30 Things You Didn’t Know About Elf

By Ryan 1 year ago

1. Jim Carrey Was Supposed To Play Buddy

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Originally, the role of Buddy the elf was meant to be played by famous actor Jim Carrey, but he decided to reject the role in order to begin to pursue different opportunities as his name began to become well known after his appearance in Ace Ventura. However, I am sure that most people would not change Will Ferrell anyway.

2. Force Perspective Made Buddy Look Like A Giant

Image source/ cosmopolitan
The directors of Elf, wanted to make this film look as realistic as possible as they were against CGI and in order to do this, they used force perspective to make Buddy look so big.  However, people were still shocked and questioned how Buddy looked so big on Papa Elf's knee.

3. The Cotton Balls Buddy Eats Were Just Candy Floss That Wasn't Dyed

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Whilst in the doctor's office, Buddy decides to eat from a bowl of cotton balls which would not taste nice. However, these cotton balls were in fact balls of actual cotton candy that had not yet been dyed. A genius idea which benefited the film and Will Ferrell who got to eat candy whilst filming.

4. Will Ferrell Had Several Bad Headaches Whilst Filming

Image source/ cosmopolitan
During the production of the film Elf, Will Ferrell suffered from various headaches during his time filming. Ferrell stated that he ingested a lot of sugar during filming, so this was a cause for his headaches and also made him lack sleep which contributed to these terrible headaches.

5. Buddy's Long Burp Was Voiced By Someone Else

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When having dinner with his new family, Buddy drinks a whole bottle of fizzy cola which leads to his incredible 12 second burp. However, what many people do not know is that this burp was not voiced by Will Ferrel. In fact, the burp was voiced by a guy called Maurice LaMarche.

6. The Reaction To The Jack In The Box Were Real

Image source/cosmopilitan
The scene where Buddy is testing out the jack in the box, were actually Will Ferrell's genuine to jack in the box opening. During the film's extra commentary, it was explained that director Jon Favreau was controlling the toys via a remote and was setting them off randomly to scare Will.

7. Will Ferrell Caused A Few Accidents

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During filming, Will Ferrell caused a few minor traffic accidents when walking the streets and through the Lincoln Tunnel. This was because people were so surprised to see him roaming the streets in an elf costume. To be fair, who wouldn't be surprised to see that whilst driving.
 

8. Buddy's Stepmom Also Plays Will Ferrell's Mom In Stepbrothers

Image source/Cosmo
Well Known actress Mary Steenburgen plays the role of Buddy's Stepmom for Will Ferrell in the film Elf. What people did not know was that she also plays the role of a mother for Will Ferrell in Stepbrothers. These two became a dynamic duo more than just the once and became a duo we didn't know we needed.
 

9. Will Ferrell Running Through The City Was Filmed On The Last Day

Image source/Cosmo
During the film, there is a few scenes of Buddy the elf running through the city, and it was revealed that all of the scenes of Will Ferrell running through the city were filmed on the last day of filming and production. The pedestrians in these scenes were paid to be a part of the film right on the spot.
 

10.
The Throne Of Lies Scene Had To Be Shot In One Take

Image source/ youtube
During production, the throne of lies scene had to be shot in only one take because this specific set was far too extensive to rebuild and film another shot so the directors decided it must be done in one take. Luckily, the scene was filmed perfectly in just the one take: thankfully.
 

11. Will Ferrell Had His Own Throne Of Lies Before His Career Started

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Before Will Ferrell's acting career sky rocketed, he used to work as a mall Santa Claus and had his very own Throne of Lies just like in the Elf film where he accused the store Santa of being a fake. Ferrell said that Chris Kattan was his elf but people only really paid attention to Santa.
 

12. Will Ferrell Rejected 29 Million For Elf 2

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Back in 2013, Will Ferrell was offered 29 million dollars to be involved in an Elf 2 but unfortunately for everyone who watched the first Elf, he turned down the offer and he told a Hollywood reporter ''Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money. And I thought, Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.''
 

13. The Snow Was CGI

Image source/ mentalfloss
Although the directors of the film went to great lengths to prevent the use of CGI, the snow was a different story. The snowflakes over the opening credits were CGI and the snowballs in Buddy's snowball fight scene as CGI too which is not too surprising as Will Ferrell cannot through snowballs insanely fast.
 

14. Gimbels Is A Digitally Edited Version Of Macy's In New York

Image source/ buzzfeed
When watching the film Elf, you may notice that the store Gimbels looks familiar. That is because the store Gimbels was digitally altered from the real life version called Macy's that is located on 34th street in New York. Obviously they added Christmas theme decorations too.
 

15. Buddy's Costume Looks Familiar

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Another thing that looks familiar in the film Elf, is Buddy's outfit. Buddy's outfit was heavily inspired by the outfit that the elves wear in the Claymation classic Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. The outfit inspiration definitely makes sense as both characters are elves. 
 

16. Jon Favreau Voiced The Nawal

Image source/ buzzfeed
Jon Favreau is a very famous actor and he appeared in the film Elf as Buddy's doctor but what people did not know is that the famous actor also did the voice for the Nawal that says goodbye to Buddy as he is leaving the North Pole to go to New York to find his biological father.
 

17. One Of The Elves Has Been Seen Before

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The elf in the red outfit is a familiar face to some people and that is because he played the character of Ralphie in A Christmas Story. The actors name is Peter Billingsley and in the opinion of many people, the actor plays a very uncredited role as one of the elves in the film Elf.
 

18. The Jack In The Box Toys Make The Same Noise As The Hyenas At Disney World

Image source/ buzzfeed
When testing the jack in the box toys, Buddy gets scared by the noises that these jack in the boxes make but what people did not know is that the noises made by the jack in the boxes is actually the same noise that as the laughing hyenas at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. 
 
 

19. Peter Dinklage Plays The Real World Elf

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Miles Finch is a famous actor who has appeared in many films and TV shows. In this case, he played the role of the real world elf in the film Elf. Dinklage's most memorable scene in the film is probably when he attacks Buddy after he mistakes him for an elf, which really annoyed Dinklage.
 

20. The Raccoon Makes Monkey Noises

Image source/ buzzfeed
During the film, there is a scene in which Buddy gets attacked by a racoon when he first reaches New York. When attacking Buddy, the racoon makes some noises. However, what people do not realise that the racoon does not actually make the noises a racoon would make but in fact makes monkey noises.
 

21. Inspired From Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

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Quite a few of things in the film Elf are inspired from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and here is an example of another thing. Leon, the Snowman in Elf , who was talking to Buddy after he learns he is human was inspired by the snowman who is in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
 

22.
Jon Favreau Had More Than One Appearance On The Show

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The director of the film made the decision to play several cameo roles in his own movie. He voiced the animated Narwhal that says, "Bye Buddy, hope you find your dad!" as the Elf leaves the North Pole and also played the paediatrician who verified that Buddy was Walter's son.
 

23. Zooey Had To Lip Sync Her Singing Scene

ELF

Zooey Deschanel

Image source/ youtube
In one scene, Buddy enters the women's restroom while Jovie is taking a shower, and the two perform a duet of the divisive Christmas carol, Baby It's Cold Outside. The scene was only scripted when the filmmakers realised Zooey Deschanel, who played Jovie, could sing. This scene had to be lip synced as the noise of the showers would not give it a clean vocal.
 

24. Will Ferrell And Jon Favreau Didn't Get Along

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According to James Caan, the actor who plays Buddy's biological father, Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau did not get a long very well during the production of the film Elf. “The director and Will didn’t get along very well. Will wanted to do it, and he didn’t want the director. He had it in his contract. It was one of those things.” said James Caan.
 

25. Elf Used The Same Facility As Freddy Vs Jason

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Not many people would know this surprising fact about Elf. In Vancouver, an abandoned mental institution served as the construction site for some of the Elf sets, including Walter's apartment and the toy section. This is the same facility where New Line filmed Freddy vs. Jason.
 

26. There Isn't That Many Floor In The Empire State Building

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As heart braking as it might be for some people, the truth needs to be told. In the scene where Buddy is pressing all of the buttons in the elevator, the amount of buttons on the elevator is incorrect. Unfortunately for viewers, there are not that many buttons. It was all a lie.
 

27. A Comedy Star Turned Down A Role

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Walter Hobbs, Buddy's biological father, is portrayed by James Caan. That's a sizable profit for the movie. However, he wasn't the first option. The part was offered to Garry Shandling, best known for his ground-breaking sitcom "The Larry Sanders Show," but he declined it.
 

28. Elf Became A Musical

Image source/ insider
"Elf: The Musical" had its Broadway debut in 2010. George Wendt, who played Santa, was the cast member with the highest notoriety. It received a resurrection in 2012 because its initial run was prosperous enough. Despite receiving no Tony nominations, it was well-liked by the audience.
 

29. The Elves Didn't Do Coffee

Image source/ insider
In keeping with the elves' apparent addiction to sweets, they don't consume coffee in the break room. Instead, they keep a pitcher of syrup nearby for those times when they need a boost. I mean this is not surprising when you see the amount of sugar Buddy consumes during the film.
 

30. Elf Is Tied To Another Christmas Classic

Image source/ insider
Rising up the ranks of the best Christmas movies of all time, Elf is a homage to its predecessor. This is certainly due to the reference to the animated special, but also due to the cast of Ming Ming. The elf is played by Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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