The story is set in the vibrant city of San Fransokyo; an eclectic mix of eastern and western influences. “I thought about [setting the movie in] San Francisco,” recalled Hall, “which is cool, but I thought ‘What if it was San Francisco mashed up with Tokyo?’ It felt more interesting as a setting. More playful and exotic. And the visual possibilities of those two cities mashed together, which are pretty different aesthetically, felt like a really cool place to set the story.” The filmmakers took a number of trips to San Francisco and Tokyo, scouring each city for inspiration. Skyscrapers and architecture were obvious sources, but the team was also impressed by the attention to detail in things like manhole covers as well as street and building detailing. They channeled all of their research into an early vis-dev test of the bustling cityscape.