The three child actors were often given lines and words to say with no context or explanation for what they meant. Director Gene Stupnitsky and producer Lee Eisenberg refused to answer any questions the children had and told them to ask their mothers instead.
Approximately 300 child actors read for the part of Thor but Brady Noon's delivery of the line "four miles? How the fuck are we gonna get four miles?" is what made him stand out.
Originally, there was an earlier deleted scene where the boys arrive at the store for the first time. They find out from the cynical clerk that although the drone was advertised at $550, it actually costs $598 with tax, so she throws them out to get the rest of the money. When they return later with the extra money, the clerk tells them that she already sold the drone to the two girls, which makes Max explode with anger. Only the second visit to the store was kept in the movie, and it was partially re-shot to accommodate for the lost scene earlier in the film, although Max' outburst (which may seem a bit uncharacteristic without this context) was kept in.
The film received an R rating for strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language - all involving tweens. This marked the first time an R rating had been given with the description "all involving tweens."
In the opening Point Grey logo, one of the things written on a school desk is "Thor=Sippy Cup," which later becomes the film's plot point.