by Jeff Kinney
Pines,” and it has a large sign illuminated with
neon lights. The sign weighed hundreds of pounds
and took several weeks to create but is only seen
for about three seconds on-screen.
Sleep
Tite
MOTEL
CANDLELIGHT
LODGE
EST
1894
COME EAR OFTEN?
One of the biggest undertakings for the
art department was to create a family-style
restaurant called Corny’s. If you’re a fan of the
Wimpy Kid books, you might remember Corny’s
from “The Third Wheel.”
Corny’s was in the first scene of the movie, so
creating the set began long before filming started.
It was an ambitious project, because there are
lots of elements to a restaurant: signage, menus,
plates, napkins, furniture, merchandise…they
all needed to be designed and created.
Come
back
soon,
y’all!
48
No detail was overlooked. The designers even
made buttons for the Corny’s staff to wear.
CORNY’S
CORNY’S
Come
back
soon,
y’all!
FEED
YER
FACE
Come
ear
often?
If
it
ain’t
fun,
it
ain’t
Corny’s
49
All the signage in the restaurant reflected the
unique character of the place.
CORNY’S
BILLO’
RIGHTS
YOU’VE
GOT
THE
RIGHT
TO…
EAT
LIBERALLY
YOU’VE
GOT
THE
RIGHT
TO…
HAVE
DESSERT
FIRST
YOU’VE
GOT
THE
RIGHT
TO…
EAT
MORE
FOR
LESS
YOU’VE
GOT
THE
RIGHT
TO
HAVE…
QUALITY
FAMILY
TIME
YOU’VE
GOT
THE
RIGHT
TO…
CHOOSE
FREELY
It’s possible the designers got a little TOO
carried away. They even created a backstory about
the first-ever Corny’s restaurant and its original
cook, Ron Hammond.
The images are never
actually seen in the
movie, but now they’re
part of the Wimpy Kid
universe forever.
“Family dining
is about
three
“Fings”:
Freshness,
Fun, and Fearlessness.
Here at Corny’s,
we love to
make dining out with the
family an enjoyable
experience
experience
for everyone, from
grandpa to
L’il Junior.”
MEET
the
Original
PREP
COOK
RON
HAMMOND
While the artists were creating all the great
stuff to go inside Corny’s, the scouting team was
searching for the perfect spot to set up the
imaginary restaurant.
They found an empty building outside of Atlanta
that had recently been an Asian seafood
restaurant, and they thought it could be a
perfect fit.
But before the production department started
doing the real work to transform the building into
Corny’s, they did some mock-ups on the computer
to see what things would look like. In the design
world, this is called creating a “composite.” Here
are some shots of the empty restaurant, and the
Cornified composites.
52
Once everyone agreed that the designs looked
good, work started on getting the restaurant
ready for filming. Slowly but surely, the interior
of the building was transformed into a brightly
colored family-style restaurant.
54
On top of dressing up the restaurant with signs,
new tables and chairs, and new carpeting, a
colorful play structure was brought in.
The script called for a ball pit, so a crew had
to bring in heavy machinery to dig a square hole
in the floor, which would later be filled with
plastic balls.
Work began transforming the outside of the
building as well. The wood trim was given a new
paint job in a Corny’s color scheme, and an
illuminated sign was hung above the doorway.
55
The building was on a busy stretch of road, and
when the Corny’s sign went up, some people came
by to check out the joint and maybe have a bite
to eat.
If your movie set looks good enough to convince
the public it’s a real restaurant, that’s the sign
of good work. Aaron Osborne and his team of
designers had passed their first big test and
were ready for the start of filming.
Corny himself would be proud.
56
THIS LITTLE PIGGY
As the start of filming approached, everyone was
a little nervous about one thing: the pig. In the
book, the pig plays a major role, and there was
no question it would be in the film.
The first task was to choose which KIND of pig
would be in the film. There are all sorts of pigs
out there, and the filmmakers had to pick the
breed that would be the best fit for the movie.
A husband-and-wife team who trained animals to
work in films came in to discuss the pros and cons
of each type of pig. They even brought a few pigs
with them for show-and-tell.
SNR
57
The filmmakers enjoyed having some time with
the baby pigs, and it was a fun day to be in the
movie business.
Everyone loved the adorable baby Yorkshire
piglets, which were the type of pig used in the
movie “Babe.” But the problem with that breed
is that they grow up fast, and the full-grown
version isn’t as cuddly as the little version.
During a two-month shoot, a Yorkshire pig
wouldn’t reach its adult size, but the growth would
be noticeable to audiences.
The filmmakers needed a type of pig that was
cute, smart, and didn’t grow too big or too fast.
The breed that checked all those boxes was the
Juliana variety.
59
Juliana pigs are an intelligent, playful, and
affectionate breed — perfect qualities for the
Heffleys’ new pet. Most important, they stay on
the small side, even as adults.
But just as the filmmakers needed a backup
M
anny, they needed a backup pig. Two young pigs
that were the same age were picked for the part
and brought to the production offices to audition.
They seemed perfect for the role, but what really
sealed the deal was when they sat in Manny’s
plastic potty.
60
Once the pigs were chosen, a special effects
artist came in to sculpt a replica in clay. But the
reason for that is a story for a little later on.
NOW, ABOUT THAT HAIR…
A few weeks before filming was set to begin,
a number of the actors came to the production
offices to participate in a read-through of the
script, try on their costumes, and meet with the
director.
But a big reason
for the trip
was to get the
actors’ hair right
for the movie.
The filmmakers
thought it was
best to have
Jason’s and
Owen’s hair more
or less match the
hairstyles of Zach Gordon and Robert Capron in
the first three films.
Jason Drucker’s long hair had already been cut
short when he did a test screening with Owen.
62
But Jason’s hair is naturally curly, and it had to
be constantly straightened so it didn’t get out
of control.
Owen normally wore his hair parted to the side,
but now it was time
to transform him
into Rowley, who
has more of a bowl
cut in the films.
Things weren’t as
straightforward
with Charlie, who
was set to play
Rodrick. Charlie
likes to wear his hair long, which doesn’t really
match Rodrick’s spiky hair in the books.
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
63
But Charlie’s long hair looked good for a rock-
and-roll drummer, so he got to keep his look. It
was more important to capture the spirit of the
characters than their exact appearance.
Alicia and Tom got to keep their normal
hairstyles, too. And that was probably a relief to
both of them, because their cartoon counterparts
didn’t exactly have the coolest hair.
LÖDED
DIPER
64
ACTION!
In mid-September, everyone came together
for the start of filming. There was a lot of
excitement the first day on set, and the actors
and crew were eager to get started.
Corny’s was ready for its big day. The tables
were set and
the place was
looking spiffy.
But a restaurant
isn’t really a
restaurant
without food.
65
Before filming started,
chefs made food — piles
and piles of it. In the
book, the all-you-can-eat
buffet is Corny’s most
popular feature, so there
needed to be heaps of
food of every variety.
After all, Corny wants to
make sure everyone who visits his restaurant gets
their fill.
Filming at Corny’s was scheduled to last four days.
That created some challenges, because the food on
the tables needed to look fresh, day after day.
GLOP
POKE
POKE
Corny
sez:
FEED
YER
FACE
66
You’ve probably noticed that when food’s left out,
it starts to go bad. So the cooks were constantly
making new food to replace what was on the tables.
The drinks were a different matter. The
challenge there was the ice. If real ice was
used, it would melt under the hot lights. So the
prop department filled the drinks with plastic
ice cubes instead.
Usually, movies don’t shoot in order. But for “The
Long Haul,” the opening scenes were actually the
first ones to be filmed. So when the Heffley family
arrives at Corny’s restaurant, it was the first
time the actors were sharing a scene together.
67
They got to know one another — and Rowley — by
chatting at their table in Children’s Alley.
But they wouldn’t be the only ones getting to
know one another that day. In the book, Corny’s
is absolutely packed with people.
PTOO
MUNCH
MUNCH
68
The movie would be the same way. Dozens of
people signed up to be extras for the scenes at
Corny’s, and when they arrived they were seated
together as families for the film.
They’d spend the next few days sitting at their
tables and bonding over their shared experience.
Being an extra is hard work. The hours are long,
and there’s a lot of waiting around. Sometimes
your moment on camera gets cut, and you don’t
even end up in the final film.
HOW OLD ARE YOU?
WHAT’S YOUR
FAVORITE SUBJECT
IN SCHOOL? HAVE
YOU EVER BEEN IN
A MOVIE BEFORE?
CHILDREN’S
ALLEY
I WIKE
TURTLES.
TODAY’S
SPECIAL:
ROAST
ROAST
BEEF
69
That was the case with the Corny’s mascot, who
had to put on an uncomfortable costume and wear
makeup every day on set. Even though he got cut
from the movie, at least he made this book!
One of the last scenes to film at Corny’s was the
hardest to pull off. It was a single shot all the
way through the restaurant, starting on a crying
baby’s face, weaving through the buffet area,
and ending up at the feet of the Heffley family.
This is what filmmakers call a long tracking shot.
Everyone in the scene has to do everything
exactly right, or it will ruin the take and they’ll
have to do it all over again.
70
In a restaurant filled with extras and a lot of
food and drinks, there are tons of things that
can go wrong.
The first few takes of the scene didn’t go as
planned, which was stressful because time was
running out to get the shot right. But for the
very last one, things went perfectly. To celebrate,
the cinematographer and director treated themselves
to ice cream from the soft-serve machine.
HELP
YERSELF!
GLUG
GLUG
DESSERT
As filming wrapped up on the Corny’s set, the
production team got ready to say good-bye to the
restaurant they had created.
They put together a time capsule filled with
cool stuff, like the film’s script, menus, Corny’s
merchandise, and a note for whoever might find it
in the future. Then they put the time capsule into
the ball pit, which was later fi
lled with concrete.
Who knows? In a few hundred years, maybe some
of our descendants will uncover the time capsule.
And they’ll probably wonder why plastic ice cubes
were used in our drinks.
COMING SOON
ROBOTO’S
RATTLE
RATTLE
72
Middle of the Road
After filming in one place for a few days, it was
time to hit the road and start filming scenes of
the Heffleys traveling. This was the first chance to
take the van — and boat — out for a spin.
But the van isn’t always what it seems. Sometimes
it’s an ordinary vehicle that a typical family would
drive. At other times it’s a special vehicle called a
“buck car” that’s designed for moviemaking.
73
The buck car sits on a pair of rails and breaks
apart in pieces.
When a piece of
the van needs to
be moved, it just
slides out of the
way. This allows
the director to
get shots of the
interior of the
vehicle that would be much more difficult to get in
an ordinary van.
74
The buck car came in handy lots of different times
during the filming of “The Long Haul.” For some
shots it was convenient to use, but other shots
would’ve been nearly impossible to film without it.
When you’re shooting on a public road, you have to
close it off to make sure nobody drives onto the
movie set. And for a film like “The Long Haul,”
there are plenty of good reasons for that.
The cars you see going by in the background of a
film are actually being driven by stunt drivers.
And if the cars
aren’t going
anywhere,
chances are
there are extras
at the wheels.
76
It’s easy to film when the vehicles are standing
still. But things get a lot more complicated when
the cars are moving.
A special truck is used to film vehicles while rolling.
The flatbed in the back is designed to hold
the cameras, the director, and a few other key