Elf is probably one of the most popular Christmas films of all time.

With the holiday season in full swing, many will be bringing the classic 2003 film back to the big screen this week.

The blockbuster stars Hollywood actor Will Ferrell, 57, as Buddy Hobbs.

It follows his crazy life as a human raised by elves in the North Pole.

His alter ego decides to travel to New York City to feel “normal.” So he packs his bags and, dressed in his elf costume, sets off into the city to find his biological father.

Despite being a huge fan favorite, there are a few things some don’t know about the film.

Baby Buddy was fired!

Two blonde, curly-haired twins were originally intended to play little Buddy in the film.

However, in the end, the youngsters did not perform as well as the bosses expected from them as they were constantly crying on the set.

In the end, they decided to hire brunette triplets who are now the stars of the show!

The feud that led to there being no sequel to Eleven

Eleven premiered back in 2003.

It has since been made into a Broadway musical – Elf: The Musical and Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas.

The fact that there was no Elf 2 is therefore quite surprising considering how popular it was in the early 2000s.

In a chat with The Guardian, Will told them: “I’ve scrapped the idea of ​​a sequel.”

“$29 million seems like a lot of money for a man who wears tights, but the market will absorb it.”

Then James Caan, who plays Buddy’s father Walter Hobbs, gave another reason why.

The actor claimed Will and director Jon Favreau “didn’t get along.”

James told Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan’s Bull & Fox in 2020: “We wanted to do it and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I finally have a franchise movie, I could make some money and let my kids do it,’ to do whatever the hell they want.”

“The director and Will didn’t get along very well.”

“So Will wanted to do it, he didn’t want the director, and he had it in his contract, it was one of those things.”

Jim Carey was supposed to be Eleven

Elf was written by David Berenbaum and reportedly felt that 63-year-old comedian Jim was a perfect fit for the protagonist.

At this time, Jim starred in films such as In Living Color and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

David finished writing the script in 1993, but the film was released a whopping ten years later.

During this decade, Jim was busy with other things – including his huge blockbuster hit “Bruce Almighty,” which premiered the same year that “Elf” premiered.

Want a sugar rush… or not

Throughout the film, Buddy enjoys eating sugary treats.

He tells his new family about his four main food groups – candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup.

In one hilarious scene, while sitting down to eat, he pours maple syrup over his pasta and washes it down with a bottle of full-fat Coke.

But that took a toll on the actor.

In a chat with The Sun, Will said: “That was tough. “I ate a lot of sugar in this film and didn’t sleep much.

“I stayed awake all the time. But anything for the film, I’m here.

“If it takes eating a lot of maple syrup, I will do it – if the job requires it.”

Zooey Deschanel wasn’t the first choice

Award-winning actress Zooey, 44, has appeared in various TV shows and films over the years.

In 2003 she took on the role of Jovie in Elf.

However, she wasn’t supposed to be in the film.

In a chat with Variety, Zoeey said: “I went in as a replacement. The person they cast couldn’t do it.

“Many of the roles I got early in my career were me filling in for someone else who dropped out at the last minute.”