Popeye 1980: Comino and Sweethaven Locations

Sweethaven at Anchor Bay

The set is the reason people know this film in Malta at all.

Altman needed a fishing town that didn’t exist, and he needed it in winter. Robin Williams was still contracted to Mork & Mindy, which ruled out shooting in the American northeast during the months his schedule allowed, so the production built its own harbour town from scratch at Anchor Bay, near Mellieħa.

Construction took seven months, and a 60–75 metre breakwater was built to protect the set from high seas during the shoot. It was never meant to survive the shoot. Not only is it still standing, it’s a popular attraction in Malta that you can visit today.

Visiting Popeye Village

Sweethaven is now a Popeye Village, small theme park, and it sits on Malta rather than Gozo, which makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour. Anchor Bay is a short drive from the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal, so it works well either side of the crossing, particularly if you have a hire car and a gap before a sailing.

Pricing runs on three seasons, and the gap between them is wide enough to be worth planning around.

High season, 1 June to 30 September. Open 9.30am to 6pm. Adults and teens €25, children aged 3 to 12 €16, pensioners €16. Includes the water inflatables course, floating sun deck, splash pools and sunbeds.

Mid season, 1 to 31 May and 1 October to 5 November. Open 9.30am to 5.30pm. Adults and teens €18, children €14, pensioners €14.

Low season, 6 November to 30 April. Open 9.30am to 5pm. Adults and teens €15, children €12.50, pensioners €12.50.

Pensioners pay the child rate in every season, which is not something the site shouts about.

Popeye on Comino

Sweethaven was built on Malta, but the water was not. When the film leaves the harbour, it leaves for Comino.

Bluto takes Swee’Peaa and Olive Oyl out to sea in the closing stretch of the film, and the ensuing boat chase was shot around Comino, including the run into the Blue Lagoon. If you have swum there, you already know the colour is not a lighting trick. It really does go that shade of blue over the sandy bottom of the lagoon.

L-Għar ta’ Bla Saqaf, or the Roofless Cave, on Comino also features as backdrop during this sequence. also known these days as Popeye’s Cave, it’s close to Santa Marija Tower and you might also recognise it from the 2002 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo.

It is worth watching with that in mind, because the Comino coastline has barely changed in the forty-odd years since. The cliffs Bluto sails past are the same cliffs the day boats pass now.