Could Adventure City in PAW Patrol: The Movie be based on Vancouver?
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| The bridge from Paw Patrol: The Movie (left) and the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver (right). (Spin Master Entertainment/Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies/Shutterstock) |
Nickelodeon's beloved CG-animated preschool series PAW Patrol follows the adventures of a pack of heroic rescue pups—Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, Everest and Tracker—who are led by a tech-savvy boy named Ryder. Together, they work hard to show the people of Adventure Bay that "no job is too big, no pup is too small!"
Until 2021’s blockbuster release of PAW Patrol: The Movie, audiences were only really familiar with the quaint seaside village of Adventure Bay and a handful of its adult residents. However, the film introduced fans all to neighbouring Adventure City, which seems to be based on the real life city of Vancouver in Canada, according to Urbanized.
For those that haven’t yet watched the movie, let me set the scene for you. It opens with a Canadian truck driver driving a tanker of maple syrup, and he crashes on the town's suspension bridge, which resembles the real life Lions Gate Bridge.
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| Paw Patrol: The Movie. (Spin Master Entertainment/Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies) |
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| Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. (Shutterstock) |
Originally built by the Guinness family (yes, the beer people) to pave the way for the development of the North Shore, the Lions Gate Bridge has been synonymous with this city since its opening in 1938, and is an iconic and often-photographed landmark in Vancouver.
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| Paw Patrol: The Movie. (Spin Master Entertainment/Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies) |
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| Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. (Shutterstock) |
SkyTrain
Evidence point number two: the Adventure City subway. Although the interior might look the same as any other subway, the blue bottom, yellow line, and grey upper painted for the exterior livery was unmistakably Vancouver’s SkyTrain.
And while Vancouverites have yet to see a mayor attempt to send the train in loop-the-loops, the truth might not exactly be far off around here.
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| Paw Patrol: The Movie. (Spin Master Entertainment/Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies) |
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| SkyTrain Expo Line train approaching Stadium-Chinatown Station in downtown Vancouver. (Shutterstock) |
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| Commercial-Broadway Station on SkyTrain Expo Line. (Shutterstock) |
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| Mark I SkyTrain cars during snowfall. (Shutterstock) |
Vancouver Art Gallery
Although the subtlety of the SkyTrain’s colours might only be recognizable to Vancouverites, Mayor Humdinger’s fireworks scene looks based on the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The building in real life has had many lives. Opened in 1906 as a courthouse, in the 1980s it was renovated, along with Robson Square, by the renowned late Arthur Erickson and became the building and plaza residents know and love today.
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| Paw Patrol: The Movie. (Spin Master Entertainment/Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies) |
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| View of the Vancouver Art Gallery building from Robson Square. (Shutterstock) |
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| Vancouver Art Gallery. (Shutterstock) |
No Fun City
But probably the most convincing “tell” was Mayor Humdinger’s speech about Adventure City, which many Vancouverites would likely consider spot-on for Vancouver.
“You know, they call this place Adventure City. But what’s so adventurey about it? The truth is, it’s boring. Libraries? Boring. Museums? Boring. Little dog parks? Definitely.”
As Vancouver is known for its landmark Library Square, a smattering of museums, and the label of being “adventurey” but a “No Fun City” — a description that’s proven to be very hard to shake over the years — it seems Mr. Mayor’s speech was aimed nearly directly the fair Canadian city.
It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Adventure City is a homage to Vancouver, as PAW Patrol is produced by Toronto-based Spin Master Entertainment, with the movie animated by Montreal-based Mikros.
Parents and guardians can stream all things PAW Patrol and much, much more on Paramount+ for FREE by signing up for a free trial on ParamountPlus.com!
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