Ten years ago, Napoleon Dynamite premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, sparking a bidding war that ultimately left the film in the hands of Paramount Pictures and Fox Searchlight, in association with MTV Films. Critical reception was mixed on the blatantly quirky film, directed by Jared Hess, about a weirdo who tries to win the class presidency. But once it hit theaters, the film lit up.
Fast-forward a decade and the film has become one of the most quoted and recognizable comedies of the new millennium. Not to mention, every other person in your high school class had a Vote for Pedro pin from Hot Topic.
Yet, to fully appreciate the unexpected hit, we must get familiar with its humble beginnings. Here are 15 things you didn't know about Napoleon Dynamite.
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Jon Heder was paid $1,000 to play the title role.
Napoleon Dynamite was a pseudonym used by Elvis Costello for his 1986 album, Blood and Chocolate.
Tina, Napoleon's pet llama, actually belongs to director and co-writer Jared Hess's mother.
Besides the unicorn, all of the drawings in the movie were done by Jon Heder.
The picture of Napoleon's girlfriend is the same one that Seinfeld's George Costanza used when he pretended to have a dead fiancé in order to pick up women.
Tina Majorino, who plays Deb, helped choreograph Napoleon's famous dance scene. Some of the moves drew inspiration from N*SYNC and Michael Jackson.
In real life, both Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez (Pedro) have an identical twin.
The Liger is a real animal.
The farmer shooting a cow in front of a bus full of children is an actual account from the director's childhood.
Aaron Ruell, who plays Kip, had braces put on his teeth just for the role.
Preston High School, the film's setting, started a Happy Hands Club after the movie was released.
Jon Heder assisted in making the Boondoggle keychains in between takes.
By the end of the film, Napoleon's "Moon Boots" were starting to fall apart and had to be held together using duct tape.
Jack Black was up for the role of Rex of Rex Kwon Do.
Napoleon Dynamite took only $400,000 to produce. In the end, it grossed $45 million worldwide.
