Elf (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elf |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jon Favreau |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | David Berenbaum |
| Narrated by | Bob Newhart |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Debney |
| Cinematography | Greg Gardiner |
| Editing by | Dan Lebental |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | November 7, 2003 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $33 million |
| Money made | $225.1 million |
Elf is a fun Christmas comedy film from 2003. It was directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. The movie stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human who grew up thinking he was an elf at the North Pole. When he learns he's actually human, he travels to New York City to find his real father.
The film also features James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner, and Bob Newhart. Elf was released on November 7, 2003, and became a huge hit! It earned over $220 million worldwide, costing only $33 million to make. Many people loved Will Ferrell's performance as Buddy, calling it one of his best roles. The movie even inspired a Broadway musical and a stop-motion animated TV special. Today, Elf is seen as a modern Christmas classic.
Contents
Story of Buddy the Elf
Buddy's North Pole Life
On Christmas Eve, a baby from an orphanage accidentally crawls into Santa Claus's sack. Santa unknowingly takes the baby back to the North Pole. When the elves find the baby at the workshop, they name him Buddy. This is because of the brand name on his diaper. Papa Elf then adopts Buddy and raises him as his own.
Buddy grows up believing he is an elf, just like everyone else around him. But soon, he discovers a big secret: he is actually a human! Papa Elf gently explains that Buddy was born to Walter Hobbs and Susan Wells. Susan had put Buddy up for adoption before she passed away. Buddy's father, Walter, now works in New York City and doesn't even know Buddy exists. Santa also tells Buddy that Walter is on the "Naughty List" because he's a bit selfish. Santa suggests that Buddy could help his father find some Christmas spirit.
Buddy's Journey to New York
Buddy decides to travel to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter. He finds Walter at his office, but Walter thinks Buddy is just a Christmas messenger and has him removed. Feeling a bit lost, Buddy goes to a department store called Gimbels. There, he meets Jovie, an employee who isn't very excited about Christmas. Buddy is instantly smitten with her.
Buddy hears that Santa will be at the store the next day. So, he spends the night redecorating the entire store to make it super festive! However, when he realizes the Gimbels Santa isn't the real one, Buddy causes a big scene. The store manager has to break up the fight.
Meeting the Hobbs Family
Walter reluctantly picks Buddy up from the police station. They get a DNA test, which proves Buddy is indeed Walter's son. A doctor convinces Walter to take Buddy home to meet his stepmother Emily and his half-brother Michael. Walter and Michael are quite confused by Buddy's strange behavior. But Emily insists they take care of him until he "recovers."
Michael soon starts to like Buddy after they team up to win a snowball fight against some bullies. Michael even encourages Buddy to ask Jovie out on a date. During their date, Buddy and Jovie start to fall in love.
Saving Christmas Spirit
Meanwhile, Walter's publishing company is having trouble. Their latest book didn't sell well. Walter's boss, Fulton Greenway, expects a new book by Christmas Eve. Walter and his team meet with a famous children's author named Miles Finch. But Buddy interrupts the meeting. He mistakes Finch, who has dwarfism, for an elf. Buddy accidentally insults Finch, who then gets angry and leaves. Walter loses his temper and tells Buddy he's not his son.
Heartbroken, Buddy writes an apology note on an Etch A Sketch and leaves Walter's apartment. Walter finds Finch's notebook full of ideas and tries to create a new book. As Walter gets ready to pitch the book, Michael arrives and tells him Buddy is gone. Realizing his mistake, Walter quits his job and leaves with Michael to find Buddy.
Buddy sees Santa's sleigh crash in Central Park, drawing a big crowd. Santa explains that his sleigh's engine is lost. It cannot fly without it because there isn't enough Christmas spirit in the world.
Buddy finds the engine and reunites with Walter and Michael. Walter apologizes to Buddy and finally accepts him as his son. They meet Santa, and Michael reads Santa's "Nice List" on TV. This proves to everyone that Santa is real. Some park rangers, who are mad at Santa for putting them on the "Naughty List," chase the sleigh. Buddy tries to reattach the engine. Jovie then starts singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and gets the crowd to sing along. This raises enough Christmas spirit to power the sleigh without the engine!
A Happy Ending
By the next Christmas, Buddy writes a book about his amazing life. It becomes a huge bestseller, allowing Walter to start his own publishing company. Buddy also marries Jovie, and they have a baby daughter named Susie. They even take Susie to visit Papa Elf at the North Pole!
Main Characters
Live Action Cast
- Will Ferrell as Buddy Hobbs, also known as "Buddy the Elf." He's a human raised by Santa's elves.
- James Caan as Walter Hobbs, Buddy's biological father and a children's book publisher.
- Zooey Deschanel as Jovie, a worker at Gimbels who becomes Buddy's girlfriend.
- Mary Steenburgen as Emily Hobbs, Walter's wife and Buddy's stepmother.
- Bob Newhart as Papa Elf, Buddy's adoptive father and the story's narrator.
- Edward Asner as Santa Claus, who finds baby Buddy and gives him to Papa Elf.
- Daniel Tay as Michael Hobbs, Walter and Emily's son and Buddy's younger half-brother.
- Peter Dinklage as Miles Finch, a famous children's author.
- Amy Sedaris as Deb, Walter Hobbs's secretary.
- Jon Favreau as Dr. Ben Leonardo, the Hobbs family doctor.
- Peter Billingsley as Ming Ming (uncredited), the head elf at Santa's workshop.
Voice Cast
- Leon Redbone as Leon the Snowman, a friendly snowman at the North Pole.
- Ray Harryhausen as Polar Bear Cub.
- Jon Favreau also voiced the Baby Walrus, Mr. Narwhal, and the Arctic Puffin.
Making the Movie
How the Idea Came to Life
David Berenbaum first wrote the script for Elf in 1993. Actors like Chris Farley and Jim Carrey were considered for the role of Buddy early on. Director Jon Favreau initially found the script "much darker." He was interested in working with Will Ferrell, who had just left SNL.
Favreau decided to rewrite the script. A big idea came to him: he could make Buddy's world look like the classic Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. This allowed the movie to be rated PG, making it suitable for a wider audience.
Filming Locations and Tricks
Filming for Elf started on December 9, 2002, and finished on March 7, 2003. They filmed in New York City, as well as in Vancouver and at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
The filmmakers used a special trick called forced perspective to make Buddy look much bigger than the other elves. This makes it seem like he doesn't quite fit in their world. They also used stop-motion animation for some parts, which is a technique where objects are moved slightly between individual photos to create the illusion of movement. The director, Jon Favreau, wanted to use very little CGI (computer effects). He had to work hard to keep the special effects looking more traditional.
Music and Sounds
Did you know that Zooey Deschanel singing in the movie wasn't in the original script? Jon Favreau added it when he found out she was a singer! Also, when Buddy starts singing in Santaland at Gimbels, Will Ferrell made up the song on the spot. That's called improvisation!
Most of the computer-generated effects, besides the snow, were made by Rhythm & Hues Studios. Buddy's famous burp after drinking a whole bottle of Coca-Cola was actually voiced by a voice actor named Maurice LaMarche.
Movie Music
The official soundtrack for Elf was released in November 2003. It includes popular songs like "Baby, It's Cold Outside" sung by Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone. This soundtrack has sold over 695,000 copies in the United States. It's one of the best-selling Christmas movie soundtracks ever!
Here are some of the songs featured in the movie:
- "Pennies from Heaven" – Louis Prima
- "Sleigh Ride" – Ella Fitzgerald
- "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" – Lena Horne
- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" – Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel
- "Jingle Bells" – Jim Reeves
- "Christmas Island" – Leon Redbone
- "Santa Baby" – Eartha Kitt
- "Winter Wonderland" – Ray Charles
- "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" – Eddy Arnold
- "Nothing from Nothing" – Billy Preston
The original music for the film was composed by John Debney.
Release and Home Video
Elf was released on DVD and VHS on November 16, 2004. It later came out on Blu-ray on October 28, 2008, and even on 4K Blu-ray on November 1, 2022. You can also watch it on the PlayStation Portable!
Other Elf Adventures
The Musical
Elf was turned into a Broadway musical! It ran during the Christmas season in 2010. The musical had music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. It opened on November 10, 2010, and closed on January 2, 2011.
Animated Special
There's also an hour-long stop-motion animated TV special called Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas. It's based on both the movie and the musical. Edward Asner was the only actor from the movie to voice his character (Santa) again. Other voices included Jim Parsons as Buddy and Mark Hamill as Walter Hobbs. It first aired on NBC on December 16, 2014.
Video Game
A video game based on the movie was released on November 4, 2004, for the Game Boy Advance. In the game, you play as Buddy and collect candies while avoiding obstacles. However, critics didn't give the game very good reviews.
No Sequel?
Many fans have wondered if there would ever be an Elf sequel. In 2013, Will Ferrell said he wasn't interested in making a second movie. Director Jon Favreau mentioned in 2016 that a sequel could still happen. However, Ferrell has often said he prefers not to do sequels unless there's a really good reason for the story. The possibility of a sequel became even less likely after the passing of actors James Caan in 2022 and Edward Asner in 2021.
See also
- List of Christmas films
- Santa Claus in film
Images for kids
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Theatrical release poster
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Director Jon Favreau in 2007
