49 Fun Facts About Napoleon Dynamite

In which state is Napoleon Dynamite set and filmed?

The film is set and shot in Preston, Idaho, the director's hometown near the Utah border; locals fed and housed the crew during the 2003 shoot.

Who directed Napoleon Dynamite?

Jared Hess directed it as his first feature, co-writing the script with his wife Jerusha Hess; the couple later made Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos.

Napoleon Dynamite was made on roughly what budget?

About $400,000 covered the whole shoot: the director cast his film-school friends, people in town housed and fed the crew, and the film went on to earn more than 100 times what it cost.

Which slogan is on the T-shirt Napoleon Dynamite wears for his dance at the school assembly?

'Vote for Pedro' is on the T-shirt Napoleon wears for his surprise routine; the film earned more than 100 times its budget, and the slogan spread across T-shirts and other merchandise.

Which student short film by the same director grew into Napoleon Dynamite?

Peluca was a nine-minute class assignment shot in black and white, with Jon Heder as a nerd named Seth; the character, his friend Pedro and several scenes were carried straight into the feature.

Jon Heder and Napoleon Dynamite's director met as film students at which university?

Brigham Young University's film school brought together the director, his future wife and co-writer, and Jon Heder; he later filled the cast with classmates instead of known actors.

How much was Jon Heder originally paid for playing Napoleon?

Jon Heder was paid $1,000 to star; once the film became a runaway hit, he went back and negotiated for more.

Which studio bought Napoleon Dynamite at its January 2004 festival premiere?

Fox Searchlight bought the film at the festival, where it screened with no opening titles; the food-plate credits were shot afterwards, and the studio paid for the extra scene that follows the end credits.

Who plays Pedro, Napoleon's friend and candidate for class president, in Napoleon Dynamite?

Efren Ramirez plays Pedro Sánchez, a role he reprised in voice when the film became an animated series in 2012; off screen he has an identical twin brother, Carlos.

Kip's internet girlfriend LaFawnduh travels from which city?

LaFawnduh comes from Detroit, Michigan; she gives her boyfriend an urban makeover and Napoleon a mixtape, and the two of them leave town together on a bus.

Pedro is a transfer student from which city?

Pedro Sánchez has just transferred from Juárez, Mexico; he runs for class president and, complaining that his head got too hot, shaves it himself.

How does Grandma Carlinda injure herself?

A quad bike accident at the sand dunes breaks her tailbone, which is why Uncle Rico turns up to look after Napoleon and his brother while she recovers.

What does Uncle Rico drive in Napoleon Dynamite?

An orange camper van, a 1975 Dodge Tradesman, is Uncle Rico's home; he arrives in it to look after Napoleon and Kip while their grandmother recovers.

Which song does Napoleon dance to at the school assembly?

'Canned Heat' by Jamiroquai plays as Napoleon improvises his routine; the crew was down to its last roll of film, so Jon Heder danced it three times and the final cut blends the takes.

Summer Wheatly performs her election skit to which song?

'Larger than Life' by Backstreet Boys backs Summer's polished skit with the Happy Hands Club; Pedro never knew a skit was required and has nothing prepared, which is what pushes Napoleon on stage.

What does Napoleon draw for Trisha to ask her to the dance?

A portrait of her: Napoleon tells Trisha the shading on her upper lip took him about three hours; Jon Heder drew the film's sketches himself, and says hers really took about thirty minutes.

Napoleon tastes milk samples for defects at which competition?

A Future Farmers of America contest has Napoleon tasting milk for defects, one of which 'tastes like the cow got into an onion patch'; he and Pedro win medals, which does nothing for their popularity.

What is the name of the instructional videotape Napoleon buys?

D-Qwon's Dance Grooves is the tape Napoleon finds in a thrift store; LaFawnduh notices he is learning to dance and hands him the mixtape he later uses on stage.

Which musician had used the name 'Napoleon Dynamite' as a pseudonym years before the film?

Elvis Costello credited himself as Napoleon Dynamite on his 1986 album Blood & Chocolate; the director says he never knew, and took the name from a man he met on the street while serving as a missionary in Illinois.

Which comedy veteran shot all his scenes as martial arts instructor Rex in a single day?

Diedrich Bader, of The Drew Carey Show and Office Space, plays Rex; he took the one-day job against his agency's advice because the script was one of the two best he had ever read.

Who suggested Napoleon Dynamite's opening titles, with credits written on plates of food and a ChapStick tube?

Aaron Ruell, who plays Napoleon's brother, suggested and designed the sequence; it was shot in the cinematographer's basement months after the film was finished, because test audiences could not tell when the story was set.

At MTV's 2005 film awards, Napoleon Dynamite beat Spider-Man 2 and The Incredibles to win which prize?

Best Movie went to the low-budget comedy over Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, Kill Bill: Volume 2 and Ray; Jon Heder also won Breakthrough Male, and his assembly dance took the musical award.

Which playground game does Napoleon Dynamite play alone, until Deb joins him in the final scene?

Tetherball is Napoleon's solitary school-day pastime; when Deb walks up and joins his game at the end, it shows that the two have made up.

Napoleon Dynamite's big assembly routine was written because the filmmakers knew what about Jon Heder?

He liked to dance, as the director's wife had noticed, so the couple wrote the routine for him; no choreographer was hired, and he was simply told to figure it out.

What does Napoleon ride to arrive late at Kip's wedding?

Napoleon turns up late on a wild stallion he has tamed as a wedding present, and the newlyweds ride off on it in the post-credits scene.

Who plays Deb, the shy girl who sells glamour shots door-to-door, in Napoleon Dynamite?

Tina Majorino, a former child actress from Waterworld and Corrina, Corrina, plays Deb; the role restarted her career and led to Veronica Mars and Big Love.

Who plays Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite?

Jon Gries plays Uncle Rico and returned to voice him in the animated series; he had been Lazlo Hollyfeld in Real Genius and later played Roger Linus on Lost.

Napoleon describes which animal as 'pretty much my favorite animal ... bred for its skills in magic'?

A liger, 'like a lion and a tiger mixed', is what Napoleon is sketching when Deb asks; the animal is real, and the idea came from a news story about ligers that had escaped.

Which bully demands 'Give me some of your tots'?

Napoleon had stashed the tater tots in his cargo pocket; Randy kicks them.

Which three talents does Napoleon insist girls want in a boyfriend?

Nunchuck, bow-hunting and computer-hacking skills are what Napoleon says he lacks when Pedro asks whether he has invited anyone to the dance: 'Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.'

What does Uncle Rico bet he can throw over 'them mountains'?

A football: Uncle Rico bets he can throw one over the mountains, and insists that if Coach had put him in during the fourth quarter back in 1982, his team would have been state champions.

What is Kip training to become?

A cage fighter, or so he says: 'we both know I'm training to become a cage fighter'; Napoleon replies that Kip has the worst reflexes of all time.

Tina, whom Napoleon calls a 'fat lard' at dinnertime, is what kind of animal?

A llama: Tina is the family pet Napoleon is sent out to feed, and she was played by Dolly, a llama belonging to the director's mother, who appeared free of charge.

What does Napoleon claim to have caught Deb?

A delicious bass is his peace offering: 'I caught you a delicious bass' is the last thing Napoleon says to Deb before asking 'You wanna play me?', and the credits roll as she nods.

What does Napoleon ask about the chickens at the farm job?

Whether they have large talons is all Napoleon wants to know before a day of moving 8,000 hens; the farmer cannot understand the question, and pays him six dollars in loose change.

What does Kip call out from inside the house during Deb's doorstep sales pitch?

'Your mom goes to college!' is Kip's heckle from the background when Deb says she is trying to earn money for college; she shoves her case of crafts into Napoleon's hands and runs off.

What does Deb try to sell door-to-door alongside glamour shots?

Boondoggle keychains are 'a must-have for this season's fashion', says Deb; Napoleon scoffs that he made 'like, infinity of those at Scout camp', then asks to keep one when he returns her case.

Napoleon Dynamite claims he spent last summer in Alaska with his uncle hunting which animals?

Wolverines, 'like 50 of 'em', is Napoleon's boast when Don asks about his summer; they kept trying to attack his cousins, he says, and the 2012 animated series kept the tall tale alive.

What does Uncle Rico buy online that gives Napoleon a painful shock when he tries it?

A time machine, bought online by Uncle Rico, who longs to get back to 1982; the idea came from real life, as a cast member's brother had bought one on the internet for $800.

Which fast-food chain reunited Napoleon and Pedro for a 2016 Cheesy Tots commercial?

Burger King brought the two friends back in 2016, twelve years after the film, to sell its Cheesy Tots, a nod to the tater tots Napoleon stashes in his trouser pocket at school.

Which actress plays Summer Wheatly, Pedro's rival for class president, in Napoleon Dynamite?

Haylie Duff, older sister of Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff, plays Summer Wheatly; the part won her a Teen Choice Award as the year's female breakout star.

In which 2007 comedy did Jon Heder star opposite Will Ferrell?

Blades of Glory pairs Jon Heder's sheltered Jimmy MacElroy with Will Ferrell's Chazz Michael Michaels: rival figure skaters banned from singles who use a loophole to compete again as a pair.

Which Bette Midler ballad do students perform in sign language early in Napoleon Dynamite?

'The Rose' is signed by the Happy Hands Club to a version sung not by Bette Midler but by session vocalist Darci Monet; the club echoes the director's schooldays, when sign language was the only club with room.

At which film festival did Napoleon Dynamite premiere in January 2004?

Sundance hosted the premiere before the film even had opening titles, and a studio bought it there; twenty years later the festival screened a new 4K restoration.

Who does Trisha ditch Napoleon for at the school dance?

Trisha only came because her mother made her accept; at the dance she slips away to join Summer and her boyfriend Don, and Napoleon is left alone until Pedro lets him dance with Deb.

In Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro is reprimanded by the principal for making what in Summer Wheatly's likeness?

A piñata of Summer, made for classmates to smash, gets Pedro a lecture from the principal about pride and an order to take down all his campaign flyers.

Which retro footwear does Napoleon Dynamite wear throughout the film?

Moon Boots, padded snow boots first made in Italy in the early 1970s, are part of the film's deliberately dated look, which also gives Deb a side ponytail; the film brought the boots fresh attention.

In Napoleon Dynamite, what does Grandma tell a hungry Napoleon to make himself?

A quesadilla: 'Make yourself a dang quesadilla!' is Grandma's parting shot as she heads off overnight to visit friends, the outing that ends with her in hospital.

After Pedro shaves his head in Napoleon Dynamite, what does Deb give him to wear to school?

A wig from Deb covers Pedro's shaved head for the rest of his campaign; he had shaved it himself at home because his head felt too hot.