West Edmonton Mall stars in holiday comedy Christmas in Wonderland

Click here to watch the trailer.

With the release of the major motion picture Christmas in Wonderland, those who have heard about or seen this holiday comedy may be asking if such a place really exists. It does. Everything depicted on screen can be found at the real-life West Edmonton Mall (WEM), located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Christmas in Wonderland provided many Edmonton and area residents with the opportunity to be involved in a Hollywood-produced movie and West Edmonton Mall and the City of Edmonton with the opportunity to receive some incredible international exposure.

You can now own a copy of Christmas in Wonderland - a souvenir of your involvement in the movie and a spectacular showcase of all West Edmonton Mall has to offer. A limited number of DVDs have been released for sale for only $19.95. Be sure to get yours by ordering your copy or copies today call 780-444-5388.

WEM Treasures, West Edmonton Mall's souvenir store, will have copies of Christmas in Wonderland for sale beginning November 11, 2008. Every copy includes a West Edmonton Mall Choice Pass ($36.95 value) enabling you to experience the excitement at one of the Mall's world-famous attractions.

Live on location

West Edmonton Mall was thrilled to be chosen as the location for this production. During filming, the Mall hosted actors Patrick Swayze, Carmen Electra, Chris Kattan and Preston Lacy along with talented young actors Amy and Zoe Schlagel, Matthew Knight and Cameron Bright who all star in the fun, Christmas-themed comedy. The film is produced by Insight Film Studios out of Vancouver and the Academy Award-winning© Yari Film Group, whose movie Crash won the 2006 Oscar© for Best Picture. Christmas in Wonderland was written and directed by Canadian-born writer/director/producer James Orr, whose previous credits include the screenplay for Three Men and a Baby.

About the Film

It’s turning out to be a pretty rotten Christmas for the Saunders family. Having just moved to Edmonton from L.A., they have no friends, no money and, with the exception of the bright-eyed Mary, no Christmas spirit. To make matters worse, their mother is stuck in L.A., stranded by Yuletide overbookings. Therefore, the Christmas shopping duties fall on Dad and the gloomy kids who head to West Edmonton Mall. But when 12-year-old Brian and six-year-old Mary find a satchel of money in the mall, things start looking up... that is, until the crooks who counterfeited the money start hunting them down!

About West Edmonton Mall

The story of West Edmonton Mall is the story of how a handful of visionaries took an ordinary idea like a shopping centre and turned it into a world-class destination. The stores, attractions and services at WEM combine to form the most comprehensive retail and entertainment complex on Earth. As the prototype for mixed-use entertainment facilities, West Edmonton Mall remains the benchmark by which all other entertainment-oriented malls are judged.

As The Greatest Indoor Show on Earth, providing every guest with a unique shopping and entertainment experience is at the heart of what we do. WEM is home to more than 800 stores and services including nine amazing attractions, a world-class hotel, the widest variety of one-of-a-kind retailers, 100 dining venues to suit all tastes and entertainment for all ages. WEM is the size of a small city (5.3 million square feet), zoned as a shopping centre and accredited as a zoo. The average yearly visitation to the Mall is approximately 28.2 million, more than eight times the population of the Province of Alberta, making WEM the province’s number one tourist attraction.

On location

Filming took place throughout the entire 5.3 million square foot Mall, capturing the reason WEM is known as The Greatest Indoor Show on Earth. From March through May of 2007 various Mall locations were featured as cast and crew of more than 150 plus 6,000 extras filmed various scenes. The filming – with its host of lights, equipment, crew and famous cast members – created a show in itself, offering guests a unique and exciting opportunity to watch the making of a feature film.

Europa Boulevard

Europa Boulevard, one of West Edmonton Mall’s three theme streets, helps set the stage for the family’s first look at “Wonderland”. Mary, Brian, Danny and Dad (Amy and Zoe Schlagel, Matthew Knight, Cameron Bright and Patrick Swayze) stare in wonder at the amazing Mall they have arrived at. As they get to the end of Europa Boulevard, they overlook Deep Sea Adventure Lake and see the Santa Maria, a replica of Christopher Columbus’s ship, at which time oldest son Danny exclaims, “Look at that! They have an actual pirate ship in here!” Following an “adventurous” day at West Edmonton Mall, the family leaves via Europa Boulevard and heads home on Christmas Eve.

Santa’s Village (Travel Alberta SantaVille)

One of the key sets in the film was Santa’s Village, where Mary visits Santa to make her Christmas wish – for $1 million, as dad has lost his job and it’s going to be a tough Christmas. Guests visiting WEM this holiday season can experience the magic of Christmas in Wonderland when they visit Santa and have their picture taken with him right where Mary did at Travel Alberta SantaVille, the same set used during filming.

World Waterpark

World Waterpark, the world’s largest indoor wave pool and home to the world’s largest indoor permanent bungee tower, was the location for one of the movie’s most exciting scenes. As bad guys Leonard and Sheldon (Chris Kattan and Preston Lacy) race through the Mall on a motorbike trying to capture Brian and Mary who have picked up their bag full of cash, they lose control and smash through the second storey viewing window of World Waterpark, and land in the wave pool.

Ice Palace

The Ice Palace was not only the location where Brian and Mary discover the money Mary believes to be Santa answering her Christmas wish, it is also the place where actors Amy and Zoe Schlagel learned to skate. The twins, from Los Angeles, had never been on skates before and had a fun time skating around the Mall’s indoor rink with the amazing glass dome overhead.

Galaxyland

Filming also took place in Galaxyland, the world’s largest indoor amusement park. One of the first scenes filmed for the movie featured cast and crew setting up around Galaxy Kids Playpark, as hundreds of extras participated in their first scenes as Galaxyland guests. Galaxyland was also featured in a scene where Danny spots his dream girl, Shane. He introduces himself and they take off in search of Danny’s missing brother and sister, as well as Shane’s sister.

Sea Lions’ Rock

Sea Lions’ Rock is home to West Edmonton Mall’s three talented and crowd-loving California sea lions and, during filming, was also home to another of the movie’s exciting stunt sequences. As Ginger (Carmen Electra) chases Mary across the Mall roof, she is lured up on the glass dome where it breaks, sending Ginger 70 feet down into the sea lion pool below. The sea lions are also featured in a scene with Mary as she gets a kiss and gives them a message to pass along to Santa’s reindeer.

Sea Life Caverns

WEM’s underwater world is home to approximately 200 species of colourful fish, sharks, sting rays, reptiles and penguins. During filming, it also became home to Chris Kattan as he filmed scenes in which he gets to know some of our marine life up close and personal. Perhaps too close for his character Leonard, as he ends up swimming in the tank with WEM’s sharks.

Bourbon Street and general Mall areas

As Ginger sits by Bourbon Street, another of West Edmonton Mall’s three theme streets, Mary drops a water balloon on her head, setting another exciting chase scene in motion. The chase scenes were no small feat to film, as Brian races through the Mall on a motorbike, with Leonard and Sheldon in hot pursuit. In addition to crashing through the window of World Waterpark, they do a lot of damage as they race throughout the gigantic Mall including bursting through a kiosk, destroying everything in sight.

Past news and information

Tim Curry joins Christmas in Wonderland cast - May 28
Carmen Electra joins Christmas in Wonderland cast - May 17
Patrick Swayze joins Christmas in Wonderland cast - May 9
West Edmonton Mall to star in major Hollywood picture - March 7

West Edmonton Mall would like to extend a special thank you to the following for their help and support throughout production:
West Edmonton Mall tenants
Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC)
Edmonton Film Commission
Edmonton Tourism and its Destination Marketing Fund partners
Alberta Film
Travel Alberta
West End Hotel Consortium
Members of the public who volunteered their time as extras