When director Ali Haajl came up with the concept for Toluca Lake, it was initially produced as a sketch for the popular short film festival Channel 101. Ali frequently attended Channel 101 and wanted to submit the original "Pirate Play" sketch to it. When the pandemic happened in 2020, Channel 101 shut down, and Toluca Lake was not submitted there.
The "Pirate Play" sketch was shot on March 13th 2020, the day the covid-19 pandemic lockdowns were announced on the news. The cast and crew were watching live news during the set, and went home to quarantine afterwards.
Ali Haajl is a cinephile and an eclectic array of Ali's favorite films are cited throughout Toluca Lake. The Wolf of Wall Street, The Big Short, Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Saw, The Green Knight, Jurassic Park, La La Land, Brother Bear, Schindler's List, The Matrix, Double Indemnity and more are directly referenced in specific shots and scenes.
The first film to use virtual reality motion tracking.
Props in the Toluca Lake movie were stolen during production and director Ali Haajl has a reward for anyone who can find the missing items. A thief broke into the film's office and stole the Wolf of Reddit Street poster, the Vampire Weekend poster, the Modern Family poster and personal art.