Inspired by the legendary director's childhood, the coming-of-age film follows an aspiring filmmaker’s discovery of a family secret and explores the power of movies to help illuminate the truth.
Desma Murphy (Class of 1992) helped bring Spielberg's artistic vision to life. She served as one of the art directors on the feature film, a role she's served many times in her long career in Hollywood.
Following her education in production design, Desma has been hired as an art director or supervising art director on blockbusters such as The Suicide Squad, Aquaman, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, Iron Man 3, and the 2020 adaptation of The Call of the Wild starring Harrison Ford.
In 2019, Desma returned to Whittier for an in-depth discussion with students. She shared her experience designing the look and feel of the sets of Aquaman, as well as insights into the industry and the collaborative nature of art direction in film.
Although The Fabelmans is set in Arizona, Whittier College's neighborhood served as a backdrop for part of the movie, as well. Specifically, filming took place on a stretch of Bailey Avenue in Uptown Whittier. The transformed city block shows up in the trailer.
