The joke with the elephant defecating while Edward daydreams was unscripted. The filming crew found it hilarious, and quickly zoomed out to get the whole thing.
Matthew McGrory (Karl the Giant) appreciated the shoes the costume department made for him out of luggage. While he was alive he held the Guinness World Record for the largest feet: size US 29.5. He also held the record of world's tallest actor, standing at 7'6" (2.29m).
Though the circus Colossus (George McArthur) is shown being dwarfed by Karl the Giant (Matthew McGrory), in reality he's only three inches shorter. McArthur is 7' 3" and McGrory was 7' 6". Creative camera angles and platforms were used to exaggerate McGrory's height.
Ewan McGregor was cast as Young Ed Bloom when producers noticed the striking similarity between him and pictures of a young Albert Finney, who plays Senior Ed Bloom.
The circus fat man was played by famed sideshow attraction Howard Huge (Bruce Snowdon). This movie was his final appearance as a professional fat man. His weight peaked at 712 pounds during his career which spanned more than 25 years. When he died in 2009, he reportedly weighed 'only' 609 pounds.
Johnny Depp: Uncredited, as the voice of the catfish the younger Edward Bloom caught with his wedding ring the day Will Bloom was born. Frequent Tim Burton collaborator Depp was unavailable for the film due to his commitment to Pirates des Caraïbes : La Malédiction du Black Pearl (2003). However, Depp was able to stop by the studio during post-production to make this voice cameo.
Tim Burton: one of the clowns sitting close to Mr. Calloway's trailer, who flees when the wolf jumps from it.
Tim Burton: [distorted female face] Edward imagines Jenny becoming the Witch, with her face aged and wrinkled and one eye missing.
Tim Burton: [black and white stripes] in the circus scene, the stripes can be seen on the ringmaster's pants and also on the outside of the giant's box.
Tim Burton: [classical music] Soundtrack includes Entry of the Gladiators by Julius Fucík and a passage from the Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Tim Burton: [Le Magicien d'Oz (1939)] The trees move and trap young Edward just like the ones that argued with Dorothy and the Scarecrow.