Jumanji: The Next Level Filming Locations

This 2019 blockbuster movie was an amalgamation of everything that a human needs – fantasy, adventure, and comedy. It is the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, which was released in 2017, and the fourth installment in the Jumanji franchise. It stars mostly the same cast reprising their roles from the previous movie – Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Morgan Turner, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Jack Black, Ser’Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman. Other new supporting actors include Rory McCann, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina, and Danny Glover.

Sony Pictures distributed the film under its Columbia Pictures company, while Jake Kasdan directed it. Kasdan co-wrote the story with Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner.

It revolves around the same characters of the previous story except they are in college now. Those same players with two additional characters become trapped in the next level of Jumanji. It was previously a board game, but now it is a video game. During this journey, they discard their old lives and embrace their new ones while fighting a new villain.

During production, the makers filmed the scenes in various regions, including Alberta, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Atlanta, with most of the old and new actors.

Where Was Jumanji: The Next Level Filmed?

Trail Judd, Hawaii

The scene where players are exploring the forest on foot in the movie was filmed in Trail Judd forest. This is a famous tourist spot in Hawaii that offers hiking trails for people to look around the forest. You can also hire a tour guide to help you explore the hiking path correctly.

Address: Judd Trail, Honolulu, Oahu Island, HI 96817, USA

Waimea Valley, Hawaii

Remember the scene where all the players fall into the game through the sky? They land in the jungle near the falls of the Waimea Valley. This place was used in the previous movie too. Here is where Professor Sheldon (Jack Black) is eaten by a Hippopotamus.

Address: 59-864 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712, United States

Glamis Imperial Sand Dunes

The makers used Glamis Imperial Sand Dunes (also known as Algodones Dunes or sand-toy capital by nickname) as the desert where the players try to escape from the ostriches. The crew had to include the set of some old rusty vehicles. This place appeared in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as well.

You can visit this site for scorching sun surfing or riding in a buggy car.

Address: Glamis, California 92227, USA

Akaka Falls or Kawainui Falls

These waterfalls were the location where the players were forced to jump. It is shown as a very tall waterfall in the film. Some sources say Kawainui Falls is the correct filming location, and some say Akaka Falls is.

Either way, both of the sites are amazing. Kawainui Falls is one of the falls on the Hamakua coast, located near Pepeekeo in North Hilo.

Address: 27-996 Mamalahoa Hwy, Pepeekeo, HI 96783, United States

Akaka Falls is a good one to visit because it holds one of the most intriguing views in the world when you are standing on the cliff.

Address: 875 Akaka Falls Rd, Honomu, HI 96728, United States

Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii

One unit went to the Kalaeloa Airport parking lot to shoot the reaction shots in the dunes with a buggy car accompanied by a hydraulic gimbal and blue screen.

It is also known as John Rodgers Field. It is a joint regional airport used by both civil and military communities.

Address: 300 Midway St, Kapolei, HI 96707, United States

Kapena Falls

Due to its thick composition and the fairytale lookalike, Kapena Falls was used for filming. It is beside the Pali Highway, which is about a mile or two south of the Judd Trail.

Address: Alpena Pool, Honolulu, HI 96817, USA

Calgary, Canada

The Fortress Mountain resort is located in a place called Kananaskis in the west of Calgary. The scenes before the climax were filmed here. Karen Gillan also said how excited she was to film the tops of the glacier as she has never done so before.

The resort was closed due to a financial shortage in 2004. But, it was expected to make a comeback in 2020, which was also postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Address: Kananaskis, AB, Canada

Some scenes were filmed in Mount James Walker, located in Kananaskis Valley, Canada. The exterior scenes of Jurgen’s fortress were later added to the mountain with special effects. This location has been used in several movies including War Of The Planet Of The Apes, Cold Pursuit,  and The Revenant.

Address: Mount James Walker, Kananaskis, AB, Canada

Nakiska Ski Area was also used to shoot the climax scenes. It is a ski resort in Calgary. This cosmopolitan city is an important place for Dwayne Johnson, as this is where his career began.

Address: 2 Mt Allan Dr, Kananaskis, AB T0L 2H0, Canada

Kualoa Ranch

Many chase scenes and aerial shots were filmed in this backlot of Hawaii. Movies like Jurassic Park and Godzilla used this as a filming location. Due to its popularity, it has earned many VIP tours showing specific regions. The reserved area has more to see and witness too. You can go horseback riding, ziplining, experience eco-tours around the region, go on a boat trip or spend a perfect afternoon on one of the serene beaches.

Address: 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA

Lithonia Rock Quarry

The Lithonia Rock Quarry is where the camel and the glowing green water scenes were shot. However, the city level was filmed in the studio.

This site is a quarry actively operated by Hanson Aggregates.

Address: 7621 Rock Mountain Road Lithonia, Georgia 30058, USA

Shiprock Area, New Mexico

The crew filmed a part of the movie in the Shiprock region of the Navajo nation. The scene where Dr. Xander “Smolder” Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) and Franklin “Mouse” Finbar (Kevin Hart) are fighting was also shot here.

According to the local news, the production team was taking advantage of the incentive laws for the upcoming film so that they could shoot in New Mexico.

Address: Shiprock, Navajo Nation, New Mexico, USA

Kawela Bay

Some other group scenes were shot in Waimea Valley Audubon Center, southwest of Kawela Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. Various films like Soul Surfer and the TV series Lost have used Kawela Bay as their filming locations. The opening scene in Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was filmed here.

The bay is a local beach open to the public 24/7. It provides a gorgeous coastal view.

Address: Kawela Bay, Hawaii 96731, USA

Georgia State University

The introductory scenes of Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff) were filmed in this University. Georgia State University is a government-owned research university built in 1913. It is also one of the four research universities in the University System of Georgia.

Academically speaking, GSU is a good one. The school has a diverse student group with supporting professors. The students are 25.7% white, 13.1% Asian, 5.75% mixed races, 0.103% American Indian or Alaska native, 11% Hispanic or Latino, 37.7% black or African American and 0.0485% native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders.

Address: P.O. Box 3965. Atlanta, GA 30302-3965

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

The shot where the group faces a troupe of mandrill monkeys while running in a moving liana bridge involves this location. You may have seen the pillar-like mountains in the background, which is actually an inspiration of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, located in Hunan Province. The whole scene occurred in a studio with a green screen.

This subtropical forest is covered with spikes resulting from the physical erosion that began centuries ago. Because of its uniqueness, this lush vegetation was used in the famous James Cameron movie, Avatar. The film showed these pillars as floating mountains.

Downtown 

The shooting happened in two locations – West Court Square and East Washington Street.

The winter scenes were filmed in Downtown Newman as a double to Brantford, located in New Hampshire.

Address: 19 W Ct Square, Newnan, GA 30263, USA

The latter is where Nora’s Diner is situated on 24th.

This neighborhood is quite famous among filming locations. Here, movies including The House With A Clock In Its Walls and series like HBO’s Watchmen were shot in these streets.

Address: 8 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204, USA

Spencer’s Family House

Spencer comes to his family’s house for the holiday season. The place where we meet his grandfather, Edward “Eddie” Gilpin (Danny DeVito), is not actually in Brantford. The scenes were filmed in Atlanta instead.

Address: 156 Westminster Drive Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA

Even though most of the crucial scenes were shot in the studio with the screen behind to add the CGI, their backgrounds were inspired by some real-life locations. The filmmakers had to show the Jumanji land in a magical and dangerous way. So, they opted for CGI in some places.

The movie came to theaters on December 13, 2019. Critics gave mainly positive reviews of the film. It also made $800 million worldwide and became the tenth highest-grossing film in 2019.