(upbeat rock music)
- [Narrator] Welcome, trivia lovers.
Get ready for 21 facts about and inspired
by Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,
and, just for fun, we snuck in a lie.
Can you find it?
We'll reveal which fact is false at the end.
Give us a thumbs up if you love learning
and let's get started.
(air whooshing)
Eurovision Song Contest: the Story of Fire Saga
is Will Ferrell's homage to the real Eurovision,
an annual festival created in 1956 to unify Europe
after World War II.
(air whooshing)
Ferrell said he fell in love with Eurovision
when his wife's family in her home country
of Sweden introduced him
to the annual euro-musical spectacle.
"There is a level of camp unlike anything we have here
"in the US," Ferrell Said.
(air whooshing)
So far, Ireland is the country
with the most wins under its belt.
(air whooshing)
Inspired by a real-life Eurovision performance,
Lars descends from the ceiling In a giant hamster wheel,
a prop that weighed 8 tons,
which is heavier than a killer whale
or one extremely frightening giant hamster.
(air whooshing)
Iceland's history is associated with the Vikings,
known for their iconic horned helmets.
The horns on traditional Viking helmets
were actually made from deer antlers.
(air whooshing)
To realistically capture the huge scale of the event,
a small group of cast and crew were on hand to film stage
and crowd shots at the actual 2019 Eurovision contest
in Tel Aviv.
Two of the films main songs were shot on location
at the actual competition.
(air whooshing)
For one performance,
Ferrell and Rachel McAdams don angel wings.
Historically, the first known depiction of angel's
with wings was discovered on a sarcophagus in Turkey
from around 379 BC.
(air whooshing)
- I could do a camel.
- [Will] Do a classic camel.
It's never out of style.
- Yeah.
- [Narrator] Speaking of camels,
the desert animals have three sets of eyelids
and two rows of eyelashes to keep sand out of their eyes.
That's some serious blinking.
(air whooshing)
Eurovision has been described as the Olympics
meets American Idol and boasts TV audiences 180,000,000.
That's almost double the ratings
of that big American football event.
(air whooshing)
Director, David Dobkin, who also directed Wedding Crashers,
was blown away by the scale of Eurovision.
This was his first time working with a concert
that had more than 25,000 lights in a single space.
(air whooshing)
- I've big news!
We did it!.
- [Narrator] Some scenes were shot on location in Iceland.
One of the films original songs is called "Volcano Man",
which makes sense considering Iceland is home
to 130 volcanoes.
(air whooshing)
The film's "Volcano Man" track
features actual whale sound effects.
They can get in a lot of singing considering some whales
have a lifespan of 200 years.
(air whooshing)
Each year, the country that wins the entire Eurovision
contest gets to host the following year.
However, other countries will step in
if the winner doesn't have the cash
to actually host such a big event.
(air whooshing)
Throughout the film,
Ferrell and McAdams have 29 costume changes.
To date, the outfit color with the highest number
of Eurovision wins is all white costumes.
(air whooshing)
The film features 12 original songs.
(air whooshing)
- I don't think this track is the bish.
(rhythmic rock music)
- [Narrator] Production designer, Paul Inglis,
wanted to make the character's surroundings
reflect the emotional pressures they were experiencing.
Inside the soundproof Eurovision rehearsal space where Lars
and Sigrit have a conflict,
Inglis lines the room with haphazard blocks
of insulating foam to give the appearance
of the room tearing itself apart.
(air whooshing)
- My father is ashamed of me.
- [Narrator] Will Ferrell's dad is played
by former James Bond, Pierce Brosnan.
Well, that was a hot roll.
Did you know Brosnan used to be a professional fire eater?
(air whooshing)
Pop star, Demi Lovato,
plays Iceland's best Eurovision candidate, Katiana.
Her character wears one of the film's trickiest costumes,
a liquid gold dress with fabric that had
to be swapped out last-minute to make the design work.
(air whooshing)
Just how campy does the real Eurovision get?
Real past hacts have included a singing turkey
and zombie cheerleaders.
(air whooshing) (upbeat jazz music)
While Iceland is known for its dreamlike scenery,
not every shot was a breeze.
The actors encountered rough seas
while shooting on a boat and Skjalfundi Bay.
According to Ferrell,
dead fish were falling all over the deck.
(air whooshing)
- You have to watch that guy.
He is a sex player.
- [Narrator] Dan Stevens plays Russian competitor,
Alexander Lemtov.
According to Stevens, Lemtov's costumes were not subtle.
The film's initial Character description called him
a stranger to buttons.
(air whooshing)
Eurovision wouldn't be complete
without memorable choreography.
Filmmakers surprised Rachel McAdams
with a troupe of backup dancers mid-take.
Some of that footage made it into the film.
- (screams) Okay, hi.
(air whooshing)
- [Narrator] No wonder Will Ferrell was inspired
by Europe's 64-year-old musical tradition.
Glitz, glamour, volcanoes, whales,
what more could you want?
Oh yeah, of course, the lie.
History buffs will know Vikings didn't wear helmets
with horns.
The iconic horned helmet style is actually a myth.
Do us a favor.
Comment with a fake lie down below
to keep the spoilers at bay.
Bye.