During two months of filming in Alabama, the production endured muggy heat, swarming bugs, a mysterious "killer" mulch that made several people sick, severe thunderstorm warnings, and a tornado watch.
Originally, the film was going to star Elijah Wood, and be set in the same world as The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993). Wood was was too busy filming Flipper (1996), so Brad Renfro replaced him.
During an interview, Buzzfeed News asked Gemma Jackson about her production memories of Brad Renfro. She replied "He was sexually active. He had a girlfriend who was years older than him." When told that Renfro was 13 during filming, she paused, then said "Thirteen, OK. He was very young ... I guess that would now be a problem, wouldn't it?". Renfro was actually 12 during filming.
In the book, Sid is Tom's half-brother. In this film, he is Tom's cousin.