7 real places that inspired Disney films

Who hasn’t wished they could step inside their favourite film – whether you’d be whisked to another planet, to a fantasy world, or get the chance to explore a fascinating castle or race through the dramatic scenery. I definitely have!

So if your kids are huge Disney fans (and who isn’t?), I’ve rounded up some of the real life places that inspired Disney films – and TV shows – to help you do just that.

Once you’ve caught up on your favourites, here’s how to use that to inspire your next trip – and as a bonus, don’t forget the ultimate fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

The gleaming white towers of the Bavarian palace inspired Walt Disney to build Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disneyland and the logo you’ll see before the start of a Disney film.

Bergen, Norway – Frozen

The scenery of Norway looks like it could have come straight from a fairytale itself, especially the dramatic scenery of the fjords. So when a team from Disney headed to the country before making Frozen, they weren’t short of inspiration.

But if you’re looking to visit Arendelle itself, there are two towns which should be on your list. Firstly, the colourful buildings of Bergen, set on the water’s edge with the mountains rising up behind, as well as smaller Trondelag, with its own bright waterfront homes.

There are even various tour operators which run Frozen-themed holidays visiting the locations which inspired the movie and its sequel.

Wadi Rum – Star Wars

The original Star Wars trilogy relied on the deserts of Tunisia to represent some of the scenes in the famous galaxy far far away. But for the final trilogy and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, filming moved to Jordan.

The dramatic dunes of burned orange sand are somewhere I’ve seen with my own eyes and the desert truly is unforgettable: you could easily believe you’re light years away from anyone else, as you head out into the sand.

It’s not the first time Wadi Rum has appeared in a Disney movie either, it’s also made an appearance as Agrabah in the 2019 remake of Aladdin, not to mention Rogue One.

And while you might not get to race spacecraft with a lightsaber in hand, a jeep ride and some imagination are really all you need here.

London – Mary Poppins/Mary Poppins Returns

The original Disney film was shot mostly in California although you can see iconic London locations including St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England, both of which reappear in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns, along with Buckingham Palace.

If you’re looking for the original Cherry Tree Lane in London, you’ll be disappointed: there’s no such address, alas. But if you head to author PL Travers’ own former home, at 50 Smith Street in Chelsea, the houses and streets around here inspired the street where the Banks family lived.

Their neighbour’s house, belonging to the eccentric Admiral Boom, is also believed to have been inspired by a house with a ship’s deck on the roof in Hampstead, the well named Admiral’s House on Admiral’s Walk.

The Great Rift Valley, Kenya – The Lion King

If you’ve watched The Lion King and not wanted, at least once, to look out over the Pride Lands and climb Pride Rock (possibly while singing The Circle of Life), I don’t think I believe you.

Unfortunately if you want to visit the real life Pride Rock, there’s no single place which inspired the dramatic African landscape that also appeared in the TV show The Lion Guard – the closest you can get is to visit Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, which has its own striking rock formations.

Check out my own family trip to Kenya, including how to spot Pumbaa and Simba in the Masai Mara, and other tips for visiting Kenya with kids

Dunnottar Castle, Scotland – Brave

Originally Disney animators had planned to set Merida’s home castle in Brave on the side of a loch – and Scotland is not short of scenery to inspire a waterfront location.

But once they saw Dunnottar Castle, the decision was made to move it to a rocky outcrop like the real-life medieval fortress in Aberdeenshire.

The castle of Eilean Donan in the Highlands was another inspiration, set at the meeting point of three sea lochs, and looking equally eye-catching on its isolated home.

The Forbidden City, China – Mulan

The Imperial City, the location of one of the most action-packed parts of the movie Mulan, might not exist in real life, but the Forbidden City in Beijing, the true home of the Emperors of China from 1420 to 1912, is an almost exact duplicate.

You can still visit it today, walking through the courtyards and corridors which for centuries were forbidden to those outside the court. In total, there are almost 1,000 buildings in the Forbidden City. 

Mont St Michel, France – Tangled

Set apart from the mainland on a small island off the coast of Normandy, Mont St Michel was once cut off at hide tide and visitors could only reach the abbey buildings at low tide.

With its towers spiralling high, it’s the perfect inspiration for the island kingdom of Corona in Tangled, birthplace of Rapunzel – the island also has plenty of legends of its own, including supposedly being the place where the archangel Michael defeated a dragon.

If these ideas of places that inspired Disney films have only whetted your appetite, you could also head to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, whose pyramids will remind you of the temples in Elena of Avalor – check into one of these all-inclusive resorts in Playa del Carmen to discover the area.

Or why not make a journey like Moana through the islands of the South Pacific – inspiration was drawn from different Polynesian cultures, but Samoa inspired Moana’s home of Motunui while Te Fiti was based on Tahiti.

 
PIN FOR LATER: REAL PLACES THAT INSPIRED DISNEY FILMS

Images: St Paul’s cathedral copyright MummyTravels, all others courtesy Depositphotos. Disney Plus countdown image courtesy Disney.

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