7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Movie ‘Elf’!

In honor of the iconic film’s 20th anniversary this year, and as the holiday season is now upon us, take a look at some fun facts about the now-classic Christmas movie Elf!  

1. Jim Carrey Was Almost Cast As Buddy.

When the script was written back in 1993, 10 years before its official release, Jim Carrey’s name was attached to the role of Buddy. Once the film finally began production, though, Carrey was busy and into other ventures at the time. However, he did go on to play another iconic Christmas character: the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

2. There Was Very Little CGI In The Film.

One may think that there was lots of computer trickery used to make Buddy appear larger than the elves at the North Pole! However, director Jon Favreau explained how he used the concept of forced perspective to create an illusion. “One set is raised and closer and smaller, and one is bigger and further away,” Favreau toldRolling Stone. “And if you line up those two sets and measure them, you can have one person on one set appear to be much larger than a person on the other set. We did that for all the shots at the North Pole.” Favreau said the only CGI used was for the snowflakes in the opening of the film and during the snowball fight scene! (The magical creatures in the North Pole were created with stop-motion photography.)

3. Elf Is 20!

The film was released on November 7, 2003, and just celebrated its 20th anniversary! The holiday classic will be returning to select theaters in honor of this milestone. If you can’t make it to the theater this holiday season, Elf is available to watch on TBS and TNT networks or to stream on Hulu and Max all December long!

4. Minor Traffic Accidents Occurred During Production.

Some of the scenes were filmed near the Lincoln Tunnel and on the 59th Street Bridge in New York City. Still open to the public, many drivers were confused at the sight of Will Ferrell walking in the street dressed as an elf! Director Jon Favreau explained how they often would hear screeches, fender-benders, and lights smashing during production.

5. Will Ferrell Suffered From Sugar-Induced Headaches.

As Buddy once said, elves have 4 main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup! Scene after scene and take after take, all the candy Will ate was enough to even make the biggest sweet tooth feel queasy! "That was tough. I ingested a lot of sugar in this movie and I didn't get a lot of sleep. I constantly stayed up. But anything for the movie, I'm there. If it takes eating a lot of maple syrup, then I will — if that's what the job calls for,” Will said back in a 2003 interview.

6. There Was Almost a Sequel.

A script for the sequel was written, along with a $29 million dollar paycheck, but Will Ferrell decided to pass on the opportunity. “I remember asking myself: could I withstand the criticism when it’s bad and they say, “He did the sequel for the money?” Will explained to The Guardian in 2006. “I decided I wouldn’t be able to. I didn’t want to wander into an area that could erase all the good work I’ve done — but you watch, I’ll do some sequel in the future that’s crap.”

7. Buddy’s Costume Was Recently Sold.

With inspiration from the elves in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", Buddy’s costume was designed by Laura Jean Shannon. “It was less a challenge dressing Will due to his size and more a challenge to make sure nothing seemed off-putting or in bad taste. After all, I had to dress a grown man in tights and a cutaway coat. Needless to say, we did have a fair amount of fittings to be sure we struck the right balance between absurd and adorable,” Laura toldFeel Christmassy back in 2015.

Complete with a 3/4-length green wool tailcoat, a faux-fur collar, and an embroidered floral border with “MR. FERRELL” labeled on the inside, the costume sold for a whopping $300,000 in 2021, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. After being purchased, it was featured in the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, so they could’ve been the ones who purchased the iconic threads.

After filming wrapped, Elf producer Jon Berg offered to donate the costume to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Archive, but his offer was turned down. Up until 2021, Jon had the costume just sitting in his closet!

Happy Holidays, and remember: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!