Elf was nearly axed mid-production over lawsuit concerns, producers reveal

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As revealed in the Netflix documentary series The Holiday Movies That Made Us, lawyers became concerned that the film was too similar to a 1964 US TV special titled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Lawyers with you on the set, lawyers with you in the art department.” Awkwardly, Elf director Jon Favreau had been directly inspired by the special, which told the traditional Rudolph story using stop-motion animation. The producer came to me and said ‘The film might not be releasable.’” In interviews, Favreau has explained that he deliberately wanted to make a “pastiche” of the Rudolph special, and the animated films made by Rankin/Bass. “Thankfully we had some pretty smart people that could figure it out.” Elf, which turned Ferrell into one of the biggest comedy stars of the 2000s, also features actors Zooey Deschanel, James Caan and Peter Dinklage.