A Gnome Named Gnorm

A Gnome Named Gnorm (1991)

A young Los Angeles police officer and a mysterious gnome become unlikely partners as they track a killer. When a sting operation goes awry, officer Casey is blamed for the murder of his colleague and Gnorm the gnome is the only witness.

Date of release
1991-05-18
TMDB
4.7 / 10 (47)
Runtime
1h 24m
Genres
Family, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure
Director
Stan Winston

Casting

Interesting facts

A Gnome Named Gnorm is a fantasy buddy comedy film directed by Stan Winston and written by Pen Densham and John Watson. Gnorm was the second and final feature film directed by Winston, an award-winning special effects artist who continued to work in special effects afterward.

Production

While working on The Monster Squad, Winston recalled that producer Peter Hyams mentioned a script then called Gnome. Hyams and Winston discussed how to create the "little gnome character," a special effects challenge that had been preventing the project from moving forward. Winston began concept work for the Gnorm character while on location during the filming of Leviathan.

The film was announced in 1988 as Upworld with Hall set to star. Winston had become famous for his makeup and special effects work on films such as Predator and Aliens, the latter earning him an Academy Award, but he had yet to debut as a director. (Reports of Upworld preceded the release of his first film Pumpkinhead.) The film was originally scheduled for Christmas 1989—a date which would shift several times in the next few years.

The filmmakers' goal was to create a "straightforward action movie," described as a combination of E.T. and 48 Hrs. The Gnorm character was designed as an elaborate puppet with intentionally inhuman proportions so that audiences would not think it was an actor in a suit, although child actors were still used for some shots. Winston wanted the Gnorm puppet to be as lifelike as possible.

Shooting lasted 46 days, starting in late 1988 and ending early 1989. The film's original ending, described as a "heart-rending" scene where Gnorm returns to the underworld, tested poorly with audiences. Winston re-shot an ending intended to be more upbeat and humorous.

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