Preston, Idaho looks back on 20 years of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’
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PRESTON, Idaho (ABC4) — Gosh! It’s been 20 years since “Napoleon Dynamite” hit theaters back in 2004. It’s the iconic, quirky comedy the community says they still love to share with the world.
“It is something that we have a good time talking about and reliving,” Preston City Council member Todd Thomas said.
The movie stars Jon Heder as the goofy teenager that goes to Preston High School and has a hard time fitting in.
Brady Garner is now Preston High School Assistant Superintendent, but he was a student at the high school when the movie was being made.
“We were watching it in the auditorium that’s famous,” Garner said. “Like, it was just kind of now looking back at it, it was a moment that can’t be replaced.”
The famous scene is where Napoleon did his iconic dance on stage at the end of the movie. A scene so popular it made its way all the way to Magnolia, Texas, where Tatum Brokaw copied Napoleon’s moves during a high school talent show his senior year.
“I literally practiced for hours in my garage, probably sweating so many buckets of sweat doing it and rehearsing it over and over again until I got it right,” Texas resident Tatum Brokaw said.
In Preston, Garner reminisces in front of Napoleon’s locker. He’s still surprised the moves reached so many people.
“I had the opportunity to be in the movie, but at the time, I was like, ‘Well, it’s not going to do anything,’” Garner said.
Well the movie did do something — people still come to Preston to see where it all happened, visiting the homes of Napoleon and his best friend Pedro.
“Every summer, about one person a day that we get coming, asking to come do a tour,” Garner said. “I’ve given plenty of tours and they come from all over the world, like, I’ve had people from China.”
Throughout Preston you’ll see friends quote lines back and forth laughing. They are proud to claim ownership of “Napoleon Dynamite.”
“I also attended high school here, and those lockers that you see in the movie are still there. and they were there in 1980. It’s exactly the same,” Thomas said. “So, this movie appeals to me because it’s nostalgic, which I’m a very nostalgic person and it’s relatable.”
“Napoleon Dynamite” is still relatable 20 years later, especially in the town where it was made — where the spirit of the movie is still felt today.
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