A particular spot of growth seen in Disney movies lately is the expansion of the international locations depicted in their films. Instead of only telling European fairytales as they did in the beginning, they are now expanding to other cultures or adapting universal themes to specific settings. There is still much work to do to develop a wide range of stories that allow everyone to be seen. This idea had me thinking about where majority of the Disney animated films currently take place, and what continent in the world has been the most popular setting for a Disney movie. I looked at all 60 Disney animated films from 1937 to 2021, and have come up with a list of where they all seem to take place.

7. Australia

Aside from Antarctica which has had no Disney movies take place in it, Australia takes our very last spot with just 1 Disney movie with its setting. Rescuers Down Under, as suggested by the title, is placed in the Australian Outback. It is the sequel to the 1977 film The Rescuers, and had a much worse response than its predecessor. The box office failure that was this movie made the studio scrap all of their future plans for Rescuers sequels and series, and the 2 remain in the middle of everyone’s lists. Because “down under” wasn’t a universal slang term and was also deemed offensive, the film is also called Bernard and Bianca in the Land of the Kangaroos in some countries.

Rescuers Down Under. Image from: https://www.deviantart.com/giuseppedirosso/art/The-Rescuers-Down-Under-Jake-827499795

6. Oceania

The Oceania region follows closely behind for the last spot with 2 films, Lilo and Stitch and Moana. Though Lilo and Stitch is very clearly set in Hawaii with the state’s multiple mentions and sandy beaches, Hawaii is sometimes referred to as a part of Oceania, and sometimes referred to be in North America. Like many Disney films with fictitious locations, in the film, Moana is from the island of Motunui, but the culture and history is based on Polynesian stories of Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga and Tahiti. Some aspects of the film are historically accurate, including Maui’s tattoos and the layout of the island homes, but much more of the film could have been depicted more accurately to properly celebrate Polynesian heritage.

The island of Motonui. Image from: https://disneyanimation.com/resources/moana-island-scene/

5. Africa

Africa has a tie with the Oceania region with 2 films: The Lion King and Tarzan. The Pride Lands in The Lion King are also a mix of many different locations, but they are mostly inspired by Kenya and Tanzania. Many of the animals in the film can be found in those 2 countries as well, making the choice more intentional. In the original story of Tarzan, it’s set in equatorial Africa, which is a mix of many different African countries near the equator. In the film, it’s suggested that Tarzan, Jane and the gang are in Eastern Africa, when Professor Porter suggests that they move westward.

The Pride Lands. Image from: https://www.deviantart.com/lionguardkujenga/art/Pride-Lands-BG-4-866790938

4. South America

In South America, we have 4 Disney movies that take place here: Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, The Emperor’s New Groove, and Encanto. Saludos Amigos came at a time when the studio was trying to get creative with their releases during the war. A couple Disney animators took a trip to South America which inspired the 4 stories that are told within the film. Mickey Mouse was also a popular character in Latin America at the time, so it was marketed to those audiences as well. The Three Caballeros followed 2 years after as the first ever Disney sequel, and starred José Carioca representing Brazil, and Panchito Pistoles representing Mexico. Both pieces were propaganda heavy, as many of the projects were in the early 40s for the studio.

The Emperor’s New Groove was released in the year 2000 when the studio was undergoing a transition period. Kuzco is the Emperor of the Inca Empire, which would now be Peru. The elements seen that are inspired by historical items are Kuzco’s headdress, the design of the homes, the mountainous areas, and the significance of llamas and alpacas.

Encanto pays homage to Colombian heritage. The creators of the film took a trip to Colombia, passing through Cartagena, Bogota, and Cocora Valley to get inspiration for the town of Encanto. The colours, the artwork, and the greenery that they saw were added into the film in Disney’s own special way.

Encanto. Image from: https://www.tyla.com/tv-and-film/encanto-mirabel-madrigal-village-house-location-explained-reddit-20220128

3. Asia

Asia also has had 4 films set within it, such as: The Jungle Book, Aladdin, Mulan, and Raya and the Last Dragon. Some could also argue that Big Hero 6 could be a part of this group as well with its combination of Tokyo and San Francisco to make San Fransokyo, but for consistency sake we will leave that one out. The author of The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling, grew up in India and spent much of his childhood there until he officially moved to London in 1889. He published The Jungle Book in 1894, and decided that it should be set in the Seoni Jungle, now called the Madhya Pradesh state in central India. He had never visited that area, but had friends who had been there and taken inspiring photographs of the jungles.

Aladdin is based in the fictitious city of Agrabah, which is most similar to the real world’s Baghdad. The film sprinkles in different parts of many cultures, including Islamic empires and Indian architecture. Mulan is also similar in a way that the story simply tells itself, and you can find the history of the setting along the way. Mulan is one of the oldest stories ever retold by Disney, and took place in Northern Wei in Imperial China. Raya and the Last Dragon also follows the same format as Aladdin, combining Brunei, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to create Kumandra.

Imperial City in Mulan. Image from: https://twitter.com/XiranJayZhao/status/1415492024875175940/photo/1

2. North America

North America is in second place with a whopping 9 films depicted in several USA states. The very first Disney film set in the USA is Dumbo, the little flying elephant that’s a part of a 1941 circus in Florida. The next North American based film wouldn’t be until 1955, with the release of Lady and the Tramp. Walt grew up in Marceline, Missouri on a farm from the ages of 4 to 9. Walt always looked back on the small town with fond memories, and wanted Lady and the Tramp to be in a town inspired by Marceline. He would later make Main Street USA in Disneyland an homage to his hometown.

The Rescuers, as discussed previously, begins in the state of Louisiana and makes its way into New York City. Oliver and Company doesn’t stray far behind with it’s location being New York as well.

The 1995 telling of Pocahontas is set in Werowocomoco, Tsenacommacah, Virginia, in the early 17th century. Her significance is tied with the colonial settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, which was Powhatan land, her tribe.

After Hercules, the next 5 Disney animated films would all be based in North America: Atlantis in Washington, DC, Brother Bear in Alaska, Home on the Range set in the American Old West, Bolt in New York, and Princess and the Frog, in New Orleans.

The Princess and the Frog in New Orleans. Image from: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0780521/mediaviewer/rm736136704/

1. Europe

Surprise, surprise, Europe comes in with 19 total films so far that are based in various European countries across centuries. Disney’s first film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was an adaption of a Brothers Grimm fairytale in Germany. From Germany to Italy, Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio is located in a Tuscan village in the 1800s.

England is the most popular country Disney movies have been based in, many of which are in London, England. The first one being The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, then Alice in Wonderland as suggested by their accents, Peter Pan for the same reasons (and the appearance of Big Ben), 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, and The Great Mouse Detective. Robin Hood went north to Nottingham, England, and Winnie the Pooh went south to East Sussex.

Another popular European country was France, beginning with the traditional stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, then into the City of Paris with The Aristocats and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Hercules finds itself in Ancient Greece, with the use of the Greek names of the other Gods, though they used the Roman version of Hercules’ name.

The Little Mermaid, Tangled, and Frozen are in a bit of a category of their own, all in fictional locations with very real influences. The Little Mermaid has been theorized that it’s on the shores of Denmark, but some argue that it takes place in Italy instead. Nothing has ever been confirmed. Like The Little Mermaid, Tangled’s Rapunzel is stuck in a tower in the city of Corona, a fake city, but many believe she’s in Germany since the original Rapunzel tale was located there. Unfortunately, Arendelle is not a real kingdom, but it has influences in Norway with its architecture, landscapes, music and fashion.

Big Ben in Peter Pan. Image from: https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Big-Ben-in-the-Movies

Honourable Mentions:

Many Disney writers decided to not go in a direction of making it clear where they drew influences from for several of their animated movies. A lot of them have unknown locations or completely made up surroundings which make it hard to place them in any of the above categories. These films are: Fantasia, Bambi, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, Fox and the Hound, Black Cauldron, Fantasia 2000, Dinosaur, Treasure Planet, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Wreck it Ralph, and Zootopia.

Reference list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Walt_Disney_Animation_Studios_films

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rescuers_Down_Under

https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/where-is-moana-from#:~:text=Although%20Moana%20is%20from%20the,Samoa%2C%20Tonga%2C%20and%20Tahiti.

https://www.wayfairertravel.com/inspiration/lion-king-locations/#:~:text=While%20The%20Lion%20King%20movie,America%2C%20Asia%20and%20even%20Europe.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0120855/trivia/?ref_=tt_ql_trv

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036326/

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Saludos_Amigos

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Three_Caballeros

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/INCA-Emperors-New-Groove-teach-Inca-history-with-the-movie-734364

https://metro.co.uk/2022/01/21/where-is-disney-film-encanto-set-the-south-american-location-revealed-15958707/#:~:text=Surprisingly%20not.,Cocora%20Valley%20along%20the%20way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raya_and_the_Last_Dragon#:~:text=The%20film%20is%20set%20in,%2C%20Indonesia%2C%20and%20the%20Philippines.