Cartography From The Hollywood Imagination [VideoBlog]

Movie makers inspired by us real life cartographers have glamorized our craft.

Art imitates life. In honour of TIFF, First Base salutes maps in film. More than just geospatial data, maps in movies hang in the background, set the scene, define the battlefront, point the way and sometimes play a starring role themselves. Take a look at the clips below of the best in cinematic cartographic representations as recommended by you, the internet surfing movie watching public. Do you have a favourite?

The roll of best map goes to...

The Goonies (1985)

Hey you guys! An obvious pick. After finding a treasure map, these ordinary kids get into a big adventure. 

Back To the Future (1985)
Please excuse the crudity of the awesome map in this movie, Doc didn't have time to build it to scale or to paint it.

Back To The Future Part III (1990)
You must think fourth dimensionally to read maps in this movie in order to safely travel back to 1985 when the bridge across the ravine is complete.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones uses his staff in the map room to pinpoint to the true location of Ark while avoiding the Nazis.

Beetlejuice (1988)
Another model town map fills the attic of a recently deceased couple, complete with undead inhabitants.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Marauder's Map twists the plot while keeping Harry and his friends out of trouble.

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Know your geography if it's treasure you seek. X doesn't mark the spot, a tiny island out of place does.

Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Shipwrecked on a deserted island, the oldest sons sail around New Switzerland for a year creating a map of their own while avoiding pirates.

Yellowbeard (1983)
It got nominated so here it is. Freshly out of prison, Yellowbeard tracks down his treasure from a map tattooed on his son's head.

Romancing the Stone (1984)
The treasure map is at the centre of the plot line in this action comedy as ransom for a writer's kidnapped sister.

Wargames (1983)
This movie features very primitive GIS. A game of thermonuclear war, anyone?

Time Bandits (1981)
When a group of dwarves barges into his bedroom with a magical stolen map, Kevin tags along on a journey through space and time.

 
Treasure Island (1950)
Always check references.  Long John Silver's secret crew of buccaneers overtake the ship on a journey to find Captain Flint's treasure, marked with an X on the map, naturally.

Got a fave we didn't mention? Tell us about it in the comments below.