Do you ever watch a movie and wish you could travel inside it? Sure, the plot of a movie is important, but a strong setting can take a movie to the next level.
Some movies have such a powerful sense of place you may even want to add their destinations to your travel bucket list. Here are 11 movies to watch if you want to fall in love with their settings.
1. Crazy Rich Asians
While visiting her boyfriend Nick’s family in Singapore, Rachel realizes the family is insanely rich, and Nick is Singapore’s most desirable bachelor. This thrusts Rachel into a world of catty socialites and family judgment.
You can’t convince me this isn’t just a two-hour travel ad for Singapore. The characters spend a big chunk of the movie enjoying beautiful sites and trying delicious-looking food. I can guarantee this movie will make you want to book your next flight to Singapore.
2. Missing Link
This stop motion-animated movie follows an adventurer’s quest to help a lonely sasquatch find his yeti cousins. The journey takes them from the Pacific Northwest to Europe, then across Asia.
Despite every backdrop being built inside a studio, this is a film that really gives you a sense of the characters traveling across the world. It will definitely activate your wanderlust.
3. Mamma Mia
This feel-good ABBA jukebox musical follows a young girl named Sophie as she invites three men to the Greek island where she lives to figure out which one is her dad. Hijinks ensue.
If this movie doesn’t make you want to drop everything and go to an island in Greece or Croatia, nothing will.
4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Though this iconic fantasy series takes place in the fictional realm of Middle Earth, it will immediately make you want to check out its filming locations in New Zealand.
5. Your Name
When a young boy and girl begin randomly switching bodies, they discover more about each other’s lives and form a bond. But when they try to meet in person, they make earth-shattering discoveries.
Aside from the incredible story, the visuals will inspire you to visit both urban and rural Japan. The animation is so gorgeous I wish I could step right into it.
6. Once
Once is a low-budget indie film about an Irish man and a Czech woman writing songs together in Dublin. Though the premise seems simple, the music and their chemistry will speak to your soul. (It even won the Oscar for best song that year!)
Because this movie is so low-budget and documentary-like, you get a feeling that you’re exploring Dublin and getting to know the locals along with them. Watching it gives me a sense of nostalgia for a place I’ve never been.
7. Encanto
We may not talk about Bruno, but we all know Encanto’s iconic characters and music, and the setting plays just as powerful a role. The Columbian-inspired valley town’s natural beauty and whimsical energy are just begging you to come visit!
8. Letters to Juliet
While vacationing in Italy with her fiance, Sophie discovers a decades-old letter from a woman to her lost love. This propels her, the woman, and her grandson on a journey to find the one that got away.
If you want to marvel at the beauty of Verona and the rest of northern Italy, this is the movie for you.
Also, if I had a nickel for every time I recommended a movie starring Amanda Seyfried as a character named Sophie in this list, I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
9. Moana
The whole story of Moana focuses on cultivating your adventurous spirit. The animation in this movie captures the beauty of the Pacific islands with such clarity and vibrant colors. How could you not want to jump into that blue water immediately?
10. Spirited Away
When a little girl’s parents become trapped in a world of otherworldly beings, she must work to navigate this strange world and save them.
Though this story takes place in a spirit realm, the town of Jiufen in Taiwan advertises itself as the real-life version of the Spirited Away town. Watching the movie, you’ll immediately be tempted to travel through the town’s winding streets, passing storefronts and an endless number of lanterns.
In general, any Hayao Miyazaki movie is very likely to make you want to visit its setting.
11. Amélie
This quirky movie follows the titular character as she tries to improve the lives of those around her.
Watching Amélie feels like walking through Paris with your naive but well-meaning friend. It takes you through some well-known sites and lets you explore the inner lives of local Parisians.
Which movies make you want to travel? Are there any movies I missed? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by Rolands Varsbergs on Unsplash
