Tis definitely the season for gorging on after eights and watching your favourite Christmas movies. We’ve been asking around the office for everybody’s favourites and each day this week we are going to reveal...
THE TODAY FM TOP 5 CHRISTMAS FILLUMS!
5. Elf
In recent times, It appeared that the golden era of Christmas movies had undone its belt buckle and fallen asleep on the sofa.
Then in 2003 we got the injection of Christmas spirit we needed by way of a 6” 2 Elf called Buddy.
His love of quite literally everything Christmas in a world so lacking in ti shoots the big kid into our top 5. Here are some behind the scenes facts for you to bore your family with if/when you watch it.
JIM CARREY WAS INITIALLY EYED FOR BUDDY THE ELF.
When David Berenbaum's spec script first emerged in 1993, Carrey was pre-Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and attached to front the Christmas film. However, it took another ten years to get the project in motion, at which time Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell was signed to star. Carrey would go on to headline his own Christmas offerings—the live-action How The Grinch Stole Christmas and the CGI animated A Christmas Carol.
BABY BUDDY WAS FIRED.
To play the bubbly baby version of the titular elf, Favreau had initially cast twin boys whose blonde curly hair made them great little doubles for the mop-topped Will Ferrell. However, the production ran into a problem when the boys couldn't perform. Instead of smiling and crawling as needed, they cried relentlessly. To replace them, brunette triplet girls were brought in, who were far perkier and more playful, and thereby ready for their close-ups.
THAT EPIC BURP WAS REAL, BUT OVERDUBBED.
Though uncredited, that lengthy belch came not from Ferrell, but from noted voice actor Maurice LaMarche, who might be best known for Brain of Pinky and the Brain. LaMarche shared his secret to such an impressive burp with the AV Club, saying, "I’ve always been able to do this weird effect, where I turn my tongue, not inside out, but almost. I create a huge echo chamber with my tongue and my cheeks, and by doing a deep, almost Tuvan rasp in my throat, and bouncing it around off this echo chamber, I create something that sounds very much like a sustained deep burp."
ELF HAS BECOME A HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL.
From November 2010 to January 2011, Elf the musical ran on Broadway, boasting songs like "World's Greatest Dad," "Nobody Cares About Santa," and "The Story of Buddy The Elf." This run was a huge success, taking in more than $1.4 million in one week, a record for the Al Hirschfield Theater where it debuted. Plus, The New York Times called it, "A splashy, peppy, sugar-sprinkled holiday entertainment." A revival hit in time for Christmas 2012, and national tours have been recurring.
FERRELL REFUSES TO MAKE ELF 2.
Though the comedian reprised the role of Ron Burgundy for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and is expected to return as Mugatu in Zoolander 2, he flat out rejected the possibility of bringing back Buddy, even after being offered a reported $29 million. In December of 2013, he told USA TODAY, "I just think it would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back in the elf tights: Buddy the middle-aged elf."
Yes best to leave it Will...it will never ever be as good!
