1. Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Scarlett Johansson stars in this adaption of the Japanese manga classic which was shot in Wellington and Hong Kong. This was a project that Weta Workshop spent a lot of time on, with over 5000 pieces of artwork and practical effects created for the film.
2. Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
This Disney film was a faithful adaptation of the novel with the same name. It was largely shot in New Zealand and tells the story of two young children who invent a fantasy world (Terabithia) to escape real life. New Zealand is a perfect place to come if you are trying to create an imaginary land!
3. Lord of the Rings (Trilogy - 2001, 2002, 2003)
This is the big one. The film series that contains a great many of our landscapes and features one of our great directors in Peter Jackson. These films, and all the Oscars that came with them, truly put New Zealand on the movie map. The Lord of the Rings remains the most beloved of all Kiwi film franchises, and this country owes a lot to Peter Jackson, the original cast and, of course, J.R.R Tolkein and his 1937 novel series.
4. The Hobbit (Trilogy - 2012, 2013, 2014)
Peter Jackson and Hollywood couldn’t resist turning more of J.R.R Tolkein’s books into films, and once again Peter Jackson banded together with Weta Workshop to tell another epic story on the big screen, featuring NZ’s landscapes again of course! The Hobbit brought together another cast of familiar and fresh faces to take on Sauron.
5. Avatar (2009 – Soon to be a trilogy!)
Okay, so technically the movie wasn’t all shot in NZ but Weta Workshop did a lot of work for the film and director James Cameron (who has a holiday home in NZ) said a lot of the film was NZ-inspired. Principal photography and live action photography was also done in Wellington, New Zealand. Weta and Cameron are already working on the sequels, with the first scheduled for a 2020 release.
6. Chronicles of Narnia (Trilogy - 2005, 2008, 2010)
The famous Cathedral Cove was one of many Kiwi landscapes to feature in the second major motion picture by New Zealand director Andrew Adamson. This was another film based on a book by C.S.Lewis, one of J.R.R Tolkein’s contemporary’s at college.
7. King Kong (2005)
Another Peter Jackson directed film, this one is a remake of the 1933 Hollywood classic of the same name, and is set in the same time-period. Universal allowed all filming and visual effects to be handled by Jackson and Weta Workshop in New Zealand. Most of the filming was completed in Wellington at Jackson and Weta’s Miramar studios, with some scenes shot in Auckland at the Civic Theatre.
8. The Last Samurai (2003)
This Tom Cruise film was shot in California, Japan and in Taranaki, New Zealand. Entire areas of Taranaki were transformed into Japanese villages, imperial palaces and battlegrounds. Even Mount Taranaki was a star of the movie, standing in for the famous Fujisan (Mount Fuji), the tallest mountain in Japan at a staggering 12,389 feet. Kiwi director and writer Vincent Ward was the man who inspired the project and he became an executive producer on the film, working with American Location Manager, Charlie Harrington, to bring the filming to his native New Zealand.
9. Vertical Limit (2000)
This adrenaline filled, over-the-top mountain climbing movie was shot in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, with the highest mountain in NZ, Mount Cook, playing a huge part as a stand-in for K2, the world’s second-highest mountain. The film was directed by Martin Campbell, a Kiwi who emigrated to the UK and made two of the James Bond films (Goldeneye and Casino Royale).
10. Pete’s Dragon (2016)
This family adventure film is a remake of a Disney classic that was shot entirely in New Zealand, with an entire town (Tapanui) turned into Millhaven, a small logging town in America’s Pacific Northwest. It’s easy to imagine a dragon hiding in New Zealand’s lush forests.
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