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.

What building is used for Gimbels in Elf?

'Gimbels Dept Store', where Buddy redecorates the toy department overnight, is the Textile Building, 295 5th Avenue at the northeast corner of East 30th Street, embellished with CGI. Gimbels was a real department store chain – at one point the largest in the USA – until its stores closed in 1987.

What department store was used for Elf?

When the security guards at Walter's office throw Buddy out, they suggest he go back to Santaland at Gimbels. The highly festive store is heavily featured throughout the rest of "Elf," but viewers may not have realized that Gimbels was a real department store in New York City that closed in 1986.

Why was Gimbels used in Elf instead of Macy's?

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.

Is the coffee shop in Elf real?

However, it's worth noting that 2003, when the film was made, there wasn't a coffee shop at 20 East Hastings Street. Instead, the location was home to a long-standing seafood restaurant, The Only Sea Food.

Elf (2003) Gimbles

Was Elf filmed in a mental hospital?

So if “Elf” wanted to film at the Santaland in Macy's, or even mention Macy's in the movie, the scene had to go. “We had to think long and hard about it,” Favreau told Rolling Stone in 2013. “We ended up filming it in the cafeteria of a mental hospital in Vancouver instead of Macy's …

What city was Elf filmed?

Filming. Principal photography began on December 9, 2002, and wrapped on March 7, 2003. Filming took place in New York City, as well as in Vancouver and at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The film makes heavy use of forced perspective to exaggerate the size of Buddy compared to all the other elves.

Does Gimbels still exist?

Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987.

Who was originally supposed to play 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 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 much did Will Ferrell get paid for 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.

Is Gimbels from Elf real?

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.

What year is Elf set in?

New York is a city in New York state. It is the main setting for Elf. New York City, in Elf, is set in 2003, 2 years after 9/11 at the World Trade Center. Buddy the elf goes there to find his father, Walter Hobbs, who is working at the Empire State Building.

Is Gimbels Toy Store real?

Most of the locations shown in the 2003 film look the same today, like the Empire State Building and Central Park. Gimbels, where Buddy (the elf the movie is about) works, used to be a real department store in NYC, but it closed in the '80s; the Textile Building was used as the exterior of Gimbels in the movie instead.

Where did Gimbels used to be?

Gimbel Brothers began in Milwaukee in 1887 and later expanded to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York. Gimbels merged with Schuster's Department Stores in 1962.

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 almost played Buddy in Elf?

Summary. Elf could have been a very different movie if Jim Carrey had been cast as Buddy the Elf instead of Will Ferrell, as Carrey's comedic style is more over-the-top and bombastic.

Why is Zooey Deschanel's hair 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?

Why did Gimbels fail?

By 1986, Batus Inc the company that had bought Gimbels couldn't find a buyer. The only value Gimbels had was it's real estate. Department stores are a brutal business to be. In an earlier era, it made sense to go to a store that sold everything.

What store replaced Gimbels in NYC?

The mall replaced the former flagship store of the Gimbels department store chain, which operated from 1910 to 1986. It opened in 1989 as a shopping center called A&S Plaza and was rebranded Manhattan Mall in 1995. Stern's department store occupied the anchor store space from 1995–2001.

Does Macy's tell Gimbels?

The rhetorical question "Does Macy tell Gimbel?" was a popular phrase used throughout the 1930s-1960s which meant that business competitors are not supposed to share trade secrets with one another.

What scenes in Elf were real?

– The outdoor scenes shot in New York City feature real people so many of the reactions you see are genuine! – In fact, several minor traffic accidents occurred when Will Ferrell walked through the Lincoln Tunnel in his costume, because people were so surprised and distracted to see a grown man wearing an elf outfit.

Was Elf low budget?

The film, starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau, who is now best known for his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had a small budget of US$33 million.

Why did Elf use Gimbels?

Instead, Buddy winds up working at Gimbels, a once popular competitor of Macy's that closed back in the '80s. The popular Christmas movie came out in 2003. So why not Macy's? "Macy's was willing to let us shoot there, use their Santaland, even incorporate us into the parade," director Jon Favreau told Rolling Stone.