could increase depending on how well the film performs opening weekend and beyond.
Atlantica is the kingdom that is located beneath the Atlantic Ocean and that is featured in The Little Mermaid franchise. The kingdom is ruled by the sea king, King Triton and the sea queen, Queen Athena; until her death.
Rather, Ursula's appearance is radically different from her family, and she sports tentacles that look like a permanent black dress. It's possible Ursula is not a mermaid in appearance because she and Triton did not have the same mother or father. If they're half siblings, Ursula's tentacles make more sense.
Sebastian (full name Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian) is a red Jamaican crab and one of the main protagonists in Disney's 1989 hit film The Little Mermaid, its prequel film, its TV series, and its sequel.
However, their accents are always a clear indication of their true behavior and intention. In The Little Mermaid, for example, dialects range from Ariel's Standard American accent, to the French accent spoken by the evil Chef, and Sebastian's Jamaican accent.
Although half of the movie takes place under the sea, the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 beloved animated film features gorgeous locations. The terrestrial part of The Little Mermaid was filmed in Sardinia, Italy, one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean.
Since the animated feature film had a white mermaid as Ariel, some people are angry that Disney has gone with a black actress in the live-action. Some people also believe that Hans Christian Andersen described the Little mermaid as a white mermaid in his book. Therefore, Disney should have cast a white actress instead.
He says they were looking for the best actor for the role of any ethnicity who could not only sing but convey traits such as strength, passion, beauty, joy and intelligence, which they found in Bailey.
What ethnicity is Sebastian in The Little Mermaid?
Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian is a red Jamaican crab and a servant of King Triton, and also his main musical composer. His main song is "Under the Sea".
All of king Triton's daughters represent their own seas all over the world and as such they are all different ethnicities in the movie. It is not specified where the movie takes place, i.e. where Ariel lives but it's obvious it's not in Denmark.
Tiana is recognized for being Disney's first African American princess. As the film's writers and directors, Clements and Musker claim that their decision to depict Tiana as an African American young woman came naturally simply as a result of the location in which the story takes place.
