Filming Locations

Fort Bard is a 19th century fortress located in a narrow gorge at the entrance to Italy‘s Aosta Valley, gateway to the Alps. This unique building was the filming locations for Marvel’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), playing the role of HYDRA’s Research Base in the fictional country of Sokovia. Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 85, 11020 Bard AO, Italy Visitor Information: Associazione Forte di Bard

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, […]

This ‘S’ shaped canal runs through the center of the city and acts as a highway of sorts to the complex network of canals that make up Venice. This waterway inspired replicas that can be found in both Epcot’s Italy Pavilion and Tokyo DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor. It’s famous gondola rides inspired a Venetian Gondolas attraction in DisneySea as well. In film, the canals are heavy featured during Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) during Peter Parker’s class trip to Europe. Harrison Ford spent the day here on August 8, 1988 as he filmed scenes for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Walt Disney himself even visited the majestic canals during a family vacation in 1951. Address: Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy Visitor Information: Venezia Unica

A New York City landmark, Grand Central Terminal has been serving its visitors as a train station and shopping concourse since it opened in 1913. While many areas of the Big Apple were used in filming, Marvel fans will recognize the building’s south-facing facade, featuring its unmistakable Glory of Commerce statues, from the climax of The Avengers (2012) during a scene where the team assembles to form a strategy to kick some As…gardians. Later on in the MCU, the set of statues above the Tiffany clock is found to have been replaced with a unique Battle Of New York Memorial statue. Grand Central is also the inspiration for both the design and punny name for the fictional Game Central Station where video game characters from Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) gather at the end of the night. Address: 89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017 Visitor Information: Grand Central Terminal

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 Great Wall of China is a world-famous UNESCO World Heritage structure that once served as the barricade of the North, now acts as a tourist attraction for millions of visitors every year, many of whom (or is it just me?) are inspired to visit based on its connection to Disney. A portion of this 13,000-mile-long wall can be seen as one of the featured locations in Soarin’ Around the World (Disney California Adventure), Soarin’ Around the World (Epcot), Soaring Over the Horizon and Soaring: Fantastic Flight. I can’t help but think of a certain song every time I see this scene. The portion of the wall seen is near the city of Miyun, outside of northeast Beijing. It’s the same filming location that was used in the Wonders of China attraction shown in Epcot’s China Pavilion from 1982 to 2003 and Disneyland from 1984 to1996. Today, Epcot’s China Pavilion shows the updated(ish) Circle-Vision film, Reflections of China, which now features the Great Wall as the bookends of the attraction where we both meet and say 再见 (goodbye) to our host, Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. Watch the below video or take a listen to this song, it’ll make you feel like you’re […]

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 carousel, built in 1926, in the heart of LA’s Griffith Park was the inspiration for Disneyland: The idea for [Disneyland] came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy’s day with the two daughters…. I’d take them to the merry-go-round… and as I sit while they rode… I felt that there should be something built where the parents and children could have fun together. So that’s how Disneyland started” – Walt Disney The Merry-Go-Round that Walt references is the one here in the park, between his Los Feliz home and the Disney Studio in Burbank. The Disney+ series Prop Culture filmed a segment here in an episode exploring props and costumes from Disney’s 1964 film, Mary Poppins. In the episode, host Dan Lanigan brings Karen Dotrice, the actress that played Jane Banks, here to discuss how the carousel inspired a fantastical scene in the film while checking out the iconic yellow dress and hat costume that she wore in the movie. Read more about the real-life locations featured on the show in our blog post: 7 Real-Life Locations From The Disney+ Series Prop Culture. The ride is still open to the public, though operating on […]

Part of the Chattahoochee Hills Eventing space, this rustic cabin on the east side of “Big Lake” on Bouckaert Farm (#8 on this map) played the role of Tony Stark’s cabin (referred to as “Stark Eco-Compound” in the screenplay) in the 2019 blockbuster film Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. Though interior shots of the cabin were filmed on a soundstage in Trilith Studios, exteriors (including the emotional gathering toward the end of the film) were shot here. If you love this place 3000, then you can not only visit it, but you can even stay the night by renting it out via Airbnb by clicking here (new to Airbnb? Use our sign up link here for a coupon). This location made our list of the 10 Most Unique And Coolest Disney Related Locations Where You Can Spend The Night Address: 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA 30213 Visitor Information: Chattahoochee Hills Eventing – Hosted at the Bouckaert Farm

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

In March 1979, the cast and crew of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) traveled to Finse, Norway to film scenes in and around the Hardangerjøkulen (Hardanger Glacier). These scenes were for the battle on ice planet Hoth, with a majority of the on-the-ground battle footage being filmed on the glacier itself. The cast and crew stayed at the nearby Finse 1222 hotel, which currently has a small museum devoted to the production and hosts an annual fan event. An area near the south edge of Finsevatnet lake was where filming took place for the scene where Luke grapples to an AT-AT in order to drop a thermal detonator inside. A stuntman hung from a helicopter in order to get the footage. Heading further south, near a ridge, is the probot droid landing site and the landscape for a scene where the Imperial AT-AT Walkers first approach the Rebels. Heading a bit more east, is the area where a matte painting of the Rebel’s Echo Base entrance was superimposed on top of footage that was filmed here. Near this area is the location where Han destroys the probot from behind a rock. Although due to erosion, the whereabouts of […]