<P> Harry and the Hendersons is a 1987 American fantasy comedy film directed and produced by William Dear and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, David Suchet, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy, Lainie Kazan, and Kevin Peter Hall . Steven Spielberg served as its uncredited executive producer, while Rick Baker provided the makeup and the creature designs for Harry . It is the story of a Seattle family's encounter with the cryptozoological creature Bigfoot, partially inspired by the numerous claims of sightings in the Pacific Northwest, California and other parts of both the United States and Canada since the late 1960s . The film won an Academy Award for Best Makeup, and inspired a follow - up TV series of the same name . In the United Kingdom, the film was originally released as Bigfoot and the Hendersons, though the TV series retained the American title . The DVD and all current showings of the movie in the UK now refer to the movie by its original title . </P> <P> In conjunction with the film's setting, shooting took place at several locations in the Cascade Range of Washington state near I - 90 and the town of Index near US 2 as well as Seattle's Wallingford, Ballard and Beacon Hill neighborhoods and other locations in or around Seattle's I - 5 corridor . While the film received mixed reviews, it was a box office success, with a combined domestic and international return of just under $50 million against a production budget of $16 million . </P> <P> George Henderson (John Lithgow) is returning to his suburban Seattle home with his family from a camping trip in the nearby Cascade mountains when they hit something with the family Ford Country Squire . George investigates, and discovers to his horror and awe, that they have hit a Sasquatch . Thinking they have killed it, they decide to take the creature home, strapping it to the roof of their car . Meanwhile, a mysterious hunter has been tracking the creature and discovers the Hendersons' license plate, which fell off when they hit the creature . </P> <P> Later that night, George goes out to the garage to examine the creature and discovers that it is not dead, and has escaped . He hears noises from his kitchen and sees the creature, which has knocked over the fridge looking for food . The family realizes that the creature is friendly and kind . George has a change of heart; at first he wished to make money from the creature, but now decides to take him back to the wild . Naming the creature "Harry," George tries to lure him into the station wagon, but Harry believes that the Hendersons mean him harm and instead he disappears . </P>

Where did harry and the hendersons take place