The Sandlot is a classic American coming-of-age film that was released in 1993. It tells the story of young boys who spend their summer playing baseball on an empty lot and trying to retrieve a ball hit over a fence guarded by the legendary “Beast.” The movie has since become a favorite among many, with viewers still enjoying it decades after its initial release.
One question that often arises for fans of the movie is: Where was The Sandlot filmed? Interestingly enough, despite being set in San Fernando Valley, California, most of the filming occurred in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The director of The Sandlot, David Mickey Evans grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley area and wanted to make sure he captured an authentic look and feel to his childhood home. However, when scouting locations for filming he found that there were not very many areas in Southern California that looked like they did twenty years prior. Most neighborhoods had been modernized with new construction or changed dramatically with commercial development.
So Evans decided on Salt Lake City as his chosen location for The Sandlot’s setting because much of the city felt untouched by time and still resembled places from his youth. Utah also provided him access to unoccupied lots without too much fuss – something needed for both budgetary reasons and scripting requirements of some major scenes such as where Benny jumps over Mr Mertle’s fence chasing after the lost baby hat.
Filming began near downtown Salt Lake City which included scenes in Reunion Resort (formerly known as John F Kennedy Elementary School) located at 1710 South 480 West which serves as Smalls’ elementary school attended by Scotty Smalls played by Tom Guiry.
Other landmarks featured throughout Salt lake city include Sugar House Park located at approximately 1530 E. 2100 S., Wasatch Boulevard & Parleys Canyon Rd; Sandy Amphitheater located at approximately1300 East 9400 South ; The Glendale area at 1600 West and approximately 9oo South was repurposed as main street.
Although most of the movie’s Sandlot scenes were shot in Utah, filming did occur in California at Dodger Stadium, located in Los Angeles. This iconic stadium served for exterior shots during the crucial ending baseball game against the rival “Little League” team.
Another interesting detail about filming location is that when it came time to film Squints’ family pool party scene -a memorable moment – they actually spent several days on a soundstage where more productions like this could be made without worry of weather or crowded spaces.
In conclusion, while San Fernando Valley provides the setting for The Sandlot’s storyline. Filming occurred predominantly outside of this well known Southern Californian neighborhood. With Salt Lake city providing an unspoiled backdrop that allowed Evans and his crew to create mesmerizing cinema moments that would stand out forever as a pop culture classic. From landmarks like Sugar House Park where some chases took place to Reunion Resort which served as story venue entry point for Smalls new adventures, Salk lake City successfully played host to one everlasting movie experience of boyhood friendship and timeless summer fun.
The Sandlot is a true classic American coming-of-age film that captured the hearts of millions upon its release in 1993. The movie, which focuses on a group of young boys who spend their summer playing baseball on an empty lot and trying to retrieve a ball hit over a fence guarded by the legendary “Beast,” remains a favorite among many viewers decades later. However, as fans have often wondered: Where was The Sandlot filmed?
Interestingly enough, despite being set in San Fernando Valley, California, most of the filming occurred in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Mickey Evans, the director of The Sandlot grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley area and wanted to make sure he captured an authentic look and feel to his childhood home. Unfortunately for him when scouting locations for filming he found that there were not very many areas in Southern California that looked like they did twenty years prior due to modernization or commercial development.
Instead of settling for something less than perfect closer to L.A., where scenes such as neighborhoods had been updated too much with new construction , Evans traveled out-of-state and chose Salt Lake City as his backdrop since it still resembled places from his youth untouched by time. Moreover Utah provided him access to unoccupied lots without too much fuss – something needed for both budgetary reasons and scripting requirements of some major scenes such as where Benny jumps over Mr Mertle’s fence chasing after the lost baby hat.
Filming began near downtown Salt Lake City which included scenes at Reunion Resort (formerly known as John F Kennedy Elementary School) located at 1710 South 480 West serving Scotty Smalls’ elementary school attended by Tom Guiry who played Scotty Smalls . Other landmarks featured throughout Salt lake city include Sugar House Park approximately 1530 E.2100 S., Wasatch Boulevard & Parleys Canyon Rd; Sandy Amphitheater 1300 East 9400 South ; The Glendale area at 1600 West and approximately 9oo South was repurposed as main street.
While most of the movie’s Sandlot scenes were shot in Utah, filming did occur in California. Dodger Stadium located in Los Angeles served as exterior shots during the crucial ending baseball game against the rival “Little League” team. It is truly iconic to see many movies featuring this famous location over time like Rocky among others.
Another interesting detail about filming location is that when it came time to film Squints’ family pool party scene, a memorable moment for fans, they actually spent several days on a soundstage where more productions like this could be made without worry of weather or crowded spaces.
In conclusion, although San Fernando Valley provides the setting for The Sandlot’s storyline itself -filming predominantly took place outside of this well-known Southern Californian neighborhood. Salt Lake City provided an unspoiled backdrop that allowed Evans and his team to create mesmerizing cinema moments that would forever stand out as pop culture classics. From landmarks such as Sugar House Park-where some chases took place-to Reunion Resort which served as story entry point into Smalls’ new adventures, Salk lake City successfully played host to one everlasting piece of summer nostalgia replete with boyhood friendships bonding obstaclaes triumphed over,long lasting memories cherished and perfection only achievable through true friendship!