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13 surprising things you might not know about 'Elf' the movie

buddy the elf

YouTube/Movieclips

  • "Elf" the movie debuted in 2003 and has since become a holiday classic. 
  • It used a lot of unique perspective and film techniques to create size-related illusions.
  • The movie's star, Will Ferrell, has said more than once that he has no plans to be in a sequel. 

"Elf" premiered in 2003 and has since become a classic holiday movie.

It follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), who was raised among elves in the North Pole. After years of feeling like he didn't quite fit in with his fellow elves, Buddy heads to New York City in search of his real father during Christmastime.

Here are a few things you may not know about the holiday comedy "Elf." 

Buddy's super long belch was recorded by a famous voice actor.
Elf pasta
And who can forget Buddy's famous pasta dish?

New Line Cinema

No, Ferrell wasn't belching on-screen for an impressively long time in the film. Instead, the long burp was recorded by Maurice LaMarche.

Better known as the voice of Brain from "Pinky and the Brain," LaMarche's vocal contributions to the film were uncredited, but his belch will live on in cinematic history.

Jim Carrey reportedly almost played Buddy.
jim carrey
Jim Carrey starred in a different Christmas movie.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Although Buddy is one of Ferrell's most well-known roles, Vulture reported that when the script was first circulating in 1993, Carrey was the first choice to play the curious elf.

The movie is set in New York City, but most of it was filmed elsewhere.
Elf
Many scenes from "Elf" were filmed in Canada.

New Line Cinema

Many scenes from "Elf" were set in New York City, but a lot of the production actually took place in Canada.

"Analog techniques" were used in place of CGI in some parts of the film.
Elf buddy big
These techniques add magic to the film.

New Line Cinema

VFX supervisor Joe Bauer told Creative Planet Network in 2012 that "Elf" director Jon Favreau wanted to use "analog techniques" to bring the magic to the North Pole.

The crew used techniques like forced perspective to make Buddy look bigger than the elves around him.

 

The North Pole sets were built for perspective.
Elf elves
"Elf" used special sets to create illusions.

New Line Cinema

Bauer also told Creative Planet Network that the sets for the North Pole were meant to establish a scale for the elves in the film. The teams worked with a two-thirds scale to allow Ferrell to seem bigger than his elven counterparts.

Afterward, the crew would adjust the height of the cameras and objects to bring the optical illusion to life.

CGI was used in some parts of the film.
Elf snowball fight
CGI can be seen in the snowball fight scene in "Elf."

New Line Cinema

Even though it might not seem obvious, CGI was used in some parts of the film — including the snowball scene.

Naturally, the miraculously long throw during this scene was CGI, as were any snowballs you didn't see thrown by someone.

Peter Billingsley makes a cameo.
Elf and the elves
Peter Billingsley played an elf in "Elf."

New Line Cinema

Actor Peter Billingsley played the iconic role of Ralphie in classic holiday movie "A Christmas Story." He also made an uncredited appearance in "Elf" as Ming Ming the elf.

This story was originally published on November 27, 2018, and most recently updated on December 12, 2025.

The director of the film makes a cameo as well.
elf doctor scene
The "Elf" director plays a doctor.

New Line Cinema

"Elf" director Favreau makes an appearance in the film as Buddy's doctor.

An elf hockey scene was cut from the film.
elf deleted scene
The deleted scene from "Elf" can be found online.

YouTube/FandagoNOW Extras

"Elf" has a lot of great scenes, but the one of elves playing hockey wasn't meant to be one of them. This scene was cut from the film, but you can still watch it online.

There's an "Elf" Broadway musical.
elf Broadway
"Elf" during its opening night.

Michael Stewart/WireImage/Getty Images

For just a few short weeks at the end of 2010, "Elf" was transformed into a Broadway musical that brought in a reported $1.4 million in just one week.

Ferrell has said he couldn't have predicted the film's success.
buddy the elf
"Elf" has become a holiday classic in a few years.

New Line Cinema

In a 2015 interview with Good Morning America, Ferrell said he's surprised that "Elf" has continued to be successful years after its release.

He joked that it could have been his last movie, but instead, the film has become a cult classic.

The "throne of lies" scene was shot in one take.
throne of lies elf
The set was demolished.

New Line Cinema

According to Esquire, the famous "throne of lies" scene was filmed in one take. This was due to a tight budget and because production had little time to rebuild such an intricate set. 

Ferrell has said he won't do an "Elf" sequel — and he reportedly turned down a huge offer, too.
elf movie
Will Ferrell may not sign onto an "Elf" sequel anytime soon.

IMDb/Warner Bros.

In 2006, Ferrell told The Observer he turned down a reported $29 million offer to star in the sequel. He said he didn't want to do it just for the money. 

"I remember asking myself: could I withstand the criticism when it's bad and they say, 'He did the sequel for the money?' I decided I wouldn't be able to," he told the publication. 

Later, in 2013, Ferrell reaffirmed his decision to People, saying he wouldn't make another "Elf" movie. He said it would look "slightly pathetic" if he tried to "squeeze" back into his elf tights.

 

Read the original article on Business Insider

20 things you probably didn't know about 'Home Alone'

home alone surprised
Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone."

Fox

  • It's been over 30 years since "Home Alone" debuted, but it's still beloved around the holidays. 
  • Fans may not know that Macaulay Culkin improvised one of the film's most iconic moments.
  • The cast almost looked a little different, and Culkin's brother also made a guest appearance.

The holidays wouldn't be the same without the "Home Alone" franchise.

Few people can resist the shenanigans of a young Macaulay Culkin as he finds himself left behind to defend the house while his family heads to Paris for Christmas break.

Here are some fun facts you may not know about "Home Alone."

It took weeks to find the right house for the film.
home alone
John Hughes called the winning house "perfect."

Fox

It took several weeks for the director Chris Columbus and his crew to find the McCallister house for "Home Alone."

Ultimately, they chose a house in Winnetka, Illinois, because they thought it was both warm and menacing.

"I took some pictures and sent them over to John, and I remember John saying: 'This is perfect. This is exactly how I imagined the house,'" he told Entertainment Weekly.

Warner Brothers initially had the rights for the screenplay.
home alone dinner fox
Production for the film was stalled at one point.

Fox

Though the film was ultimately produced by Hughes Entertainment and presented by 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers initially had rights to the project.

According to an article in Chicago magazine, a budget dispute occurred three weeks before the production of "Home Alone" was set to start.

"The question was, 'Do we lay everyone off?'" the associate producer Mark Radcliffe told the publication. "John [Hughes] said to just hold tight."

Luckily, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to the film and production continued as planned.

Culkin and his on-screen mom shared a sweet moment years later.
home alone
Catherine O'Hara played the mother in "Home Alone."

Fox

Per Us Weekly, during a 2015 interview on "Watch What Happens Live," Catherine O'Hara told Andy Cohen that she and Culkin had a sweet interaction at an art event.

"I haven't seen him for years and years, but I saw him two years ago — a year and a half ago? — at a Martin Mull art opening, and he was coming out, and he went, 'Mommy!' And I said, 'Baby!'" she recalled.

She added that her husband made them take a picture and that she was happy to see him.

The film held a cinematic record for nearly 30 years.
home alone
There's no denying people loved "Home Alone."

Fox

Forbes reported that until 2017, "Home Alone" had the highest single-territory total for a live-action comedy, with $285.7 million.

The film held this impressive record for 27 years, until the Chinese film "Never Say Die" surpassed it in 2017 (without accounting for inflation).

Regardless, "Home Alone" is still one of the highest-grossing live-action comedies in the US.

Culkin's younger brother appeared in the movie.
Home alone
Kieran Culkin played his brother's on-screen cousin.

Fox

In his first acting credit, Culkin's younger brother Kieran appeared as Kevin's cousin, Fuller, in "Home Alone."

The brothers appeared together on-screen again in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

The film was written in just over a week.
home alone
John Hughes was able to write the screenplay incredibly fast.

FOX

John Hughes, who also wrote 1980s blockbusters like "The Breakfast Club," "Pretty in Pink," and "Sixteen Candles," crafted the first draft of the screenplay for "Home Alone" in just nine days.

According to the same Chicago magazine article — which was written by his son, James — the film was written after a family trip to Europe in response to his father's severe traveler's anxiety.

"I was going away on vacation,'" Hughes told Time magazine in 1990, "and making a list of everything I didn't want to forget. I thought, 'Well, I'd better not forget my kids.' Then I thought, 'What if I left my 10-year-old son at home? What would he do?'"

Culkin has said he has trouble watching the film.
Macalay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin has said he doesn't watch the film very often.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

In a 2018 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Culkin said he couldn't watch "Home Alone" without remembering a bunch of personal context. 

"When I'm watching it, I'm seeing like — I'm remembering that day on set. You know, like, how I was hiding my Pepsi behind the couch," he said. "I can't watch it the same way other people can."

In the same interview, he referred to the film as "background radiation at Christmastime."

Columbus was supposed to direct a different Hughes-written Christmas classic.
Chris Columbus Slaven Vlasic Getty
Chris Columbus had said he didn't want to work with Chevy Chase on "Christmas Vacation."

Slaven Vlasic/Getty

Columbus was originally working on "Christmas Vacation" — which was also written by Hughes — but he eventually called the writer to tell him he couldn't work with the actor Chevy Chase.

"John was very understanding. About two weeks later, I got two scripts at my in-laws' house in River Forest. One was 'Home Alone,' with a note from John asking if I wanted to direct," he told the publication. "I thought, 'Wow, this guy is really supporting me when no one else in Hollywood was going to.'"

John Candy improvised most of his scenes in "Home Alone."
home alone john candy
Candy played Gus Polinski in "Home Alone."

Fox

Columbus told Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio in 2020 that the legendary comedic actor John Candy came on set ready to improvise.

"He was on the movie for only one day, but it resulted in so much great improvisation. None of that stuff was in the script," he said. "The funeral-parlor story, that was all improvised at 4:30 in the morning. We could barely keep a straight face on set just listening to John."

Hughes was particular about his script, but Columbus added one of the film's most touching moments.
home alone ending scene
Chris Columbus added the ending scene with Old Man Marley.

Fox

Beyond Candy's cameo, Hughes didn't allow for a ton of improvisation or tweaks to his script, but Columbus had a sweet vision for the character of Old Man Marley that he was able to sneak into the film.

Though the scene in the church was always in the script, the director added to the conversation between Kevin and Marley. 

"I added the moment when Marley talked about not being able to see his granddaughter. I also added the very end of the movie when Kevin sees that Marley is reunited with his granddaughter," Columbus told BI. "That is probably my proudest addition to the movie."

Robert De Niro was considered for the role of Harry.
robert de niro home alone
Robert De Niro could've had Joe Pesci's iconic role.

Toby Melville/Reuters; Fox

Before Joe Pesci took on the role of Harry in "Home Alone," the production team had its eyes on Robert De Niro.

However, Columbus said, the actor never seriously considered taking the role. 

"It was talked about a little internally, but when Pesci said yes, I was stunned," he told BI.

Culkin improvised one of the most iconic "Home Alone" moments.
home alone surprised
Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone."

Fox

Kevin's reaction to putting on aftershave is arguably one of the best-known scenes of the film — and it's since become one of the most iconic moments in movie history.

However, Culkin apparently didn't do it the way Columbus told him to. 

"If you put something on your face that burns, most people move their hands right away. So my direction to him was when you pat your face, move your hands and scream. And I think it was the first take, he kept his hands on his cheeks," the director told BI.

He added, "It's funny, the iconic moment from 'Home Alone' was an accident."

The BB-gun effect was achieved with animation.
home alone bb gun
The movie didn't have a huge budget for special effects.

Fox

When "Home Alone" came out in 1990, CGI wasn't the norm on film sets. Since the movie was already working on a tight budget, the production team had to get creative with special effects. 

During the scene in which Kevin shoots Marv in the head with a BB gun, the pellet is actually animated. 

"We paid a guy living in his mother's basement in Chicago $600 to hand-paint that BB going into Marv's head. So that was an animated effect. A guy with a paintbrush in a basement for six frames hand-painted a BB," Columbus told  BI.

He continued: "This was an $18 million film, so, for our budget, I'm pretty happy how it turned out."

The film has fooled many people into believing "Angels With Filthy Souls" is real.
home alone angels with filthy souls fox
"Angels With Filthy Souls" was created for "Home Alone."

Fox

Kevin uses a black-and-white movie called "Angels With Filthy Souls" to aid in his defense plan against the Wet Bandits, and many people — including Seth Rogen and Chris Evans — were shocked when they learned it wasn't a real film. 

The scene was created specifically for "Home Alone," but there's a reason it looks so real. 

"'Home Alone' is one of the last films shot with an old carbon-arc lighting system that was popular back in the 1940s through 1960s for Technicolor films," Columbus told BI.

He explained that they used the same technique for "Angels With Filthy Souls."

"That richness of black and white made it look like a movie from that era, and I think that's why some people think it's a real movie," he added.

"Home Alone" was written with Culkin in mind after another Hughes hit.
uncle buck
Culkin in "Uncle Buck."

Universal

A year before "Home Alone," Culkin starred alongside Candy in Hughes' "Uncle Buck."

After watching the actor play Miles Russell, Hughes was inspired to write a film with a young boy at its helm.

Once the idea started taking shape, he thought Culkin would be great in the role. 

Production of the film took place at a familiar high school in the suburbs of Chicago.
ferris bueller high school
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was filmed at New Trier Township High School.

Paramount Pictures

The production team shared stories about working at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois.

Hughes liked to make his movies in the Chicagoland area, so they set up their production offices in the same building where some of his other classics, such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Uncle Buck," were shot.

They also ended up building the interior sets for the McCallisters' house in the school's gym, and they inventively built the set for the Murphys' house — which floods at the end of the film — in the swimming pool.

Candy reportedly made less than the pizza boy for his cameo in "Home Alone."
john candy home alone
Candy was on set for only one day.

Fox

Candy filmed all his scenes during one 23-hour day on set, but he didn't get much in return as far as compensation.

The actor did the cameo as a favor to Hughes, and he received "scale" pay — the minimum pay rate that a studio agrees to.

In the end, Candy ended up making less than Danny Warhol (aka Dan Charles Zukoski), who played the pizza boy.

The crew dropped everything on the second day of filming to shoot the final scene in the snow.
home alone snow
They shot the scene where Kevin reunites with his mom on the second day.

Fox

"Home Alone" was shot in Chicago in February, and the crew was hoping for snow.

Fake snow can eat away at a budget, so when a snowstorm rolled in on the second day on set, everyone jumped at the chance to film the "money shot" where Kevin wakes up on Christmas morning and reunites with his family.

To enhance the natural flurries, the crew used potato flakes to make it look as if snow was blowing around — which was said to be effective but left them with a whole heap of rotting starch when the snow melted a few days later.

The stunts were real — and one was even named in honor of "Home Alone."
home alone stunt
The stuntpeople had to do all of the falls themselves.

Fox

Though Culkin, Pesci, and Daniel Stern weren't responsible for all of the falls and hits their characters took throughout the film, their stunt doubles did them for real. 

They didn't use any special-effect tricks, and there weren't any pads built into the ground, so the film crew was under a lot of pressure to get the shots right on the first take. 

Pesci's stunt double for the film, Troy Brown, said on the docuseries that for his first fall on the icy stairs, he "just launched myself as far and as high as I could." 

The film's wild stunts had a long-lasting impact.

"Now when someone does a fall where they get a lot of air, and they fall on their back, they'd call it the 'Home Alone,'" the director of photography Julio Macat said on an episode of "The Movies That Made Us."

Columbus went on to direct another Christmas hit.
christmas chronicles 2 netflix
Kurt Russell in "The Christmas Chronicles 2."

Netflix

"Home Alone" was only the third feature-length film that Columbus directed, but he's since gone on to direct popular movies like "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

In addition to taking on some fantasy classics, Columbus directed Netflix's "The Christmas Chronicles 2" (2020), marking his return to holiday films.

An earlier version of this story was published in November 2018, and it was most recently updated on December 11, 2024.

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