During the hippo attack, the danger was not exaggerated. According to a number of studies and gathered statistics, hippos kill more humans than any other animal native to Africa.
The scene where Bob Newhart is flying a white kite is a veiled reference to the production company, Electric Entertainment, which uses a white kite for its logo.
Vampire bats are native only to Central and South America.
At 29:36 Emily tells the librarian "ne me derange plus, d'accord? Ici, c'est a moi". This is French for " don't bother me anymore, okay? Here, this is mine."
This was directed by Jonathan Frakes. As an actor he is perhaps best known as Commander William Riker on "Star Trek The Next Generation". As a director he has been nicknamed "Two Takes Frakes" for the usual number of attempts before he is satisfied with a scene. And now you know how his surname is pronounced.