Gimbels, the store where Buddy meets his love interest, Jovie (played by Zooey Deschanel) used to be a real department store in Manhattan's Herald Square. The store opened in 1910, becoming a competitor to the nearby Macy's flagship store (which opened in 1902), according to the Chicago Tribune.

Why did they use Gimbels in Elf?

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 was Gimbels in Elf?

Although the store had been closed for sixteen years, the New York City Gimbels was portrayed as the workplace of some of the main characters in the 2003 film Elf, but exterior shots were filmed at the Textile Building at 295 Fifth Avenue with visual effects added later, while interior shots were filmed in the 34th ...

Is Gimbels a real place Elf?

Gimbels was a real department store chain – at one point the largest in the USA – until its stores closed in 1987. The New York branch was near to Herald Square, a block now occupied by the Manhattan Mall, 33rd Street at Avenue of the Americas.

What is the Christmas Store in Elf?

Buddy the elf could have fought a fake Santa Claus inside a Macy's in the movie Elf, but didn't. 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.

Elf (2003) Gimbles

37 related questions found

What did Buddy spell using Lite Brite?

What did Buddy spell using Light Brights? “Welcome Santa” 16.

Can James Caan play piano?

In the movie's final moments, that really is James Caan playing Auld Lang Syne on the piano. He's multi-skilled. When Santa shows Michael his 'good list', it's made up of the names of crew-members on the movie, and what they wanted for Christmas.

Was Elf filmed in a mental hospital?

It turns out that many of the film's New York interiors were actually shot in a closed down mental institution. ... "We had to repurpose this draconian mental institution. It worked great for the police station, but it is one of the creepiest places I've ever been in my life."

What parts of ELF were filmed in Vancouver?

British Columbia, Canada

Several of the film's interior scenes were filmed in sound stages in Vancouver. For certain interior scenes, an abandoned mental hospital, Riverview Hospital was used.

Where is the movie Elf filmed?

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.

Is there a shower in Gimbels?

And that's exactly what Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell did in the beloved 2003 film Elf. ... In the scene, Deschanel's character Jovie, who works at the department store Gimbels, is seen taking a shower in the restroom after her apartment's water is shut off.

Where did they film the mailroom scene in Elf?

And we decided to set it in a building catty-corner to the Empire State Building,” he said. They added the signage and nutcrackers to that building for shooting and filmed the interior scenes of Gimbels inside a department store in Vancouver.

Was Home Alone 2 filmed at the Plaza?

Once in New York, the ever-resourceful Kevin somehow contrives to stay in luxury at the Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue at 59th Street. ... So although there are some scenes indisputably filmed in the Big Apple (including Central Park, the Wollman Skating Rink and the Rockefeller Center), there's quite a lot of Chicago too.

Are they going to make Elf 2?

Elf 2 is an upcoming 2026 American Christmas comedy film it is the sequel to the 2003 movie Elf. The film will star Will Ferrell as the main character, Buddy Hobbs. New characters will star as new elf workers comedians Jim Carrey and Kevin Hart will play as Buddy's long lost cousin. Elf 2 will be released in 2026.

How old is Buddy in Elf?

In ELF, Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human raised as one of Santa's elves who discovers at age 30 that he has a real father named Walter (James Caan) who lives in New York City and is on Santa's "naughty" list.

Where in Central Park was Elf filmed?

Bethesda Terrace, (Mid-Park at 72nd Street) Central Park, Manhattan.

How did they film the height difference in Elf?

Essentially, they put the elf, on a shelf. In order to make Ferrell appear taller than everyone else, he was standing on a platform, only from the waist up for most of the scenes shot in Santaland. A lot of people assumed that the film primarily used green screen and CGI effects, but that wasn't the case at all!

What bridge is Buddy on in Elf?

And not too far away, filmed at Pinebank Arch Bridge (Central Park at West 62nd Street) was the big snowball fight scene! After defeating the group of bullies, it's at this point in the film where Michael (Played by Daniel Tay) begins to see Buddy in a new light and starts to admire him!

Did they film Elf in the Empire State Building?

I've lived in New York City for over a year, and I've been to many of the spots where the movie "Elf" was filmed. Most of the locations shown in the 2003 film look the same today, like the Empire State Building and Central Park.

Where was home alone filmed?

However, even this time the filming locations in Illinois were used, as Winnetka and Evanston were two of Home Alone Filming Locations. Other places included The O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and, of course, New York City.

Why is James Caan so stiff?

Insiders revealed to MailOnline that James has recently undergone a back operation, which is the reason he is in a wheelchair. At 21 years old, Jacob is the youngest of James' four children.