20 facts you might not know about Elf

It took a decade for “Elf” to get made. David Berenbaum, the sole credited screenwriter on the film, wrote the script way back in 1993. Interestingly, “Elf” would end up being one of his two first produced screenplays, alongside “The Haunted Mansion” which also came out in 2003.

Given that the screenplay was written in 1993, obviously, there were a variety of names attached to it prior to Will Ferrell signing on to play Buddy. In the early days, both Jim Carrey and Chris Farley were in consideration for the role if the film had been made.

This was not Ferrell’s first film, but he had previously been in secondary roles, save for co-starring in “A Night at the Roxbury.” This was not just a flop, but a “Saturday Night Live” film. That’s notable, because “Elf” is the first movie Ferrell made after leaving “SNL.” Now, it wasn’t his first movie to come out, as “Old School” arrived in February of 2003, but obviously, films take some time to hit the big screen so he shot that one early in 2002. “Elf” was Ferrell’s foray into post-“SNL” life.

Jon Favreau has directed some of the biggest movies of all time, such as “Iron Man” and Disney’s “Lion King” remake. When he directed “Elf,” though, he was far from a proven director. In fact, he had only directed one film, 2001’s indie feature “Made,” which was something of a “Swingers” reunion between Favreau and Vince Vaughn. That movie was made on a $5 million budget but only made $5.5 million. Needless to say, he had a lot to prove.

Favreau was not actually interested in the script for “Elf” he was originally shown. To him, it was “too dark” conceptually. However, he was interested in working with Ferrell, and then he got the idea that he could help rewrite the script and turn it into an homage to the “Rankin/Bass” Christmas specials. Once he could turn it into a PG movie, Favreau was on board.

James Caan plays Walter Hobbs, Buddy’s biological father. That’s quite the get for the film. He wasn’t the first choice, though. Garry Shandling, best known for his seminal sitcom “The Larry Sanders Show,” was offered the role but turned it down.

Want to know how Faizon Love’s character Wanda, the manager at Gimbels, got his name? Well, that role originally went to Wanda Sykes. Then, Sykes had to drop out. Love stepped in, but the name Wanda stayed.

Papa Elf and Santa Claus are two big figures in Buddy’s life. They are also played by two big figures from ‘70s sitcoms, specifically MTM-produced sitcoms. Papa Elf is played by Bob Newhart, who also narrates the film. He got his first big break on TV with “The Bob Newhart Show,” produced by Mary Tyler Moore’s company. Santa is played by Ed Asner, best known as Lou Grant from… “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

The director wanted to avoid using CGI as much as he could and fought to use traditional special effects as much as possible. While some stop-motion animation is used (in homage to Rankin/Bass), the primary “special effect” being used is forced perspective to make Ferrell seem so much bigger than everybody else.

Zooey Deschanel has a singing career on the side in addition to her acting career. When Favreau found that out, he figured he should use it. While her character Jovie didn’t sing in the screenplay, he found a way to add it in.

Maybe singing got into Ferrell’s brain after Deschanel’s singing was added into the mix. When Buddy sings at Santaland in Gimbels that was not in the script. Ferrell improvised the song, lyrics included, on the spot. Of course, Ferrell doesn’t quite have the same chops that Deschanel does.

If you have ever heard a particularly robust burp in a movie or TV show, there’s a good chance it was done by one man. Maurice LaMarche is a successful voice actor – you may know him best as The Brain of “Pinky and The Brain” – but he’s also a stunt belcher. Yes, Buddy’s burp came from a real person, though it wasn’t Ferrell.

Buddy doesn’t have the best diet. This wasn’t always easy on Ferrell, who got headaches from all the sugar he was consuming. That includes the “cotton balls” he ate. Those were made from cotton candy that had not been dyed.

“Elf” has risen up the ranks of the all-time Christmas films, and it pays homage to what came beforehand. That’s in the nods to animated specials, sure, but it’s also in the casting of Ming Ming. That elf is played by Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in “A Christmas Story.”

Sticking to the sugar addiction that the elves seem to have, they don’t drink coffee in their break room. Instead, they have a pitcher of syrup for when they need a pick-me-up.

You may recognize Favreau as Dr. Leonardo, the Hobbs’ pediatrician. That’s not the only appearance from the director in his movie, though. He also provided the voiceover work for three animal characters in uncredited fashion: the puffin, the baby walrus, and the narwhal.

“Elf” was, naturally, released on November 7, 2003, getting people geared up for Christmas. It was second in the box office in the United States in its first week, behind the debuting “The Matrix Revolutions.” Of course, we all know that the “Matrix” sequels didn’t hit like the original. “Elf” was top of the box office in its second week. Overall, it made $222.3 million worldwide against a budget of $33 million, which was big for both Ferrell and Favreau.

In 2010, “Elf: The Musical” debuted on Broadway. The most notable name in the cast was George Wendt, who played Santa. It was successful enough in its original run to get a revival in 2012. While it didn’t get any Tony nominations, it proved a crowd-pleaser.

After being inspired by Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, “Elf” practically became one. At the very least, it was turned into an hour-long stop-motion TV special. Well, it is probably more accurate to say the musical was turned into a TV special, as the songs from the musical are in this version. Asner returns as Santa in “Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas,” but the rest of the cast is different. Jim Parsons plays Buddy, Mark Hamill plays Walter, and Kate Micucci plays Jovie.

Back in 2013, Favreau talked about having an interest in making a sequel called “Elf 2: Buddy Saves Christmas.” Later that year, Ferrell said he had no interest in making a sequel. This back-and-forth happened again a few years later, with Favreau saying it could happen and Ferrell effectively saying “Nope.” Caan added his two cents, saying he doesn’t see it happening because Favreau and Ferrell didn’t get along. Don’t expect Buddy to save Christmas anytime soon.