The film "The Shape of Water" was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Canada.

Filming Locations:

Orpheum Theatre (interior)

In the movie

Scene where Elisa enters the cinema under her apartment and discovers the creature watching a movie.

In reality

The scene was filmed at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres - the last surviving Edwardian theatres in the world. The theatres opened in 1913 as the flagship venue of Marcus Loew's theatre chain and were designed by Thomas W. Lamb. The Elgin Theatre on the first level is decorated with gold and marble, with a domed ceiling, and seven floors above is the Winter Garden Theatre, covered with botanical murals, garden trellises, and columns shaped like tree trunks. The upper theatre was closed in 1928 when the lower theatre was converted for talking pictures, and the upper theatre remained closed until the building was acquired by the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1981.

Orpheum Theatre (exterior)

In the movie

Scene where In the morning, Elisa goes downstairs and gets a couple of movie tickets from the cinema owners.

In reality

OCCAM Aerospace Research Center (exterior)

In the movie

Scene where Elisa gets off the bus and walks to work.

In reality

The scene was filmed at The first new building constructed on the campus after its founding in 1963, the Science Wing (originally named Andrews Building) was designed by John Andrews in the Brutalist style and completed in 1964. The building, along with the adjacent Humanities Wing, was built with long open corridors in the center with balconies overlooking them, designed like city streets.

Dixie Dogs

In the movie

Scene where Giles takes Elisa for pie after work and flirts with the guy behind the counter.

In reality

The scene was filmed at Lakeview is an old-school diner that opened in 1932 and has retained its classic look, making it a popular filming location.

Road

In the movie

Scene where Elisa takes the bus to work, and later Giles drives a disguised van.

In reality

OCCAM Aerospace Research Center (cafeteria)

In the movie

Scene where Elisa and Zelda are having lunch when Fleming interrupts them, saying Strickland needs them.

In reality

The scene was filmed at The East Wing of the Andrews Building was built in 1964 by architect John Andrews as the first new building for the newly established Scarborough College. The Brutalist building is designed with a long corridor running through the center and surrounded by balconies that resemble a city street.

Klein & Sanders

In the movie

Scene where Giles' design is rejected by the design firm.

In reality

The scene was filmed at Hamilton City Hall was designed by architect Stanley Roscoe in the International Style and opened in 1960.

Hoffstetler's Apartment

In the movie

Scene where Dr. Hoffstetler returns home and finds several people waiting for him.

In reality

Industrial Area

In the movie

Scene where Dr. Hoffstetler waits for his Russian handler amidst giant piles of sand.

In reality

Road

In the movie

Scene where Strickland drives down the road in his new car, receiving admiring looks from people in another car.

In reality

The scene was filmed at This section of Lake Shore Boulevard runs under the eastern section of the Gardiner Expressway, built in 1964 along the shore of the Keating Channel.

Canal

In the movie

Scene where Elisa finds the canal where she plans to release the creature when the water level rises.

In reality

Keating Channel

In the movie

Scene where Elisa looks for a place to release the Amphibian Man.

In reality

The scene was filmed at The Keating Channel is a 1,000-meter (3,300 ft) long waterway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It connects the Don River to Toronto's Inner Harbour (Toronto Bay) on Lake Ontario. The channel is named after Edward Henry Keating (1844–1912), the city engineer (1892–1898) who proposed creating the channel in 1893. The channel was built to connect Ashbridge's Bay with the harbour; later the Don was diverted into the channel and its mouth was filled in.