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 "true" location of The Little Mermaid depends on whether you refer to the original 1837 fairy tale or the 1989 Disney film. The original author, Hans Christian Andersen, was Danish, and the story is widely associated with Denmark (celebrated by the iconic statue in Copenhagen harbor). However, Andersen's text describes a generic "European" coastal kingdom. In contrast, Disney's animators explicitly shifted the setting of the 1989 movie to a warmer, Mediterranean-inspired climate, likely off the coast of Italy or Southern France. This is evident in the Roman-influenced architecture of Prince Eric’s castle and the presence of palm trees and tropical-style fish. For the 2023 live-action remake, the production took it a step further by filming on the island of Sardinia, officially cementing the Mediterranean as the modern cinematic home of Ariel, while the Baltic Sea remains the spiritual home of the original literary character.