Palmdale, CA (WFN) -- Steven Spielberg is no stranger to cutting-edge special effects -- but he took a comparatively low-tech approach to creating illusions in his newest movie, "The Terminal."

Rather than use traditional soundstages and computer-generated effects to depict the airport where star Tom Hanks becomes stranded, Spielberg called for the construction of a three-story building that would resemble a real airline terminal from top to bottom.

The terminal took 200 artisans 20 weeks to build inside a Palmdale, California, airplane hanger, and included everything from a food court staffed by real-life employees of Starbucks and Baja Fresh to a flight information board which displayed actual schedules piped in from JFK airport.

All the realistic details paid off for cast members like Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones, who says when she walked into the set, "...it even smelled like an airport."

"The Terminal" opens June 18.

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