2001 was a seismic year for cinema. It was the year fantasy took over the world, launching two of the biggest franchises in history within a month of each other. It was the year animation proved it could be both cynical and heartwarming. It was the year Denzel went bad, Reese went blonde, and Vin Diesel drove fast.

As we approach 2026, these films are hitting the quarter-century mark. While you may have watched them dozens of times, the stories behind their creation are often just as entertaining as the movies themselves. From rot-smelling sets to stars who almost missed the boat, here are 10 facts you probably didn’t know about the movies turning 25 in 2026.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fact: Sean Bean was so afraid of flying he hiked up the mountains in full costume.

Filming The Fellowship of the Ring in the remote peaks of New Zealand required the cast to take daily helicopter rides to the set. However, Sean Bean (Boromir) was terrified of flying. He refused to get in the chopper. Instead, he would wake up hours before the rest of the cast, put on his full Boromir armor and shield, and hike up the mountain on foot. The rest of the Fellowship would often see him from their helicopter as they flew past, a tiny armored figure trudging up the slopes to save Middle-earth.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The Fact: The Great Hall feasts smelled absolutely terrible.

The grand feasts in the Great Hall were one of the first things to capture the magic of Hogwarts. Director Chris Columbus insisted on using real food to make the scenes look authentic. Roast beef, hams, and vegetables were piled high on the tables. The problem? The hot studio lights. The food would sit out for days during filming, eventually spoiling and emitting a rancid odor. The cast had to pretend to enjoy the meal while trying not to gag on the smell of rotting meat wafting from the plates.

3. Shrek

The Fact: Chris Farley was the original voice of Shrek.

Before Mike Myers gave Shrek his signature Scottish brogue, Saturday Night Live legend Chris Farley was cast as the lovable ogre. Farley had actually recorded nearly 90% of the film’s dialogue before his tragic death in 1997. His version of Shrek was reportedly more humble and innocent, lacking the cynicism Myers later brought to the role. After Farley’s passing, Myers came on board and asked to re-record the entire film with a Scottish accent, a decision that cost DreamWorks millions in re-animation but ultimately created the character we know today.

4. Monsters, Inc.

The Fact: The audio for Boo was recorded by following a toddler around with a microphone.

Boo wasn’t played by a professional child actor reciting lines in a booth. She was voiced by Mary Gibbs, the young daughter of a Pixar story artist. Because she was only a toddler, she couldn’t sit still or read a script. Instead, the crew simply followed her around the studio with a microphone while she played, tickled her to get giggles, and handed her toys to get reactions. The editors then cut these natural noises together to form Boo’s “dialogue,” giving the character her incredibly authentic charm.

5. Ocean’s Eleven

The Fact: Brad Pitt is eating in almost every scene because he decided his character was too busy to stop.

If you pay attention to Brad Pitt’s character, Rusty Ryan, you’ll notice he is constantly snacking on shrimp, burgers, or fruit. This wasn’t in the script. Pitt reasoned that since the “Ocean’s 11” team was under such a tight deadline to pull off the heist, Rusty wouldn’t have time to sit down for a proper meal. He would have to eat on the go. The actor committed so fully to the bit that during the scene where Rusty waits for Tess (Julia Roberts), Pitt reportedly ate 40 shrimp cocktails over the course of multiple takes.

6. The Fast and the Furious

The Fact: The role of Dom Toretto was originally offered to Timothy Olyphant.

It is impossible to imagine Fast & Furious without Vin Diesel, but the studio originally wanted Timothy Olyphant (star of Justified and The Mandalorian) for the role of Dominic Toretto. Olyphant turned it down, thinking the movie—described then as “Point Break with cars”—would be a box office flop. His rejection opened the door for Diesel, who took the character and built a multi-billion dollar empire around the concept of “family.”

7. Legally Blonde

The Fact: The ending was completely reshot because audiences hated the romance.

Originally, Legally Blonde ended right after the courthouse victory. Elle Woods would share a kiss with Emmett (Luke Wilson) on the steps, and the movie would cut to a future where she started a “Blonde Legal Defense Fund.” Test audiences disliked it; they felt the story was about Elle’s personal achievement, not her finding a boyfriend. The writers scrambled to write the graduation speech ending we know today. By the time they filmed the new ending, Reese Witherspoon was shooting another movie and had cut her hair, which is why she is wearing a slightly unnatural-looking wig in the graduation scene.

8. Training Day

The Fact: “King Kong ain’t got sh*t on me!” was improvised.

Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning performance as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris is filled with intensity, but his most famous line wasn’t in the script. In the climactic scene where Alonzo faces down the neighborhood, Washington got caught up in the moment and improvised the rant, screaming, “King Kong ain’t got sh*t on me!” Director Antoine Fuqua loved the raw energy of the moment and kept it in the final cut, cementing it as one of the most quotable lines in cinema history.

9. Spirited Away

The Fact: The “Stink Spirit” scene was based on Hayao Miyazaki’s real life.

One of the most memorable scenes in Spirited Away involves Chihiro cleaning a “Stink Spirit,” only to discover it is actually a River Spirit polluted with trash, including a bicycle. This was based on a real experience by director Hayao Miyazaki. He once participated in a community river cleanup near his home and personally helped pull a bicycle out of the muck. He used that visceral memory to create a scene that commented on environmental pollution without being preachy.

10. Moulin Rouge!

The Fact: Satine’s necklace was the most expensive piece of jewelry ever made for a film.

Director Baz Luhrmann didn’t want a fake prop for the pivotal scene where the Duke gifts Satine (Nicole Kidman) a diamond necklace. He commissioned a real one. Designed by Stefano Canturi, the necklace contained 1,308 diamonds and weighed 134 carats. At the time, it was valued at approximately $1 million (some estimates say up to $3 million), making it the most expensive piece of jewelry created specifically for a movie. It was so valuable that a “stunt double” necklace made of crystal had to be used for scenes where it might be damaged.

Further Reading

• The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy by Brian Sibley
• Harry Potter: Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe
• Shrek: From the Swamp to the Screen by John Hopkins
• Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film by Peter Biskind
• Easy Riders, Raging Bulls (For context on the era leading up to the 2000s) by Peter Biskind

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