Macaulay Culkin starred as Kevin McCallister in one of the best Christmas films of all time, Home Alone. Even after more than 30 years of its release, fans of the film continue to discover interesting facts and details about it. One such discussion took place on Reddit when a fan pointed out the peculiar small ‘e’ in the title on the movie’s original cover.
Home Alone featured a talented set of actors, including Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, and Catherine O’Hara, alongside Culkin. The film almost faced cancelation, but producer John Hughes’s smart business tactics ultimately saved the film.
Fans Find One Interesting Detail On Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone Poster
Home Alone‘s original cover features a scared Macaulay Culkin dominating most of the space. On either side of him are Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who play the villainous robbers in the film. On top, the title of the film is written, accompanied by the brilliant tagline, “A Family Comedy Without The Family.” However, one fan noticed the peculiar way the title was written, with all letters capitalized except for the final ‘e’.
The fan couldn’t figure out why it was written as such and turned to Reddit for answers. The fan asked fellow Redditors, “In the movie Home Alone, why is the ‘e’ at the end a lowercase when the rest of the title is capitalized? I need answers. I really can’t figure out why it’s stylized like this.”
In the movie Home Alone, why is the e at the end a lowercase when the rest of the title is capitalized?
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Netizens had not just one, but several explanations for this peculiar design. The most upvoted fan comment provided two possible explanations for using a lowercase ‘e.’ According to them, one possibility was design-related, as the ‘e’ disrupted the otherwise balanced perception of the title.
‘HOME’ and ‘ALON’ were symmetrical, symbolizing the perfect McCallister family, and the lowercase ‘e’ denoted Kevin, who was the one disrupting this perfection. Their second possibility suggested that the small and distinctive ‘e’ implies the theme of the film, where the seemingly small and inconsequential Kevin learns to be self-sufficient through the events of the film.
Another fan suggested that without the ‘e’, the name and poster imply a horror thriller rather than a family comedy. The lowercase ‘e’ signaled that the film was more light-hearted and comical. Further suggestions stated that the small ‘e’ served as a clever tactic to draw attention to the tagline, confirming that the film was indeed a family comedy.
Also Read: 1 Scene in Macaulay Culkin’s 1989 Film Inspired the Entire Plot of ‘Home Alone’
The Interesting Origin Story Of Macaulay Culkin’s Film
The concept for the Chris Columbus-directed film was conceived by producer John Hughes. The inspiration for the first part of the film came from Hughes’s own experience. When the Uncle Buck director planned a vacation with his family, he began preparing a list of things not to forget. Hughes randomly thought about not forgetting his kids, and this intrusive thought was later developed into eight pages of notes. The Curly Sue director told Time:
“I was going away on vacation and making a list of everything I didn’t want to forget. I thought, ‘Well, I’d better not forget my kids.’ Then I thought, ‘What if I left my 10-year-old son at home? What would he do?’”
Further inspiration for the film’s scenes involving Kevin and the robbers was drawn from Hughes’s earlier film, Uncle Buck. It was his first collaboration with Macaulay Culkin. In one of the scenes in the film, Culkin’s character interrogates his babysitter through the mail slot on the door. This scene gave Hughes the idea of a boy fiercely defending his home.
Also Read: “There’s still time to cast me”: Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin Wanted an Avengers Movie to Cast Him
Home Alone was initially dropped by Warner Bros. just before filming due to exceeding its assigned budget of $10 million. However, Hughes negotiated a deal with 20th Century Fox and completed the film with a final budget of $18 million. The film grossed $476.7 million at the box office, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1990. Home Alone is now available for streaming on Disney+.
