8 Bit Christmas

Major Toronto street turned into Chicago in the '80s for Neil Patrick Harris movie

A stretch of University Avenue was completely closed to cars on Saturday due to a film shoot for Neil Patrick Harris' new movie, and photos from production show the area completely transformed into early 1980s Chicago.

The city announced Friday that University would be closed between Queen Street West and Dundas Street on April 10 from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. for filming, and Toronto Filming later revealed that the movie 8-Bit Christmas would be taking over the downtown stretch.

But while the area was closed to cars and pedestrians, some local photographers managed to snap a few shots of all the excitement. 

8 Bit ChristmasPhotos from the day show several old cars dating back to the late '70s and early '80s lining the streets, including a light green Ford Thunderbird and others.

8 Bit ChristmasA vintage checkered cab could also be seen parked on the street, as well as a lineup of modern-day yellow taxis.

Street signs in the area were also altered to look like Chicago, as were license plates and taxi signs.

And while the majority of photos from Saturday show the vehicles being used in the film, one passerby also managed to capture a photo of Harris himself in action.

8-Bit Christmas is set to tell the story of "a ten-year-old [who] sets out on a quest to get the Christmas gift of his generation - the latest and greatest video game system."

Photos by

B Toronto


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