When Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf yells, “Santa! I know him!” in Elf, he’s standing in Vancouver, British Columbia. The famous “Central Park” scenes? Shot in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, Canada. The only real New York bits were the Gimbels storefront (which is actually a Macy’s in Herald Square) and the Rockefeller Center ice rink.
Here’s the kicker: the fake snow in Elf was made from crushed ice and shredded paper. By the time Buddy eats a whole spaghetti dinner of it, the crew was basically sweeping up wet confetti. You’re welcome for that mental image.
The Christmas Prince: Netflix’s Royal Real Estate
Those “fictional European kingdoms” in Netflix’s The Christmas Prince series? Filmed in Romania. The palace is actually the Peleș Castle in Sinaia—a real royal residence built in 1914. The locals call it “the one Netflix ruined” because of the crowds now.
But the castle’s grand ballroom where the queen gives her speech? That’s a movie set inside a converted warehouse in Bucharest. The “historic” fireplace is painted Styrofoam, and the “marble” floor is vinyl. Yet somehow it still made me believe in a handsome, brooding prince. That’s the power of a good rug.
