Are you a fan of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies? If so, you might be wondering where the amusement park scenes in the first film were shot.
Well, wonder no more! In this article, we’ll take a closer look at where Vacation was filmed and which amusement parks were used as filming locations.
The Film
Released in 1983, Vacation is a comedy film that follows the misadventures of the Griswold family as they embark on a cross-country road trip to visit Walley World, a fictional amusement park in California. The film stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, Beverly D’Angelo as Ellen Griswold, and Anthony Michael Hall as Rusty Griswold.
The Filming Locations
While Walley World is a fictional location in the movie, the amusement park scenes were actually filmed at two different locations. The first location was Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. This park served as the exterior shots for Walley World and several rides were featured prominently in the movie such as Colossus and Revolution.
The second location was Disneyland in Anaheim, California. While Disneyland wasn’t explicitly featured in the movie, it was used for some of the interior shots of Walley World. For example, when Clark and Ellen are trapped on a ride after hours it is actually filmed inside Disneyland’s Space Mountain attraction.
Other Locations
In addition to Six Flags Magic Mountain and Disneyland, Vacation was also filmed at several other locations across California and Colorado. For example, some of the road trip scenes were filmed on location along Interstate 70 near Grand Junction, Colorado.
Conclusion
So there you have it! The amusement park scenes in Vacation were primarily filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain with additional shots taken inside Disneyland. Although these locations may not have been explicitly identified in the movie, they nevertheless provided the perfect backdrop for the Griswold family’s epic road trip to Walley World.