After the Universum Film AG (UFA) in 1922 had acquired a large backlot nearby, these villas built by famous architects like Hermann Muthesius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became popular residences of numerous film stars.
The outdoor scenes of the film were shot at the Cinevilla backlot in Tukums, Latvia, a backlot built especially for Defenders of Riga.
Originally built in 1941 during the production of a series of Blondie movies, this theatrical property continued to serve for many more years as part of the backlot of Columbia Pictures (now Warner Brothers Ranch in Burbank, California).
In 2004 The American Society of Cinematographers' Technology Committee and the six-studio industry consortium Digital Cinema Initiatives created the ASC-DCI Standard Evaluation Material (StEM) "Mini Movie" as the official image quality reference used to create the requirements and standards for Digital Cinema (Filmed on the Universal backlot with Allen Daviau as director of photography).
The film was shot on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and on a segment of street constructed in the corner of the former RKO Forty Acres backlot where the "Stalag 13" sets for TV's Hogan's Heroes were located during the Desilu days.
It is themed as a "toon backlot", representing the film studio work place of animated characters, where they produce their animated classics, including The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmatians, and The Jungle Book.
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The Backlot also features soundtracks from blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible II, Planet of the Apes, Batman, or Independence Day.