Pleasantville (1998)

A pair of 90s siblings get transported back to the simpler, pleasanter 50s after a freak accident with a remote control.  They find themselves on David's favorite television show - Pleasantville, where it's always sunny and 72, no one misses a basket and nothing ever burns.  But soon after David and his twin sister Jennifer arrive, the idyllic town begins changing from black and white to color as people encounter new experiences and emotions, causing great chaos and discrimination for the newly "colored" people.  They ultimately claim victory and Jennifer decides to remain in Pleasantville, while David returns to present day.

Pleasantville is one of my favorite movies of all time.  I love suburbia-gone-awry films like The Ice Storm (1997), American Beauty (1999) and Far From Heaven (2002) that dealt with issues still prevalent today.  Too preachy for some people's taste, but I enjoyed the story and the solid performances, which was sadly overlooked come Oscar time.  No one can play repressed housewife like Joan Allen.  If the opportunity were to present itself, I would be first in line to go back in time... preferably to the 80s.  


Pleasantville was filmed in Pasadena, Burbank, Valencia, Calabasas, Montrose and Stevenson Ranch, CA


Location: Main Street, Pleasantville
Address: 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, CA

I was surprised to find out Pleasantville's Main Street was not filmed on a studio backlot (with the hills in the background, I figured it was Warner Brothers).  Instead, the entire, magnificent set was constructed in Malibu Creek State Park.  At the time I visited, I was not aware of this, so the shots are not matching but it gives you an idea...  

This area was also used as the rest stop from Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998).

Location: Pleasantville High School
Address: 600 South McAdden Place, Los Angeles, CA

John Burroughs Middle School

Location: Pleasantville Bowling Alley
Address: 2334 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose, CA

I didn't have high HIGH hopes of seeing this location since it is normally only available for filming and private events, but one just happened to be ending when I stopped by.  I did feel like I was in Pleasantville when I walked inside...

The production designers certainly used the actual location for inspiration when recreating it at Malibu Creek State Park...

I actually grew up not too far from an actual Pleasantville...

Locations Visited: March 2016, October 2018

Locations Master List