Oahu film, TV locations star on visitor tours

The island of Oahu has become one of the world’s most sought after film and production locations. In just the last few years, Oahu has served as the location for numerous TV and movie projects including Hawaii Five-O, The River, Soul Surfer, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the Oscar-winning The Descendants. Upcoming is the Memorial Day weekend release of Universal Pictures’ summer blockbuster Battleship, primarily filmed on Oahu. These film projects came soon after the final shoot for ABC’s long-running show Lost, which filmed its entire six seasons (2004-2010) on Oahu. Movie fans can visit some of Oahu’s famous film locations on tours available at Kualoa Ranch, which is one of the most filmed locations in the state and is known as the “Backlot of Hawaii.”Kualoa Ranch is surrounded by mountain ranges and native Hawaiian plants. Here, visitors can find one of Godzilla’s giant footprints, the Jurassic Park site, and other locations, including backdrops from the Lost on the Movie Sites & Ranch Tour. (http://www.kualoa.com)