Elf, which opened a strong #2 behind The Matrix: Revolutions, pays tribute to the popular holiday specials of Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town) by using stop-motion animation instead of computer generated effects, according to Animation Magazine.

When Will Ferrell converses with a stop-motion snowman, he was shot on a live-action plate on a slightly hilly terrain. The effects crew cut a foam miniature and composited the snowman’s movements to match Ferrell’s as he walked through the hills. So that the snowman could plough through the snow, [Effects supervisor Joe] Bauer devised a conveyer-belt system, placed a model snowman on it, and let the snow pile up around the base as it moved forward. This was captured as a separate element, as was the furrow left behind the snowman, and everything was composited together. EFX cinematographer Chris Warren tracked the snowman into the scene without the use of motion-tracking hardware or software.

Legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen visited the set and “got a kick out of seeing [them] shooting 35mm on a tabletop set, the way he used to do it.” Harryhausen provides the voice of one of the stop-motion characters. Check out the December issue of Animation Magazine for more details on the stop-motion animation of Elf. [paid subscription required for Animation Magazine]