Disney Movie Filming Locations

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

This public park in Queens, NY is most well known as being the site of the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair. It was at this World’s Fair where Walt Disney saw an opportunity to not only experiment with new theme park technology but to also test the east coast audience, in preparation for his Florida Project. The centerpiece of the World’s Fair and one of the only surviving structures today (along with the Queens Museum) is the iconic Unisphere. Imagineer Harper Goff had a hand in designing the famed armillary sphere which has been featured in major films including the epic opening to Iron Man 2 (2010) and plays a major role in Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland (2015) which recreated the fair for the big screen. You may also recognize the Unisphere as Peter Parker captures a glimpse of it from the highway while being driven around by Happy during Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). Read more about our visit to this park in our blog post: Re-Living Walt Disney’s Past: Exploring the Grounds of the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair. This location is mentioned in our blog post: Re-Living Walt Disney’s Past: Exploring the Grounds of the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair. Address: […]

The Glendale-Hyperion Bridge connects Interstate 5 from Glendale (into Atwater Village) to the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles where one of the original Disney animation studios once stood. The bridge, along with its distinct octagonal towers, serves as the architectural inspiration for the bridge (really a monorail track) on Buena Vista Street at the entrance to Disney California Adventure. The bridge can briefly be seen during the 1988 live-action and animated hit Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Test footage from this scene can be seen during the seventh episode of the first season of the Disney+ series Prop Culture as the episode visits the stuntman and original vehicle used as the car body prob for “Benny the Cab”. Address: Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA Visitor Information: Wikipedia

Golden Oak Ranch is a plot of land 30 miles outside of Los Angeles, used by Walt in the 1950s and later purchased by the company in 1959 for use as film and TV production facility. A number of classic Disney productions have been filmed here including Spin and Marty episodes, Old Yeller (1957), The Parent Trap (1961), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), and Pete’s Dragon (1977). The ranch is still used today and continues to host productions such as Pearl Harbor (2001), The Country Bears (2002), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), The Muppets (2011). In television, ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Disney+ series WandaVision have shot here as well as an episode of the Disney+ series One Day at Disney (Shorts) featured Golden Oak while profiling their Operations Manager, Steven Sligh. The name Golden Oak is memorialized as the name of the Golden Oak community, a private residential area located on Walt Disney World property, where its clubhouse displays props and memorabilia from classic Disney TV shows and movies that were filmed here. Although no tours are given and it is not open to the public, industry professionals can gain access for scouting and filming purposes. Address: 19802 Placerita Canyon Rd, […]

Launched in 1989, the tall ship Lady Washington was commissioned as the official tall ship of the state of Washington by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, a not-for-profit public development authority. The ship is a full-scale replica of the original Lady Washington, an 18th-century vessel named in honor of Martha Washington, and resides in this historic seaport when it’s not out on a film shoot or touring the state. The modern ship has a number of Disney connections including playing the role of the HMS Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). A few years later, the Lady Washington stars in the ABC series Once Upon a Time as Captain Hook’s ship the Jolly Roger from season 2 and on. The ship is even credited as the design reference for the RLS Legacy in Disney’s 2002 feature animated film, Treasure Planet (2002). The ship in the movie is based on the adventures of the Hispaniola from the RLS (Robert Louis Stevenson) classic book, Treasure Island. In the Disney+ series, Prop Culture, host Dan Lanigan visits this location in search of props associated with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Read more about the real-life locations featured […]

The Griffith Observatory first opened in 1935 and has since offered visitors an array of space and science-related displays. Situated in Griffith Park, the observatory was a filming location in Disney’s The Rocketeer (1991) where the namesake character attempts to rescue the heroine, Jenny. Address: 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027 Visitor Information: Griffith Observatory

This royal palace was most famously the residence of King Henry VIII of England. The building’s unique brick exterior serves as inspiration for the facade of the Sportsman’s Shoppe in Epcot’s United Kingdom pavilion. You can also see parts of the building during the 2011 film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, playing the role St. James’s Palace. Address: Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU, United Kingdom Visitor Information: Historic Royal Palaces

This world-famous deli on the corner of East Houston Street and Ludlow St in New York City was a filming location for a scene in 2007’s Enchanted. Address: 205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002 Visitor Information: Katz’s Delicatessen

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

Kualoa Ranch is a private nature reserve located on the east side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The ranch’s unique topography makes it the perfect filming location for exotic jungle scenes like the ones seen in ABC’s LOST and Disney films including George of the Jungle (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and Pearl Harbor (2001). The ranch’s visitor center and gift shop are open to the public, but the only way to get a close-up view of the filming locations is by taking one of the tours that they offer. Address: 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744 Visitor Information: Kualoa Ranch

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

The Matterhorn is a unique looking mountain in the Swiss Alps at the edge of a small town called Zermatt, Switzerland. Its jagged profile may look familiar if you’ve ever eaten a Toblerone – it’s featured on the logo of the Swiss chocolate. It may also look familiar if you’ve ever been to Disneyland… #MatterhornMonday Walt’s fascination with the mighty mountain first grew during a set visit to the production of the 1959 live-action feature film Third Man on the Mountain. According to author Jim Denny (via Disney Avenue), Walt had always wanted a mountainside attraction in Disneyland to remind him of his childhood days sledding down the snowy hillsides of Marceline. While on location in Zermatt, Walt became obsessed with the site of the Matterhorn mountain so much that he couldn’t take his eyes off of it – he knew it had to be a part of Disneyland. Legend has it that he mailed a souvenir postcard back to Imagineering with a hand-written note: Build This. In the summer of 1959, Walt’s vision came to life and the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction opened in Disneyland. The ride is still in operation today with only minor cosmetic and theming changes happening […]