11. Determined to maintain the old school aesthetic, Favreau told Rolling Stone he didn’t want to make the film “a big CGI extravaganza,” only using the technology to add some snow. 

“I like motion-control, models, matte paintings,” he explained. “It feels timeless. And stop-motion is my favorite. There were a lot of challenges to do that stuff in stop-motion. I had to fight very hard not to do that stuff in CGI.”

12. While Ferrell does have several inches on 5-foot-8 Bob Newhart (a.k.a. Papa Elf), Favreau revealed they used “forced perspective” to make it appear as if the SNL alum was towering over everyone else at the North Pole. 

Building two sets, one larger than the other, meant “if you look closely, you can see the two sets meet because we didn’t use CG to paint over that or blur it,” Favreau explained. “I wanted it to have the same flaws that it would have had [before CGI], to make the movie feel more timeless. It made for great souvenirs. I have a Louisville Slugger that’s four and a half feet long in my office, that the elves were building.”