To make the Martian Girl costume as smooth as possible, it had no zippers or buttons on it. Lisa Marie had to be sewn into it every day before filming of her scenes in it could even begin.
The film's writers were not sure what the Martians should sound like, so its script used "Ack! Ack! Ack! Ack! Ack! Ack!" for all of their lines of dialogue. This became their actual language in all future "Mars Attacks" merchandise and media.
Jack Nicholson accepted his role in the film without reading its script, since he had enjoyed working with Tim Burton on the film Batman (1989) and wanted to work with him again.
When humans were disintegrated by the Martians' ray guns, the resulting skeletons were colored either red or green. Producer/director Tim Burton explained this had been done because the film had been scheduled for a Christmas release. Also, the red and green skeletons were first seen in the film Beetlejuice (1988). When Barbara and Adam were in Juno's office, you can see them with other ghouls looking at the screen.
Producer/director Tim Burton called Pam Grier and asked her to fly to Los Angeles for an audition. She said she wanted to, but could not because her dog was terminally ill. He called her back several times and eventually decided that she had already auditioned by not leaving her dog, since her character in the film refused to leave her two sons.
Tim Burton: [Frankenstein] The Martian Girl was made to look like a hybrid of Marilyn Monroe and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Tim Burton: [cast] Features many actors and actresses who appeared in previous Burton films: Sylvia Sidney from Beetlejuice (1988), Jack Nicholson from Batman (1989), O-Lan Jones from Edward Scissorhands (1990), Danny DeVito from Batman Returns (1992), Sarah Jessica Parker, and Lisa Marie from Ed Wood (1994).
Tim Burton: [music] Music by Danny Elfman, who reunites with Burton after not working together on Ed Wood (1994). Burton and Elfman experienced "creative differences" during the making of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Tim Burton: [distorted female faces] Nathalie's head is incongruously grafted onto her pet Chihuahua's body by the Martians, the Martian Girl's mask is partially ripped off to show something like a Glasgow smile, and numerous women are disintegrated into colorful skeletons by the Martians' ray guns.
Tim Burton: [Stanley Kubrick] The War Room design and the "bodily fluids" line are a tribute to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), and both movies have the actor playing the US President doubling another role. Jack Nicholson, who plays the President, was the star of The Shining (1980).