Day 27 - Universal Studios LA

The largest and most famous film studios in the world are located in Hollywood. Countless movies, TV series, TV shows, and commercials are produced here every year.

We want to take advantage of our time in Los Angeles to get a behind-the-scenes look at the film industry. Today, we are visiting Universal Studios.

Universal Studios was founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle and is one of the largest and oldest film studios in the United States. The following films were shot here, among others:

Jaws, E.T., The Fast & the Furious, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Psycho, and many more.

But the studios also have their own amusement park, with attractions and shows based on the various films of the studio. Since our hotel was located near the park, we were able to go to the park early in the morning and enjoy the attractions undisturbed.

We particularly enjoyed the recreated village of 'Hogsmeade' from the Harry Potter movies. Here you can find everything from the famous movies and books, whether you're looking for a wand at Ollivanders or want to send an owl post, everything is possible in Hogsmeade! Everything was created with great attention to detail, and the various park employees play their roles as wizards and witches with full conviction.

In a few steps, you can reach Springfield and visit the hometown of The Simpsons. Everything has been thought of here as well. Moe's Tavern, the Channel 6 building, the Kwik-e-Mart, or even a Krusty Burger (hmmm, the Ribwich was delicious!) can be visited by anyone.

Along the way, you'll come across familiar faces...

But the meeting with Shrek and Donkey was by far the highlight of today. While waiting in line for a photo with the two, Donkey chatted with all the visitors and cracked one funny joke after another.

But you can see for yourself:

https://youtu.be/pmiKotQEsSo

https://youtu.be/JEMVl8O-0Lg

Simply amazing, we had tears of laughter in our eyes! :-)

On the tour through the actual film studio, we got a great behind-the-scenes look, and at some points, filming was even taking place as we drove by. During the ride through the different sets, we could see some familiar buildings or scenery. Let's see if you remember the movies...

We had a lot of fun today, and even though Universal Studios doesn't offer as many attractions as Europa-Park, it was great to immerse ourselves in the many familiar movies and TV series and get a glimpse into an active film studio.