Did You Know?
Alferd Packer is Colorado's only convicted cannibal. The short order grill in the UMC (Student Union) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, which Trey Parker and Matt Stone attended, is named after him. The University also has an annual festival, Alferd Packer Days, with contests including a raw-meat-eating contest.
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This film was released by Troma in 1996 but it was actually filmed in 1993 while Trey Parker was attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Contrary to popular belief, Parker was not expelled due to missing class while making the movie, and went on to graduate.
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The tribe of Japanese Indians that Packer and his group encounter on their journey is referred to as the Nihonjin tribe. Nihonjin is Japanese for "Japanese people." They were played by Japanese exchange students. While at UCB, Parker had a double major in music and Japanese.
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When Humphrey translates what the Indian says to the group as "Welcome to the land of blue light," his gesturing is actually sign language for "Jesus Christ is dead."
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As the Nihonjin "Indians" walk away with the group at sword point, one of them is heard saying in Japanese (loosely translated), "This movie is really stupid!"
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The movie was originally titled "Alferd Packer: The Musical." Lloyd Kaufman, owner of Troma, convinced Trey Parker to change the title to "Cannibal: The Musical" because, though Packer is well-known in Colorado, very few outside of the state know who he is.
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Trey Parker uses the alias of Juan Schwartz in the credits. This is a variation of John Schwartze, an alias Alferd Packer used while he was in hiding.
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During the first "Lets Build a Snowman" scene, there is a close-up of the tap-dancing. The next shot is a brief wide shot. In the background, the snowman's head is replaced with an alien head.
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Moira Kelly was slated to play the part of Polly Pry, but it was decided not to use her as it might damage serious Hollywood aspirations. Various versions of the movie credit 'M.K.'
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Trey Parker was very shy and uncomfortable regarding kissing scenes with Toddy Walters. After the two dated, Trey Parker went back and re-shot the ending and end title.
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The woman seen in a black skirt and white blouse as two men begin "Hang the Bastard" is actually Matt Stone dressed in drag.
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The courtroom dialogue is based on actual court transcripts, and contemporary newspaper reports mention an old lady throwing a tomato at Packer.
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Trey Parker dubbed the singing voice of Frenchy (Robert Muratore), as well as the voice of The Voice of Doom (Aubrey Strafferd) and the two Indian braves' Japanese dialogue.
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Masao Maki, who plays the Indian chief, is actually the owner of Sushi Zanmai in downtown Boulder, where UCB is located and where Trey Parker and Matt Stone attended college while this movie was being made.
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If you listen closely in the beginning of the general store scene, you will hear someone singing. It sounds very much like Eric Cartman singing a line from "Shpadoinkle Day", but is actually Trey Parker doing the voice of the woman leaving the store. The woman was played by Brody McHugh, the sister of Jason McHugh, who played Frank Miller in the film. Jason also filled the roles of publicist, producer and executive producer.
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Some of the extras appearing in the movie were Trey Parker's professors. These include avant-garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage as George Noon's father, and Don Yannacito as James' father. Yannacito still teaches filmmaking at CU Boulder.
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When Alferd wakes up from the bizarre dream about Frenchy, he screams "IKE!" for no apparent reason. Trey Parker later explained that this was an obscure reference to the film The Legend of Alfred Packer, which was the first biopic about Packer's life. In one scene, Packer also wakes from a dream and screams the exact same words, yet it is never explained why.
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Packer's horse is named Liane after Liane Adamo, Trey Parker's former fiancée. Their breakup had been very hard on Trey, so gave Lianne name to "the horse that would let anyone ride her."
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According to Trey Parker, he based the script partially on "The Odyssey". In the film, Shannon Bell is seen reading "The Odyssey".
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Several aliens can be seen throughout the film. Among them: One in the opening courtroom scene in the back. One behind Moon (Dian Bachar) as he pulls a shoelace out of his mouth. And one peeking out of the barn during the 'Let's Hang the Bastard!' dance scene.
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The trial scenes were filmed in the same courtroom in which Alferd Packer was tried in Lake City, Colorado.
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"Shpadoinkle" was not originally intended to be in the finished film. While writing the music, Trey Parker just wrote it as a filler word until he could think of something better for the song, but his friends all agreed that the word needed to stay.
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