7 real places that got into famous cartoons

Magical castles, amazing landscapes, fantastic cities — both children and adults enjoy traveling in fictional animated spaces. However, it is known that a person cannot come up with something completely disconnected from the real world. Let's see where the incredible places that have fallen into fairy tales are.

The "New Swan Castle" (translated from German) is located on one of the Bavarian hills near the Austrian border. It was built in the XIX century by decree of the hermit King Ludwig II. Due to its location, the castle survived two world wars.

Walt Disney first saw Neuschwanstein in the 30s of the last century while traveling in Europe. Towering over the deserted Bavarian forests, the castle seemed to the animator to be the gateway to a fairy-tale world. At that time, Disney was considering the idea of creating an amusement park, and in 1955, the Sleeping Beauty Castle, stylized as Neuschwanstein, was located in the center of the first Disneyland. Later, in 1959, he was depicted in the cartoon "Sleeping Beauty". And in 1985, the silhouette of the Swan Castle became the logo of Walt Disney Pictures.

The snow-white walls and golden domes of the palace from the cartoon "Aladdin" are very reminiscent of this mausoleum. It is impossible to find official confirmation that it was the Taj Mahal that inspired the creators of "Aladdin" today. But the general similarity of the stories removes doubts.

The mosque was built in the XVII century by order of the Padishah in memory of his wife, who died during childbirth. A similar plot unfolds in the cartoon: a hand-drawn sultan independently brings up his daughter Jasmine. In addition, the Taj Mahal is located in the city of Agra, and the cartoon creator is in the fictional city of Agrabah.

3. Golden Gate Bridge, USA

One of the most recognizable bridges in the world is a business card not only of the real San Francisco, but also of the fictional metropolis of San Francoquio from the cartoon "City of Heroes", which has been in our box office since October 25. "San Francocio is a mixture of two cities: San Francisco and Tokyo," says producer Roy Conley. "We took the best of them and created a city of heroes."

"Monsters University" is copied from Harvard, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world: the same architecture, similar classrooms and dormitories for students.

The largest waterfall in the world (979 meters — almost twice as high as the Ostankino TV Tower) became the prototype of the Paradise waterfall from the cartoon "Up". Angel is located in Venezuela, on the territory of the Canaima National Park. Water falls from the top of Auyang Tepui Mountain, the stream is sprayed into tiny particles and turns into fog.

The island with a fortress, located 285 kilometers from Paris, on the northwest coast of France, resembles a royal palace from the cartoon "Rapunzel: a tangled Story". The animators do not confirm that it was Mont Saint-Michel who inspired them to create a fictional castle, but they do not deny the similarities.

The island with the highest tide height in Europe (up to 15 meters) from the time of the French Revolution (the end of the XVIII century) until 1863 was used as a prison and at that time bore the ironic name "Freedom Mountain". According to some reports, up to 300 prisoners were held here.

The church, located in the city of Trondheim (obsolete name — Nidaros), inspired animators to create the ice palace of Elsa, one of the heroines of the "Cold Heart". The cathedral was built on the burial place of King Olaf the Saint of Norway. The fairy-tale palace differs from the Nidaros Cathedral only in that it is completely made of ice. Otherwise — Gothic vaults, several pointed towers and the location on the river bank — everything is as in reality. In addition, the landscapes of the kingdom of Arendelle, where the action of the cartoon takes place, are copied from the landscapes of Norway.