Rediscover Orlando: Orlando Filmography
Do you recognize The City Beautiful in these memorable movies?
Photo: Shutterstock.com/melissamn; Stock-Asso
The Florida Project (2017)
Willem DaFoe was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this lauded film. Its plot follows a six-year-old girl living with her rebellious mother in a motel in Kissimmee. The movie was filmed on location in Osceola County, at the Magic Castle Inn and Suites, Walt Disney World Resort and the surrounding area.
Monster (2003)
Charlize Theron took home the Best Actress Oscar statuette for portraying serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute. The movie was filmed mostly in Orlando and Kissimmee, with the former Hasten Inn becoming the Little Diamond Hotel. Scenes were also shot in Sanford, Casselberry and at the Daytona International Speedway.
The Waterboy (1998)
The highest-grossing sports comedy of all time, Adam Sandler’s Bobby Boucher Jr. played his football games on DeLand High School’s football field, and also the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Most of the extras playing fans at the Bourbon Bowl are UCF students. Additional scenes were filmed in Orlando, Lakeland and Clermont.
My Girl (1991)
This youth film focused on the trials and tribulations of growing up in the ‘70s. The town of Madison, Pennsylvania, is actually Orlando, and the funeral home a former B&B in Bartow. Scenes were also shot at the Ocoee Christian Church, the original Plant City High School, now a community center and historical society, and at Mirror Lake in Clermont.
Parenthood (1989)
Orlando subbed for St. Louis, Mo., in this beloved comedy, which earned Dianne Wiest an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. The opening scene was set at the now-defunct Tinker Field, which was razed in 2015. Universal Studios Orlando also made an appearance before it opened in 1990. A Chuck E. Cheese in Altamonte Springs was also featured prominently.
The Golden Girls/Disney Connection
Although you can’t visit it today, a replica exterior of “The Golden Girls” house lived was a popular attraction on the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (as well as the house from the show’s spinoff, “Empty Nest”). Sadly, the houses were torn down in 2003 to accommodate park expansion.
