10 Overused Filming Locations You Never Noticed In Your Favorite Movies And TV Shows
3. Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy
From 1998’s Armageddon to 2013’s To The Wonder, Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France has been featured a handful of films and served as inspiration for set-built and computer-generated fictional castles and cities, as well.
One look at the island community and it’s clear why it inspires fictional castles—and how it gained the moniker “the Wonder of the West.” Using a model of the monastery, Disney designers built Tangled's Kingdom of Corona. Because life always imitates art, a supermoon in 2015 caused the waters around Mont Saint-Michel to rise and cut off to the mainland entirely—even the bridge connecting the small isle briefly sank beneath the high tides.
The island’s mythical vibe also inspired Minas Tirith in the epic fantasy film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Gandalf, upon deducing Sauron’s plan to attack the capital of Gondor, rides with Pippin to warn Denethor. Much like its inspiration, Minas Tirith is fortified and seems to blossom straight from the sea.
Because of its unique appearance, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has become a fixture in the digital world as well. Video games like Dracula’s castle in the Castlevania series, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and The Tower of Mastery in Pokémon X and Y, were all heavily inspired by the rocky tidal island.