People are only just realising Mamma Mia 2 used green screen and everyone is losing it

31 March 2020, 17:01

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Katie Louise Smith

By Katie Louise Smith

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, filmed on a green screeeeeen.

It was Kylie Jenner who said that 2016 was the year of realising things. It's been four years since that prophetic statement and in many ways, she was right. But she was also wrong, because 2020 has now snatched that crown and it will 👏 not 👏 let 👏 go.

Today (March 31), a lot of people have just realised that multiple scenes from the 2018 cinematic masterpiece Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again were shot on green screen.

READ MORE: 11 Huge Mistakes And Plot Holes From ‘Mamma Mia 2’ That Make NO SENSE

Thanks to a viral tweet by Twitter user @robpattinsvn (which has now been deleted), some fans of the MMCU (Mamma Mia Cinematic Universe) are only just finding out that quite lot of movie magic was used in the film and not everything was shot on location in Croatia, which served as the location for Mamma Mia 2. (Sorry to burst your bubble, it wasn't filmed in Greece either.)

Everyone who didn't spend hours watching the DVD extras and behind-the-scenes featurettes when it was released is now absolutely gagged about the whole thing.

The video, which was first tweeted alongside the caption, "this is the biggest betrayal of my life", shows a handful of scenes from the movie being filmed on green and blue screens. Multiple tweets have since gone viral, including one with the caption "even the marvel movies are shaking".

Of course, this isn't new information, but seeing as we all have very little to do at the moment, some people are learning about it for the first time (including half the team at PopBuzz, who apparently had no idea either.)

People in the replies were just as shocked, with one user writing: "Damn I knew some things were fake but EVERYTHING?" and another user saying: "I am DISTRAUGHT." Another wrote: "betrayed by mamma mia, against all odds"

Scenes shot inside Hotel Bella Donna were filmed on a sound stage
Scenes shot inside Hotel Bella Donna were filmed on a sound stage. Picture: Universal Pictures

Where was Mamma Mia filmed?

While most of the scenes from Mamma Mia were filmed on the Greek island of Skopelos, some of the film was actually shot on a specially built sound stage at Pinewood Studios. (They used real trees to give the set a more authentic vibe. How nice.)

The same goes for Mamma Mia 2. The most of the sequel was actually shot in on the Croatian island of Vis but, like the first film, some of the interior scenes – including Cher's iconic performance of 'Fernando' – were shot on a sound stage at Shepperton Studios in the UK. (Cher didn't go to Croatia, that's why they shot her scenes in the UK.)

A lot of skyline views, perfect sunsets, scenes where the characters are up high or scenes where characters are entering a building, also used CGI to bring those moments to life.

Mamma Mia 2: The cast filmed on location in Vis, Croatia
Mamma Mia 2: The cast filmed on location in Vis, Croatia. Picture: Universal Pictures

But don't worry! Not everything was shot on sound stages, and not everything was fake. In fact, the cast was on location for 2 months and they documented their stay in Croatia on their personal Instagram accounts too.

The big performance of 'Mamma Mia' in the sequel where Harry and Bill arrive with a fleet of boats? That was shot on location in Vis. Young Donna and Bill singing 'Why Did It Have To Be Me?' on the boat? Most of that scene was shot in Vis too. Donna running into Sam in the rain? Shot on location.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is not lying to you. Kalokairi and Hotel Bella Donna aren't real, but Vis and Skopelos are. You can still go there. You can still live the dream.

Here's the proof. Bye x

Go Behind The Scenes on MAMMA MIA! 2 Here We Go Again