In 1987, Spaceballs, the famed parody of Star Wars, was released. Since then, this movie has been a fan favorite, appreciated by multiple generations, and often referred to as a “cult classic.” The film has many parallels to Star Wars that capture our attention, including the characters, plot, and themes. Yet, Spaceballs also contains many hidden details that you may have missed even if you’re a fan. Here are ten facts you probably missed.
Table of Contents
- 1. Lucas Gave Approval for the Movie But Not Toys
- 2. Lucas Provided Special Effects
- 3. The Landspeeder Scene Used a Mirror
- 4. The Pizza the Hutt Suit Weighed 25 lbs and Burned the Actor
- 5. Spaceballs Was Adapted into a Novel
- 6. Spaceball One Was Based on a Japanese Battleship
- 7. Rick Moranis and Bill Pullman Set to Return for Spaceballs II
- 8. Millennium Falcon Easter Egg
- 9. John Candy Didn’t Like His Costume
- 10. Space Invaders on Eagle 5
1. Lucas Gave Approval for the Movie But Not Toys
As this Reddit discussion indicates, George Lucas gave his approval to Mel Brooks to film Spaceballs as long as Brooks didn’t make any action figures. Lucas didn’t want any Spaceballs toys getting confused for the real Star Wars ones.
Lucas also wanted to keep that revenue stream coming to him and not be diverted to someone else. As this article recaps, Lucas had negotiated for full control over the merchandising rights with A New Hope, which turned out to be quite a fortuitous move.
As Mel Brooks’ character Yogurt states, “Merchandising is where the real money from the movie is made.” Yet, the real world never got to see any Lone Starr or Dark Helmet action figures.
2. Lucas Provided Special Effects
In addition to endorsing the movie, Lucas also provided his special effects company, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), for space scenes and other post-production work on Spaceballs. As one fan indicates, the timing of Spaceballs probably helped Lucas make this move since it came out during “a lull in Star Wars, four years after Return of the Jedi.”
As another discussion board points out, ILM even did “the dancing Alien chestburster near the end of the film.” The effects in this movie were often meant to make people laugh.
3. The Landspeeder Scene Used a Mirror
In Spaceballs, a mirror was used in the landspeeder scene discussed here to make it look like the craft floated above the ground. That’s an effect that fans may not have noticed and a small detail that may merit a rewatch along with how Lone Starr appears like Indiana Jones.
Similarly, A New Hope first employed this technique for Luke’s speeder. This video helps us appreciate how important this effect was to create the illusion of flying before CGI. Spaceballs purposely mimicked Star Wars with its landspeeder.
4. The Pizza the Hutt Suit Weighed 25 lbs and Burned the Actor
Another discussion about Spaceballs indicates how the Pizza the Hutt Suit weighed about 25 lbs and was composed of “a fiberglass undershell, a foam latex skin, steam jets, hoses, pancake batter, and pizza toppings.” Not only was this suit uncomfortable, but it also burned the actor inside it.
As this list of facts about the movie reveals, the “hot artificial melted cheese” used for the costume led to actor Richard Karen getting “second and third degree burns”. Karen also quit when Mel Brooks wanted to reshoot scenes with him in it.
5. Spaceballs Was Adapted into a Novel
The above list also captures how the Spaceballs movie was adapted into a Young Adult novel. R. L. Stine had just written the novel for the first Ghostbuster movie under the pen name Jovial Bob Stine. He did the same for Mel Brooks, toning down some of the “heavier language and innuendos.”
In the 1986 novel, other details are different. Dark Helmet did not have a cup of coffee and Barf’s half-ancestry is noted as a golden retriever. As for Stine, he later wrote the Goosebumps books.
6. Spaceball One Was Based on a Japanese Battleship
The Spaceball One ship created for the movie was made by Apogee Inc., which had split from ILM. The design this company came up with was inspired by the Japanese battleship, Yamato. This real-life ship was “the most heavily armed ship ever built.”
We can find more information about the Yamato here and how it was “the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy” before being sunk in 1945. This site could add how it lived on in Mel Brooks’ famed movie.
7. Rick Moranis and Bill Pullman Set to Return for Spaceballs II
Among the latest news, we learn that Rick Moranis will be returning for Spaceballs II scheduled for 2027. Moranis will, of course, be Dark Helmet, while Bill Pullman will play Lone Star. We can also expect to see Mel Brooks as Yogurt. Only fans keeping up with the recent entertainment headlines would have known this fact.
This news comes after previous discussions about a sequel going back to the 1990s did not go anywhere. Rick Moranis, as this video conveys (at #19), wanted to call this movie Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II. He may have been joking. After the release of The Force Awakens, Brooks also suggested a sequel called Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money.
8. Millennium Falcon Easter Egg
This video (at #3) captures a detail you may have missed when watching Spaceballs – the Millennium Falcon was parked near Gus’s Galaxy Grill. Not only does it provide a nice reference to Star Wars, but this inclusion could mean that both movies exist in the same universe. Not really.
9. John Candy Didn’t Like His Costume
As Barf, actor John Candy didn’t like his costume. Not primarily because it was uncomfortable, but more because Barf’s “ears and tail were both remote-controlled,” and that took away from Candy’s ability to improvise the way he was accustomed to.
Bill Pullman indicated, though, that despite these restrictions, Candy was “a consummate professional” throughout filming even while being frustrated about the loss of control over Barf’s tail and ears.
10. Space Invaders on Eagle 5
Some lists about Spaceballs and discussions like this one have reminded us that there was a Space Invaders pinball machine on the Winnebago ship Eagle 5. It’s easy to miss when watching the movie, and it’s not listed with the Eagle 5’s special features, such as a periscope and secret hyperjets.
Bally made this pinball version of the 1978 video game in 1980. Their video game division, Midway, acquired a license to capitalize on the success of Space Invaders in a similar way that Spaceballs jumped on the back of Star Wars to become a cult classic.