Don't Be a Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins: Check Out These Elf Secrets

1. The archetypal publication for Elf was really written successful 1993, with Jim Carrey in caput to play the titular Santa's helper. Because it took implicit a decennary for the movie to yet beryllium made, the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective prima ne'er ended up taking connected the role, which proved to beryllium the eventual Christmas acquisition for Will Ferrell.

2. Elf was besides initially intended to beryllium a spot much sinister, with director Jon Favreau revealing to Rolling Stone, "He was a darker character."

3. Before helium was asked to travel successful to rewrite the publication and alteration the movie into a PG friendly-family affair, Favreau initially turned down the job.

"I took a look astatine the script, and I wasn't peculiarly interested," helium told Rolling Stone. "It was a overmuch darker mentation of the film. I liked the conception of being progressive with Will successful his archetypal solo movie aft SNL, but it wasn't rather there."

4. Buddy's iconic costume was modeled disconnected of the elves from the 1964 Rankin/Bass movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

"The costume was important," Favreau told ABC News. "It looks astir similar he's a puppet and the tights and the boots and the chapeau and helium was highly brave wearing that costume." 

5. Costume decorator Laura Jean Shannon, tasked with uncovering the cleanable look, revealed it wasn't accommodating Ferrell's 6-foot-3 framework that was the hardest portion of her job. 

"It was little a situation dressing Will owed to his size and much a situation to marque definite thing seemed off-putting oregon successful atrocious taste." she explained to Feel Christmassy. "After all, I had to formal a grown antheral successful tights and a cutaway coat. Needless to say, we did person a just magnitude of fittings to beryllium definite we struck the close equilibrium betwixt absurd and adorable."

6. Ferrell's Buddy costume was truthful captivating that the histrion really caused a fewer postulation incidents portion filming successful New York City.

"When we had Will successful the Lincoln Tunnel, the passageway was open. Same happening with the 59th Street Bridge," Favreau told Rolling Stone. "Whenever helium was retired determination successful his suit, we'd perceive screeches and fender-benders and lights smashing. People would beryllium looking astatine him walking connected the broadside and that would origin a fewer insignificant postulation accidents."

7. Buddy's infamous 12-second agelong burp wasn't really performed by Ferrell. Voice actor Maurice LaMarche, champion known for giving beingness to The Brain on Pinky and the Brain, provided the meal array belch. And, yes, we heard that. 

8. The fabric balls Buddy can't halt eating successful the doctor's bureau were really pieces of fabric candy that had yet to beryllium dyed.

9. Buddy's all-sugar fare besides became Ferrell's regular nutrient intake portion filming arsenic helium really scarfed down each of that maple syrup-coated spaghetti and candy during scenes. 

"I ingested a batch of sweetener successful this movie and I didn't get a batch of sleep," Ferrell told The Sun. "I perpetually stayed up. But thing for the movie, I'm there. If it takes eating a batch of maple syrup, past I will, if that's what the occupation calls for."

10. The precocious James Caan didn't have to enactment each that hard to nail his relation arsenic Buddy's reluctant begetter Walter. 

"I virtually drove him brainsick successful that movie," Ferrell explained to Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler during a July 2024 quality connected their MeSsy podcast. “In betwixt setups, he’d beryllium like, 'I don’t get you. You’re not funny.' And I’m like, 'I know. I’m not Robin Williams.'"

But the dynamic worked, acknowledged Ferrell. “I emotion that the full time, he’s not acting," helium continued. "He’s genuinely annoyed with me. He’s like, 'Can this feline unopen the f--k up?'"

11. Determined to support the aged schoolhouse aesthetic, Favreau told Rolling Stone helium didn’t privation to marque the movie “a large CGI extravaganza," lone utilizing the exertion to adhd immoderate snow. 

“I similar motion-control, models, matte paintings,” helium explained. “It feels timeless. And stop-motion is my favorite. There were a batch of challenges to bash that worldly successful stop-motion. I had to combat precise hard not to bash that worldly successful CGI.”

12. While Ferrell does person respective inches connected 5-foot-8 Bob Newhart (a.k.a. Papa Elf), Favreau revealed they utilized “forced perspective” to marque it look arsenic if the SNL alum was towering implicit everyone other astatine the North Pole. 

Building 2 sets, 1 larger than the other, meant “if you look closely, you tin spot the 2 sets conscionable due to the fact that we didn’t usage CG to overgarment implicit that oregon blur it," Favreau explained. "I wanted it to person the aforesaid flaws that it would person had [before CGI], to marque the movie consciousness much timeless. It made for large souvenirs. I person a Louisville Slugger that’s 4 and a fractional feet agelong successful my office, that the elves were building.”

13. They came this close to filming the Santa country astatine Macy's. However, 1 of the stipulations was removing the country wherever Buddy called retired the section store Santa, played by comedian Artie Lange, arsenic fake "because their Santa has to beryllium real," Favreau explained to Rolling Stone. "We had to deliberation agelong and hard astir it."

Eventually they ended up filming successful the cafeteria of a Vancouver intelligence hospital. They named their store Gimbels arsenic a motion to 1947's Miracle connected 34th Street. 

14. When Zooey Deschanel was formed arsenic Buddy's emotion involvement Jovie, the film's producers decided to inject a changeable of warmth with her peformance of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." 

"I retrieve Jon Favreau telling maine that they were catering it to whoever played the part," Deschanel told Entertainment Weekly successful 2020. "One histrion they were looking astatine was bully astatine skateboarding. But I had a cabaret enactment astatine the clip and I was performing a lot. They knew that I was a singer, truthful they enactment that successful to beryllium my peculiar happening that helium could observe I was bully at."

15. Some of Buddy's astir iconic lines—"You odor similar beef and cheese!" and "You beryllium connected a throne of lies!"—were improvised by Ferrell successful the moment.

16. The large combat country betwixt Ferrell and Lange was filmed successful 1 instrumentality due to the fact that it took the creation section weeks to decorate Gimbels.

"We had 1 instrumentality to destruct it," Lange told ABC News, "So Favreau said, 'Just spell nuts!'"

17. While astir radical cognize Favreau had a tiny relation arsenic the pediatrician who examines Buddy and confirms he's Walter's son, the manager besides had different part: He voiced the Narwhal who infamously said, "Bye Buddy, anticipation you find your dad!"

18. Ferrell turned down a reported $29 cardinal paycheck to reprise the relation of Buddy for a sequel, telling The Guardian successful 2006 that it "wasn't hard astatine all" to walk connected the opportunity."I retrieve asking myself: could I withstand the disapproval erstwhile it's atrocious and they say, 'He did the sequel for the money?'" helium explained. "I decided I wouldn't beryllium capable to. I didn't privation to rotation into an country that could erase each the bully enactment I've done—but you watch, I'll bash immoderate sequel successful the aboriginal that's crap."

19. But Caan alleged it was hostility betwixt Ferrell and Favreau that perchance squashed immoderate plans for a follow-up.

"We were gonna bash it, and I thought, 'Oh my God, I yet person a franchise movie. I tin marque immoderate money, fto my kids bash what the hellhole they privation to do,'" helium said connected 92.3 The Fan successful Cleveland. "The manager and Will didn't get on precise well. Will wanted to bash it, and helium didn't privation the director. He had it successful his contract. It was 1 of those things."

20. While a sequel won't beryllium recovered successful anyone's stockings, fans were talented with a Broadway philharmonic inspired by the movie successful 2010. The amusement ran done 2013 and traveled overseas to the West End successful 2015.