FILM · 2011
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
20 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (20)
- #001
One of the lies Adrian tells Mary is that Kumar works at the White House. Kal Penn, who plays Kumar, actually was working at the White House at the time and had taken leave from the job to make this film.
- #002
The film uses a flashback for the benefit of viewers who saw the previous film, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), but did not stay through the end of the credits. Those viewers may not know how Neil Patrick Harris's character could appear in this third film, since he was shot several times in the previous movie. In the post-credits scene of H&KEFGB, "NPH" picked himself up off the ground some time after being shot and seemed merely annoyed rather than fatally wounded. This film offers a humorous metaphysical explanation for his survival.
- #003
David Burtka, who plays "David Burtka," is Neil Patrick Harris's husband in real life. Just as the character played by Neil Patrick Harris is credited separately from himself, Burtka is listed in the credits as "David Burtka" rather than "himself." The two met on the set of the television comedy How I Met Your Mother (2005), which Harris was working on at the time.
- #004
Thomas Lennon and Amir Blumenfeld improvised most of their lines.
- #005
Todd Strauss-Schulson suggested casting Danny Trejo after creating a Photoshopped picture of him wearing a Christmas sweater.
- #006
Todd Strauss-Schulson said that shooting scenes with the Wafflebot propeller was the most difficult and time-consuming part.
- #007
LAIKA provided the stop-motion "hallucination" scene.
- #008
At one point in the film, Kumar gets into an argument with someone over whether The Karate Kid (2010), the 2010 remake, is better than The Karate Kid (1984). The film's co-writers, Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, would go on to write and direct the Karate Kid spin-off series Cobra Kai (2018).
- #009
The hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan is mentioned throughout the film. At the start of the film, Kumar tells Santa that he wants to get back together. Later, after flying the van, Kumar sings a Wu-Tang Clan song to Todd's daughter to try to calm her down. Lamar, one of the two Christmas tree sellers, is played by RZA, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
- #010
Unlike Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), the title characters briefly eat at a White Castle restaurant together with Rosenberg and Goldstein.
- #011
Wafflebot is based on a waffle-making robot character from an unproduced college comedy script written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg in 2000.
- #012
This film was initially planned to be directed by the series' creators, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, but three months before production they were approached to reboot American Pie (1999). They stayed on this film as writers and co-producers while writing and directing American Reunion (2012).
- #013
More than 400 special effects were used, mostly 3D and CG effects.
- #014
"Weedy" appears briefly during the claymation sequence.
- #015
According to Kal Penn, many members of the crew worked in Detroit's automobile industry.
- #016
Ryan Reynolds turned down the role of the mall Santa.
- #017
Part of the comedic drama stems from the fact that the mob boss's daughter, Mary, is a virgin, which ties into the film's Christmas theme.
- #018
Ed Helms and Jonah Hill were considered for the role of Mall Santa.
- #019
It is the second Warner Bros. Christmas film to be released in 3D since The Polar Express.
- #020
Rob Corddry, Rob Riggle, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Bryan Callen, Billy Bob Thornton, Ethan Embry, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Bryan Cranston, David Krumholtz and David Cross were considered for the role of Mall Santa.
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