6 iconic films that highlight the magic of Hawaii

There’s something extra magical about watching a film set in Hawaii — it’s the raw beauty of it all that simply can’t be found anywhere else. Here are 6 unforgettable movies that combine Hawaii’s dreaminess with great storylines:

Blue Crush (2002)

Starring: Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez

Honestly, unless you’re making a typical surf film showing surfers doing their thing (surfing), it’s hard to capture the true rawness of surf culture as a fictional movie. Blue Crush does a decent job as the story follows a familiar path of a local girl who pushes through her fears and drama while chasing her big wave dreams.

Thankfully, there’s something authentically Hawaii about it all, as in real pidgin being spoken (not the Hollywood version!), and the array colorful characters you’d see on given day on the North Shore.

The film really shines in its underwater sequences, capturing what it might feels like to be held down by a monster wave at Pipe (minus the actual terror and danger, of course).

Filmed on location on Oahu’s North Shore.

In every wave, there’s an opportunity.

50 First Dates (2004)

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore

Okay, this film warms my heart every time, and it’s super funny, too.

Henry Roth is a veterinarian at Sea Life Park on Oahu living the carefree island lifestyle. One day he meets and falls in love with Lucy Whitmore, a local artist with short-term memory loss from a car accident. Each day, Lucy wakes up with no memory of the previous day, which means Henry has to win her heart over every single morning.

Despite these impossible challenges, Henry is determined to make her fall in love with him repeatedly. What happens at the end is…well worth watching the movie ❤️

Filmed on location in various locations in East Oahu.

Can I have one last first kiss?

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis

Omg this film is hilarious…but inappropriate for children — so be warned.

After being dumped by his TV star girlfriend Sarah Marshall, heartbroken composer Peter runs away to Hawaii for some peace and healing — only to find his Sarah vacationing at the same resort with her new rock star boyfriend Aldous.

Peter gets through the awkwardness of the situation with the help and sympathy of attractive hotel concierge Rachel. Their friendship turns into romance and Peter starts to heal, while Sarah’s relationship with Aldous begins to unravel as they face a series of absurd challenges.

Filmed on location at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore.

The weather outside is weather.

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Starring: Daveigh Chase (Lilo), Chris Sanders (Stitch)

It’s hard to imagine films about Hawaii and not instantly think of Lilo and Stitch. This beautiful and charming animated Disney film takes place on Kaua’i, where a spirited girl named Lilo struggles with the loss of her parents and the challenges of being raised by Nani, her older sister.

To give Lilo some companionship, Nani adopts a strange creature named Stitch from an animal shelter. She’s not aware that Stitch is actually an escaped alien experiment from outer space being tracked down for capture.

Stitch tries his best to fit into his new life but creates a great deal of chaos and mischief that put the bond between Lilo and Nani to the test. Through it all, Stitch learns the meaning of ‘ohana (family) and transforms from destructive kolohe (rascal) into a loving companion.

Locations inspired by locations on the island of Kaua’i.

Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Moana (2016)

Starring: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (both from Hawaii!)

14 years after Lilo and Stitch, Disney returns to Polynesia for the setting of Moana, an epic animated musical about a bold young girl named Moana, the chief’s daughter of the island of Motonui.

With Motonui facing a devastating plague caused by the theft of the heart of Te Fiti (the goddess creator of all life in the Pacific), Moana defies the concerns of her father and xset off beyond the reefs of her island to restore the heart and save her people.

Guided by the spirit of the ocean, Moana becomes a voyager like her ancestors and meets Maui, a self-centered but charismatic demigod. Together, Moana and Maui live through a series of adventures and obstacles…all leading up to the confrontation with Te Fiti.

Locations inspired by the islands of Polynesia, in particular the Marquesas Islands and Fiji.

See that line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me.

The Descendants (2011)

Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley; written by Hawaii-born and raised Kaui Hart Hemmings

Matt King is a Honolulu lawyer who’s the sole trustee of a large tract of land on Kaua’i. His personal life is turned upside down after his wife is left in a coma from a boating accident.

Already struggling to connect with his two daughters – teenager Alexandra and young Scottie – Matt finds out that his wife had been having an affair and was planning to divorce him at the time of the accident.

As he honors his wife’s living will to be taken off life support, Matt and his daughters travel across Kauai to find her lover, a real estate agent with connections to the family’s land deal.

The Descendants is a sad but deeply moving story, and touches on the complexity of privilege and inheritance in Hawaii. It won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for 4 other Academy Awards.

Filmed on location in Honolulu and Hanalei Bay, Kaua’i

You give your children enough money to do something, but not enough to do nothing.

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