DISNEY IS FAMOUS for creating fantastic, otherworldly, fairy tale settings for its movies. But the artists who create these other worlds draw heavily on real-world locations for their designs. Whether it’s in the mountains of Germany or France, in the plains of sub-Saharan Africa, or in the swamps of Louisiana, the world is covered in places that have been adapted into Disney settings.
So if you’re a traveler — and a Disney fan — and you’re looking for a fairy tale place to go on your next vacation, try visiting some of these real world locations that you can also find in Disney movies.
1
Machu Picchu
The art and design of The Emperor's New Groove is heavily influenced by Incan culture, but Pacha's village in particular is set on a set of very familiar-looking mountains. Photo by Pedro Szekely
2
Angel Falls
Carl Fredricksen's South American destination of Paradise Falls in the movie Up is based on the real life Angel Falls in Venezuela. Photo by ENT108
3
New Orleans
Okay, so the setting of The Princess and the Frog isn't based on New Orleans: it is New Orleans. From the French Quarter to the Bayou, all of New Orleans and the Mississippi River Delta is recognizable in this movie. Photo by Jim Nix
Finding Nemo starts in the Great Barrier Reef, and follows the clownfish Marlin, his son Nemo, and his blue tang friend Dory all the way to Sydney Harbor in Australia. Photo by Faizan Ashraf
5
Route 66
Both in design and plot,Cars is heavily influenced by the classic Americana of the mother road, Route 66. A set of mountains visible in the background of one shot heavily resemble the famous Route 66 landmark, Cadillac Ranch. Photo by OneEighteen
6
Alsace, France
The creators of Beauty and the Beast looked to the small villages and towns of Alsace in France to create Belle's home of Little Town. Photo by Tambako the Jaguar
7
Mont Saint-Michel
Rapunzel's parents' castle in Tangled is based off of the beautiful French commune of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy. Photo by Matthieu Luna
8
The Serengeti
The art in The Lion King is largely based off of Africa's Serengeti plains in Tanzania, famous for it's incredible animal migrations and, of course, for its lion prides. Photo by Anita Ritenour
9
The Forbidden City
Mulan is set during China's Han Dynasty (from around 200 BC to 200 AD). Though the Forbidden City wouldn't be built until about 1200 years later, the design of the Emperor's home is very clearly based on Beijing's Forbidden City. Photo by Andy Enero
Elsa's Palace in Frozen drew inspiration from the Hotel de Glace -- a hotel made primarily of Ice -- near Quebec City in Canada. Photo by melolou
11
Neuschwanstein Castle
The gorgeous Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, served as inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle, which would later become adapted into the famous Disney castle at the beginning of each Disney movie. Photo by Nordix
12
Notre Dame
Obviously, the centerpiece of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the gorgeous gothic cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, located on the Seine in the heart of the city. The movie capitalized on the building's gothic architecture to the point of including its famous gargoyles as actual characters in the film. Photo by CameliaTWU
13
Ashdown Forest
In Winnie the Pooh, the famous Hundred Acre Wood is actually based off of the real life Five Hundred Acre Wood in southern England's Ashdown Forest. A Photo by Tom Lee
14
Kauai
The art of Lilo and Stitch is obviously Hawaiian, but it based specifically on the beautiful island of Kauai. Photo by Christian Arballo
15
The Taj Mahal
In Aladdin, the Sultan's palace is based in look on the famous Taj Mahal. The movie itself is based in the Middle East -- likely Jordan -- which is a solid 2,600 miles away, but who could pass up a hat tip to the Taj? Photo by sandeepachetan
16
Thailand
In Tangled, in order to commemorate the loss of their daughter, Rapunzel's parents release sky lanterns each year. This is actually based off of the Thai festival of Yi Peng. Lantern festival Photo by taylorshieh
17
The French Laundry
Ratatouille is set in Paris, but the kitchen is based off of that of the French Laundry, Thomas Keller's Napa Valley restaurant that is consistently ranked among the best in the world. It should be noted that there isn't any record of their ever being rats in the French Laundry. Photo by Noodles and Beef
18
Chateau de Chillon
Prince Eric's seaside castle in The Little Mermaid is believed to be based off of the Chateau de Chillon, which sits on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Photo by Christopher Michel
19
Eilean Donan
The Pixar movie Brave is set in the Scottish Highlands, so much of that area is recognizable in the movie, but one of the primary sources of inspiration was the Eilean Donan Castle. Photo by _Hadock_
20
Chateau de Chambord
The Chateau de Chambord in France was the inspiration for the Beast's castle in Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Jim Nix
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