Inside the real aquarium and locations where Remarkably Bright Creatures was filmed

Netflix’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, starring Sally Field, Lewis Pullman and Alfred Molina, was filmed at a real working aquarium.

Older smiling woman and young man with his eyes closed sit on a bench, the man's arm around the woman
Remarkably Bright Creatures was filmed at this real aquarium (Image: NETFLIX)

Netflix’s unmissable film for May is a heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship, adapted from the critically acclaimed novel by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Bright Creatures is being celebrated as one of the finest feel-good films of the year and landed on the streaming platform on Friday (8th May)

Sally Field takes the lead role as widow Tova Sullivan, who takes up night shifts at her local aquarium in the wake of her husband’s passing.

After forging an unexpected bond with a Giant Octopus named Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina), a wayward drifter called Cameron (Lewis Pullman) arrives in town, and the trio set about unravelling the mystery surrounding Tova’s missing son, who disappeared many decades ago, reports the Mirror.

Celebrated as a warm and captivating story of family and friendship, critics have thus far granted Remarkably Bright Creatures a solid 76 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences have embraced the film even more enthusiastically with an incredible 89 percent.

Older woman in red apron sits by a large fish tank housing a red Giant Octopus

Remarkably Bright Creatures is now streaming on Netflix (Image: NETFLIX)

The story unfolds in the fictional coastal town of Sowell Bay, situated on the Puget Sound in Washington state in the USA. But which real-life locations were used during filming?

Where was Remarkably Bright Creatures filmed?

Woman sits on a pier next to a large yellow bucket at night with a lit-up town behind her

It’s set in the fictional coastal town of Sowell Bay (Image: NETFLIX)

Sowell Bay does not exist in reality, meaning director Olivia Newman and the production team had to draw upon a variety of locations to bring to life the seaside setting depicted in Van Pelt’s original novel.

The film was consequently shot in Vancouver, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, with sections of the city’s Deep Cove neighbourhood substituting for Sowell Bay’s coastal locations.

This included the Deep Cove Yacht Club on Gallant Avenue serving as the Sowell Bay Aquarium for exterior shots.

Older woman in red cardigan with a cleaner's trolley by a large aquarium fish tank housing a red octopus

The real Vancouver Aquarium was used for the film (Image: NETFLIX)
However, interior aquarium scenes were filmed inside the actual Vancouver Aquarium, situated in the heart of Stanley Park at 845 Avison Way. Numerous of the aquarium’s thousands of aquatic exhibits can be seen in the background of various scenes.

Additionally, a real-life Giant Octopus named Agnetha was utilised for certain moments, alongside a CGI octopus in particular scenes.

Other areas of British Columbia were also employed, including the small town of Lions Bay which sits between Vancouver and Squamish. A handful of minor scenes were also filmed in the city of Maple Ridge.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is available to stream on Netflix.