For Immediate Release: Friday, March 5, 2004 

Contact: Chris Hull, (605) 773-3301 or chris.hull@state.sd.us

South Dakota Returns to the Silver Screen with Disney's "Hidalgo"

(Pierre) – Horse races, cowboys, Lakota culture and legendary characters are all a part of what makes South Dakota great. They are also the recipe for the Walt Disney movie, “Hidalgo,” which opens this week.

“Hidalgo” is based on the life of Frank T. Hopkins, a legendary long-distance rider and Dakota and Wyoming Territory resident. The movie filmed for nearly two weeks in South Dakota near Buffalo Gap and Hot Springs.

“South Dakota plays an integral part in the movie,” said Chris Hull, South Dakota Film Office manager. “The state is featured prominently at the beginning of the movie. Plus Hopkins is a South Dakotan and he definitely has a fighting spirit that we can all relate to.”

South Dakota competed with eight states and three Canadian provinces to land “Hidalgo.” A majority of the movie was shot in Morocco, where Hopkins and his horse competed in the 3,000 mile “Oceans of Fire” race across the desert. The feature also filmed in California and Montana.

“The filming location near Hot Springs was the first place I took James Crowley, “Hidalgo’s” location manager,” said Hull. “They were looking for a location to replicate the Wounded Knee area.”

The production hired more than 400 locals and accounted for between 1,200 and 1,500 room nights in South Dakota. The Film Office in the South Dakota Office of Tourism markets the state to motion picture, television, commercial and documentary projects and works closely with film makers to scout locations, provide crew and services lists and mediate any issues with public or private entities.

“Hidalgo” opens nation-wide Friday, March 5.

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