Walt Disney Studios Alameda Avenue entrance. Photo courtesy of Levi Joos of Stay on Screen.
In 1910, the California Motion Picture Manufacturing Company, established in Long Beach, was the first film studio to open west of Chicago.
| Studio | Principal Producers | Founded | Street | City / Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castaic Studios | Independent | 1979 | 27567 Fantastic Ln | Castaic |
| The Culver Studios(1) | Amazon Studios | 1918 | 9336 W Washington Blvd | Culver City |
| Dreamworks Animation Studios | Universal Pictures | 1994 | 1000 Flower St | Glendale |
| Fox Studio Lot | Fox Corp., Netflix, Disney | 1928 | 10201 Pico Blvd | Century City |
| Hercules Campus at Playa Vista(2) | Independent | 2012 | 5865 Campus Center Dr | Playa Vista |
| Studio | Principal Producers | Founded | Street | City / Community |
| Jim Henson Studios(3) | Henson Productions | 1917 | 1416 N La Brea Ave | Hollywood |
| L.A. Castle Studios | Independent | 2008 | 154 S Victory Blvd | Burbank |
| Los Angeles Center Studios(4) | Independent | 1999 | 450 S Bixel St | Los Angeles |
| The Lot at Formosa(5) | Independent, HBO, Showtime | 1919 | 1041 N Formosa Ave | West Hollywood |
| Mack Sennett Studios | Independent | 1916 | 1215 Bates Ave | Los Angeles |
| Studio | Principal Producers | Founded | Street | City / Community |
| Manhattan Beach Studios (MBS) Media Campus(6) | Independent | 1998 | 1600 Rosecrans Ave | Manhattan Beach |
| The Studios at Paramount | Paramount Pictures | 1912 | 5555 Melrose Ave | Hollywood |
| Quixote Studios(7) | Independent | 1992 | 1011 N Fuller Ave | West Hollywood |
| Radford Studio Center(8) | CBS Broadcasting Inc. | 1928 | 4024 Radford Ave | Studio City |
| Raleigh Studios | Independent | 1915 | 5300 Melrose Ave | Hollywood |
| Studio | Principal Producers | Founded | Street | City / Community |
| RED Studios Hollywood(9) | Independent | 1915 | 846 N Cahuenga Blvd | Hollywood |
| Sony Pictures Studios(10) | Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures | 1924 | 10202 W Washington Blvd | Culver City |
| Sunset Browson Studios(11) | Independent | 1919 | 5800 Sunset Blvd | Hollywood |
| Sunset Glenoaks Studios | Independent | 2023 | 11100 Peoria St | Sun Valley |
| Sunset Gower Studios(12) | Independent | 1912 | 1438 N Gower St | Hollywood |
| Studio | Principal Producers | Founded | Street | City / Community |
| Sunset Las Palmas Studios(13) | Independent | 1919 | 1040 N Las Palmas Ave | Hollywood |
| Television City(14) | CBS Broadcasting Inc. | 1952 | 7800 Beverly Blvd | Los Angeles |
| Universal Studios Lot | Universal Pictures/Television, DreamWorks | 1912 | 100 Universal City Plaza | Universal City |
| The Walt Disney Studios | Walt Disney Pictures, Lucasfilm, Pixar Animation, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox | 1923 | 500 S Buena Vista St | Burbank |
| Warner Brothers Studio Facilities | Warner Bros. Pictures | 1923 | 4000 Warner Blvd | Burbank |
1) Formerly RKO Forty Acres Studio and later Desilu-Culver Studios
2) Some of studio occupies original storage hanger for Howard Hughes' enormous “Spruce Goose” Hercules aircraft
3) Formerly Charlie Chaplin Studios, later headquarters for A&M Records
4) Former headquarters of Union Oil Company of California
5) Formerly Warner Hollywood Studios, United Artists Studios, and The Samuel Goldwyn Studios>
6) Formerly Manhattan Beach Studios
7) Also operates studios in Griffith Park, Hollywood, Pacoima, Panorama City, and Sylmar.
8) Formerly CBS Studio Center
9) Formerly Ren-Mar Studios
10) Formerly M-G-M Studios
11) Formerly Warner Brothers Studios
12) Formerly Columbia Pictures Studios and later Sunset Gower Studios. Largest independent studio.
13) Formerly Hollywood Center Studios
14) Also known as CBS Television City
Nestor Motion Picture Co. studio at Sunset Blvd. and Gower St., 1911, the first permanent film studio in Hollywood. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Evidence Film Studios, located in Echo Park, closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The studio, once known as Keystone Studios, was first opened in 1912 by Mack Sennett at 1712 Glendale Boulevard, the world's first fully enclosed film stage and studio. It was said to be the birthplace of comedy in Hollywood and was the workplace of such legends as Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Gloria Swanson, Fatty Arbuckle and Frank Capra.
For sixty years, the Paramount Movie Ranch, consisting of 2,700 acres near present-day Agoura Hills, served as a popular film location for more than one hundred western films and television programs. It was originally purchased by Paramount Pictures in 1927. In 1980, the property became part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and was opened to the public as Paramount Ranch Park. Although most of the original movie sets were gone by the time it became a park, one western town set remained for visitors and continued to be used for filming. Sadly, in 2018, most of the property was destroyed by the devastating Woolsey Fire. State and local officials, however, have promised to restore it.
Image courtesy of the National Park Service.
Former Warner Bros. Ranch, Gate 11, on Hollywood Way in 2022.
The studio facilities of the former Warner Bros. Ranch, located at 411 N. Hollywood Way in Burbank, are in the process of being demolished and redeveloped. Originally named Columbia Ranch, the facility was opened in 1934 by Columbia Pictures and was once their film site for most of their outdoor scenes. It was also the studio site for many of the television series produced by Columbia's Screen Gems. The facility was site for the home in the Bewitched television series and the water fountain in the opening of the Friends series. Warner Brothers obtained full ownership of the property in 1990 and renamed it Warner Ranch. In its last 16 years prior to sale and closure, the facility hosted Warner Bros. Animation. The property was sold to Worthe Real Estate Group and investment firm Stockbridge in 2023 for redevelopment into what is projected to become the nation's largest studio facility.
Photo by Google Maps, Copyright 2022 Google.
Also see: A Fond Farewell to the Columbia Ranch… From A Trespasser.
