If you are looking for a magical, fairy-tale destination for your next vacation or wedding ceremony, you might actually find it in quite untraditional place – Disney films. You have been dreaming of fantasy lands and stunning landscapes your entire life, but some of your favourite spots from Disney movies are actual locations. So, if you are looking for the ultimate travel inspiration, look at the amazing 10 real-life places that appear in Disney movies.
The Pride Lands in “Lion King”
There’s widespread misconception that the Pride Rock in “Lion King” is based on an actual mountain in Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya. The production’s co-director Roger Allers has said there is no real-life counterpart of the rock. However, the Pride Lands were actually inspired by The Maasai Mara National Reserve in the same country.
The Beast’s Castle in “Beauty and the Beast”
The magnificent, yet a bit daunting castle, which is home of the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast” was inspired by Chateau du Chamborg in France, says the movie’s animator Glen Keane. Although the two castles aren’t exactly the same in appearance, the atmosphere in the chateau is just like in Disney’s cartoon. The building is even more influential – the Founder’s Building at Royal Holloway, University of London and to some extent the main structure of the Fettes College in Edinburgh were inspired by it.
The Grand Fusel Lodge, Piston Peak National Park in “Planes: Fire and Rescue”
There can’t be any doubt here – the lodge in “Planes” exactly matches the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, simply because filmamakers copied the Old Faithful after walking it through several times. They even added to the cartoon lodge one element directly from the real-life building – the exterior sprinkler system, designed to protect from wildfires.
