From Screen To Reality: Arizona’s Landscapes In Famous Movies Revealed
Arizona has a notable history in our country and is home to some incredible US folklore as well, including the very famous and infamous, Route 66! The vast deserts and beautiful horizons make for a memorable backdrop and some of the biggest movies in history have used Arizonas natural beauty. Lets do a quick dive into these 5 flicks that used Arizona as a set instead of a studio with sand on the floor and bright lights pretending to be the desert sun.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Little Miss Sunshine took home several Oscars the year it was released making it just one of many on this list of Arizona movies that walked away from the heat with something to show for it. Although the family lives in New Mexico and the pageant they're heading for is located in California, a good chunk of the movie passes through Arizona and filmed in actual Arizona locales!
WAYNES WORLD
A couple of scenes in this ICONIC 80's comedy were filmed in Scottsdale and Mesa! The main thing to take away from this film isnt about Arizona though. The main thing to remember is...No Stairway. Denied.
RAISING ARIZONA
I would probably get booed off the internet if I didnt mention this classic film. Well, I'd probably get booed off the Arizonan internet anyway. Raising Arizona wasnt filmed in Arizona entirely, but it did have a LOT of scenes shot on location. Which isnt always typical for movies set in a certain place, believe it or not. Looking at you, Lord of The rings. I know that was Australia NOT Middle Earth!!
FORREST GUMP
The award winning history movie! Forrest Gump is an absolute gem in the film world. One of those movies that is so heavily referenced by every source of media, ya gotta give it the kudos even if youre not a fan of it. Now, it would probably cost a lot more money added on to the already massive budget to film on location for this specific film because it takes place in SO MANY PLACES! At the very least though, the scene when Forrest decides to just stop running towards the end of the film, was actually filmed in Arizona. Go, Arizona! You got Forrest Gump to stop running!
STAR WARS
1983s film darling, Return of The Jedi, had some scenes filmed in Arizona. Wild right? Look at this list of insanely popular films, some of which multiaward winning films, and one of the things they have in common is that Arizona is somewhere in them. Maybe filming in Arizona is the key to success for movies. Or maybe its just a coincidence. Who knows?
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