If there’s one thing Millennial women love, and that is the chick flicks from our youth. They taught us about friendships, our futures and made us envy the characters’ romantic relationships. And let’s not forget the travel bug. Let’s be honest, how many people wanted to travel to a specific destination just because they saw it as a kid in a movie and thought it was the best place ever? I’m sure the answer is plenty. However, here’s something you probably didn’t know: Most of our favorite and iconic movies we adored growing up were actually filmed in Canada.
Here are six of our childhood classics filmed in Canada.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
But didn’t they go to Italy? Well, yes and no. Technically, the cast and crew flew to Italy to film some iconic scenes. But what most people don’t know is that most of the film was actually shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. I know, it crushed me to hear that too — and I’m Canadian, so I should be happy to hear this.
Camp Rock
Did anyone else get seriously jealous that they couldn’t attend a luxurious band camp and launch into superstardom? And let’s not forget about the romantic relationship with a real-life pop star! It turns out the camps they used in Camp Rock are real. The main camp used in the movie is a popular music camp called Camp White Pine, located in Haliburton, Ontario (AKA cottage country). Interestingly enough, I attended that camp a year after the movie was filmed, and let me tell you: They didn’t even have to decorate the sets since almost everything looks identical to the movie!
She’s The Man
Although there is no actual location in mind when you watch She’s The Man, the movie was actually shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. In fact, the cast of the movie all saw Channing Tatum’s commercial debut while visiting a local movie theatre one day after filming. A star was literally born in Canada! Except not actually; he just skyrocketed to fame, and Canadians will still claim that.
Mean Girls
Since it’s relatively cheap to film there, Toronto is typically used as a disguise filming location instead of other major cities. So when the movie Mean Girls needed a set, Tina Fey took the crew up north. In fact, they even shut down one of the biggest malls to film all of their mall scenes and used locals as extras. They also filmed at different high schools and local universities.
Twilight
Vancouver often acts as the perfect backdrop for a dark, mysterious, and sexy movie — think 50 Shades of Grey or Riverdale. Believe it or not, Twilight started the trend of shooting dark films on the West Coast of Canada. What can we say, that gloomy weather really sets the mood, and there’s barely any need for editing!
The Cheetah Girls
This Disney Channel original movie was supposed to take place in New York City, but it wasn’t shot there. Instead, the production went to the North’s Big Apple and took place in Toronto. The main giveaway is the red and white city buses that are in the background of almost every scene.
Of course, there are other iconic movies filmed in “The True North strong and free.” Sadly, we don’t have enough room on this list. But it’s pretty cool to think how many movies were shot in Canada despite the constant availability of Hollywood and New York. Hell, Cruel Intentions was filmed in an old Toronto Jail, and Elf was filmed in a hockey rink and psych ward in British Columbia. But that’s another story for another time.
Featured image via Twilight on Instagram
And let’s not forget the travel bug.