Whether it's Hogwarts' Great Hall in Harry Potter, Pandora in Avatar, or the beautiful landscapes that can be found in Star Wars, there are so many techniques in a filmmaker's arsenal when looking to fake a location. CGI is the most common one these days, but fictional worlds have also been captured with immaculate set design or even the use of miniatures. Yet, there are plenty of stunning settings that weren't created with these tools at all and are instead entirely real.
They may have a few adjustments for the screen, but fans of these films can actually visit these locations and step straight into the landscape they had only ever seen within cinema. Location scouts are such a vital part of any film crew and they really should be celebrated for finding these breathtaking vistas and gorgeous pieces of architecture.
Honorable Mention: Westerns
It's gone by many names but many people know the small Western-style set just outside of Tabernas, Spain as Mini Hollywood. This incredible step into the Wild West out in one of the only deserts in Europe has been used in countless films over the years.
Whether it's A Fistful of Dollars, The Man Called Noon, or even The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, plenty of classics have been shot in this gorgeous setting. Some of the best Westerns of the 21st century have either filmed here or, at the very least, take inspiration and audiences can now visit the location for themselves. Considering that CGI can create vast Western frontiers, it's refreshing to see the location still used.
Hogwarts
Hogwarts was, in part, achieved through the use of a miniature and some brilliant set design, alongside CGI enhancements. However, in the earlier films, a lot of genuine locations across Britain were used to help ground the castle in some kind of reality. There are all kinds of tours fans can embark on to see all of the secrets of Hogwarts.
Alnwick Castle is perhaps the most famous area that's been used for the exterior and some interior shots of Hogwarts (via alnwickcastle.com). The gothic architecture of Durham Cathedral has also been perfect for a few rooms within the castle and even New College in Oxford was a source of some of the shots (via insidersoxford.com). The list of incredible backdrops across the UK is almost unending.
The Shire
It's known to most people that the majority of Lord of the Rings' Middle-Earth was captured within the stunning nature of New Zealand (via newzealand.com). The country has become a hotspot for movie tourism because of this classic saga, but the Shire in particular is still standing strong.
In Matamata, the Shire has been kept almost exactly the same; visiting guests feel as if they are stepping straight into the tiny town of Hobbiton. While it would have been easy to tear down the sets and recreate them with CGI, there's something magical about this real-world backdrop.
Avengers Campus
The Avengers Campus was the second Headquarters for the Earth's mightiest heroes after Stark Tower was blown to pieces. It's a much more advanced setting for the team to operate from and appears to boost its own military presence as a defense system (to support the Avengers in combat).
The training and security facility went through a few different looks but its base can be found at the University Of East Anglia in Norwich, UK (via visitnorwich.com). The Sainbury's Centre was the filming ground for the Campus when it was first brought to screen, although it has since been recreated with CGI.
Ghostbusters HQ
It was always a strange location for the Ghostbusters to set up shop, but the old Firehouse has become such an iconic part of the lore of that fictional universe. It's another location that could have easily been a set, enhanced with a bit of CGI and practical magic, alongside some detailed miniatures.
But the team working on the smash hit actually found the perfect setting in New York located at 14 North Moore Street (via Trip Advisor). The Firehouse hasn't changed a day since its first appearance on the big screen and somehow continues to capture the whimsy of the production itself.
The Canyon Of The Crescent Moon
There are so many awe-inspiring locations across the Indiana Jones films, which help to match the adventurous tone of the franchise itself. The Canyon Of The Cresent Moon which houses The Temple Of The Sun in The Last Crusade is perhaps one of the most impressive and looks too good to be true.
However, this seemingly fictional structure is completely real and audiences can visit it today. The actual version can be found not in Hatay, but instead in Petra, Jordan, where it continues to stand in all of its glory, without a blemish or signal that the on-screen version had been altered in any way (via nationalgeographic.com).
King's Landing
While it may be cheating a little considering Game Of Thrones is a TV show, the budget, and scale of the cinematic HBO project have certainly allowed for some stellar locations to be utilized for the setting of Westeros. King's Landing in particular is breathtaking.
While some aspects were designed using CGI, the vast majority of the capital of the Seven Kingdoms can be found in Dubrovnik, Croatia (via kingslandingdubrovnik.com). Game Of Thrones tours frequently occur there, with tourists flocking to see the castles, streets, and ports of the fictional city.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel is the titular building at the heart of the Wes Anderson picture. It's a setting that's colorful and full of life but almost looks unrealistic in its perfect design. It's clear that in some shots, miniatures and CGI enhancements were used to fully capture the hotel.
But that doesn't mean that The Grand Budapest isn't actually real. In fact, the building can be found with its familiar architecture in Görlitz, Germany, with the majority of the town offering up areas to film at (via locationshub.com). The interior lobby is mostly made up of a vacant department store.
Naboo
The majority of the Star Wars prequels feel as if there is a heavy amount of CGI being used. However, what some Star Wars fans may be unaware of is that Naboo is actually based on a number of locations. The city known as Theed is pretty much exactly as it is in real life and audiences can check it out today.
The Plaza de España in Seville doubled as Theed for the most part, with the courtyards, in particular, getting featured heavily in the film (via Trip Advisor). The Royal Palace of Caserta and Villa del Balbianello in Italy were also used for interior and exterior shots of the palaces themselves (italiantraditions.com).
X-Mansion
While it makes sense to build interior sets in order to have cost-effective ways of shooting scenes within the X-Mansion, it's surprising that the exterior of the famous school for Mutants hasn't been created using CGI so that it can be tailored to what the movies require.
Yet, there has actually been a wide range of buildings that have been used as the real-world settings of the X-Mansion. Hatley Castle in Canada is one such location that was used (via Trip Advisor), alongside the Englefield Estate in England (via englefieldestate.co.uk) and Casa Loma, which is also in Canada (via Trip Advisor).