The teams worked with a two-thirds scale that would 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.

How did they make Will Ferrell tall in Elf?

To create the full forced perspective effect, Ferrell was placed several feet further ahead in the foreground of every scene with his co-stars well behind him, though the camera angle makes it look like they're next to each other.

How is Buddy so big in Elf?

The film makes heavy use of forced perspective to exaggerate the size of Buddy compared to all the other elves. Stop motion animation was employed for certain sequences. CGI usage was kept to a minimum due to Favreau's own preference, something that he later noted he "had to fight very hard" for.

Did they use CGI in Elf?

Buddy's Skills Were Digitally Augmented

While Jon Favreau emphasized the use of stop-motion in particular in the movie, there is one sequence that was all but impossible to film without some serious CGI work.

Did they use real people in Elf?

Back when the script was first being shopped around in the 90s, producers wanted Jim Carrey to play the goofy lead. – The outdoor scenes shot in New York City feature real people so many of the reactions you see are genuine!

How They Made Elf | The Holiday Movies That Made Us

Why didn't Jim Carrey play Elf?

The original script for Elf was written with Jim Carrey in mind for the lead role, but it sat in production limbo for a decade before eventually being picked up by Ferrell.

Who else auditioned for Elf?

Jim Carrey was supposed to play Buddy the Elf.

Although Jim Carrey didn't end up in this film you probably recognise him as playing The Grinch. An actor called Chris Farley was also asked to play Buddy but the writer of Elf didn't think he was a good fit. It took years before they found the perfect Buddy.

How old was Will Ferrell when he filmed Elf?

This actually makes Buddy a fair amount younger than Will Ferrell himself, who was 35 years old at the time of Elf's filming, and 36 when the movie was released to theaters.

How did they do the size difference in Elf?

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.

Is Buddy in Elf autistic?

Don't mean to burst your bubble, but there is absolutely no way Buddy has autism. He spent the entire movie INTERACTING with people.

How much money has Will Ferrell made from Elf?

Elf was Will Ferrell's second box office hit. He reportedly received a whopping salary of $17 million for that film alone, more on par with what his talents would dictate in the mid-2000s. He was allegedly offered $29 million to act in an Elf sequel, but couldn't get his heart into it, so he turned it down.

How old was James Caan during Elf?

James Caan stars in Elf with Will Ferrell in 2003

The legendary actor was 82-years-old and had enjoyed an incredible 60-year career. During his time on the big screen he starred in some iconic pictures such as The Godfather, Dick Tracy and The Rain People to name but a few.

Who was originally supposed to play Buddy the Elf?

The original script for the movie in the early 1990s had comedian Jim Carrey chosen to star in the role of Buddy the Elf. Turns out, Carrey ended up playing a very different Christmas character in the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

How does Will Ferrell feel about Elf?

Elf Was a Game Changer for Will Ferrell

“I had no idea. The first time we tested the movie we did two screenings. We did one that was more of a family focused audience, and it worked great with them. And then my manager Jimmy called me.

Was Elf filmed in public?

All of the scenes were “real,” everything from Ferrell walking through traffic to interacting with people on the street. There were no extras, hired actors, or street closures during the limited filming that happened in New York, so they simply had Ferrell wander through the city streets and interact with real people.

Did Will Ferrell refuse Elf 2?

It was reported that Will was offered a whopping $29million to appear in a sequel but he still refused to budge for the massive pay cheque. Will, who has had previous success with Anchorman 2, Daddy's Home 2 and Zoolander 2, said it would be 'pathetic' to try and remake Elf.

Why was Zooey Deschanel blonde in Elf?

“I had to dye my hair blonde for a screen test for a movie that never happened before I did Elf,” Deschanel told Stylecaster in a March 2019 interview. “I went in for the meeting for Elf, and then I asked them, 'Could I dye my hair back to my natural color? ' And they said, 'No.

Will Ferrell eat in Elf?

Will Ferrell actually ate Buddy's super-sweet meals. It would be hard to fake those shots. Warner Bros. Buddy eats plenty of sugary concoctions throughout the movie, but his most memorable meal may be the spaghetti he tops with marshmallows, Hershey's syrup, M&M's, and chocolate Pop-Tarts.

Who turned down the role of Elf?

Jim Carrey was reportedly the first choice to play Buddy

However, by the time the film went into production, Carrey had moved on from the role. Interestingly enough, Carrey did end up playing another iconic Christmas character: the Grinch in 2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Who turned down the role of Buddy the Elf?

The script for Elf was first created in 1993, and Jim Carrey was reportedly ready to play the role of Buddy. But by the time the film came together a decade later, Carrey turned it down for other projects, reportedly also hesitant to book the role after playing the Grinch.

Why did they use gimbels in Elf?

Fun fact: Producers wanted to feature the famous Macy's 34th street location, the largest store in the world, but Macy's refused to have their name used. So they settled on Gimbels, a now defunct NY department store–the exterior was shot at 5th Avenue and E 30th St and decorated with CGI.

Where was Elf filmed?

On discovering his true lineage, Buddy sets off to find his biological father in the legendary land of 'New York City'. There's plenty of real New York on display of course, but most of the interiors were filmed in an abandoned mental hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Why didn't Macy's want to be in Elf?

As Favreau revealed to ABC News, the Elf team asked Macy's if they could use the store for the movie, but Macy's declined. He told the publication: "Because we're using a Santa, of course, everybody thinks Macy's. "But Macy's didn't like the idea that there was a fake Santa working there.

Was Elf filmed before 9/11?

Elf wears its era much more lightly, combining fantasy elements with a kind of twinkling Miracle on 34th Street charm in a way that would feel wildly risky in less capable hands. But this movie was filmed in New York City at the end of 2002—of course 9/11 is there if you look for it.