Touted as the world’s largest film studio (by acreage), Morocco’s Cinema Studio Atlas is the reason why the region is considered the Hollywood of Africa. Founded in 1983, the studio has seen big-budget productions like the non-Disney Ridley Scott flick Gladiator (2000) and HBO’s Game of Thrones. A number of Disney and their subsidiaries have filmed here including Fox’s The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Kundun (1997), Fox’s Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010). Additional scenes for most of these films took place at the nearby ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou. While this place is still a working film studio, visitors are free to wander the grounds to check out a variety of props and abandoned film sets. Read about our visit to this location and other Moroccan points of interest in our blog post: Treasures of Morocco: Finding Epcot’s Real-Life Landmarks Address: Km 5, BP 28 Route de Marrakech, Ouarzazate 45000, Morocco Visitor Information: TripAdvisor
Km 5, BP 28 Route de Marrakech, Ouarzazate 45000, Morocco
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait-Ben-Haddou is situated in the Moroccan desert, about 100 miles from Marrakesh. This ksar, or group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls, was a key stop along the caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh. Disney Parks fans may recognize the earthen clay towers of Ait-Ben-Haddou as they’re represented in the facade above the entrance to Restaurant Marrakesh in Epcot. A number of films have been shot here due to its unique and biblical looking structures, the most famous being the very non-Disney Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000). Disney and their subsidiary’s films include Fox’s The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Kundun (1997), Fox’s Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010). Additional studio and outdoor sets for most of these films were located at the nearby Cinema Studio Atlas. Read about our visit to this location and other Moroccan points of interest in our blog post: Treasures of Morocco: Finding Epcot’s Real-Life Landmarks Address: Aït Benhaddou, Morocco Visitor Information: TripAdvisor
Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a museum with a large collection of historic ships and other sea vessels. One of the items in its collection is the HMS Surprise. Originally called the HMS Rose, the ship was purchased in 2001 by Twentieth Century Fox film studio to be modified and transformed into the HMS Surprise for the filming of Fox’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). The ship was used once again for the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) as Captain Barbossa’s HMS Providence. Today, you can visit the HMS Surprise along with other historic ships along the shores of San Diego Bay. Address: 1492 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 Visitor Information: Maritime Museum of San Diego
1492 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
The house of the McCallister family as seen during Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992) is a real house at 671 Lincoln Ave in Winnetka, IL. Both the interior and exterior of this house were used during the filming of these 20th Century Fox films (acquired by Disney in 2019). Address: 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093 Visitor Information: Private residence, not open to the public
671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093