The Happy Elf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Happy Elf
DVD cover
Written by	Andrew Fishman Scott Landis
Directed by	John Rice
Starring	Rob Paulsen Harry Connick, Jr. Carol Kane Mickey Rooney Kevin Michael Richardson Mae Whitman Lewis Black
Narrated by	Harry Connick, Jr.
Theme music composer	Harry Connick, Jr.
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Scott D. Greenberg Sidney Clifton Natasha Abrahams Karen Bailey Ted Rogers William L. Arance Harry Connick, Jr.
Editor(s)	Yoel Frohlich
Running time	45 minutes
Production company(s)	Film Roman HC Productions IDT Entertainment
Distributor	IDT Entertainment
Release
Original release	December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)

The Happy Elf is a fun 3D-animated holiday TV special. It first showed on December 2, 2005, on the NBC network in the United States. The story is based on a song called "The Happy Elf" by the famous musician Harry Connick, Jr..

This special was made by Film Roman. This is the same animation company that produced The Simpsons. Film Roman is part of IDT Entertainment.

The Story of The Happy Elf

Eubie's Big Idea

Eubie the Elf (voiced by Rob Paulsen) loves working at Santa's workshop. He lives at the North Pole. Eubie is always super happy, which sometimes bothers the other elves.

One Christmas Eve, Eubie's boss, Norbert, gives him an important job. Eubie has to check the naughty and nice lists. He finds something surprising: every child in a town called Bluesville is on the naughty list! Eubie decides he must go to Bluesville. He wants to spread Christmas cheer there.

Visiting Bluesville

Bluesville is a dark and sad town. It sits deep in a valley, surrounded by tall cliffs. The townspeople only see the sun for a short time each day. They never smile and don't know how to tell jokes. Most people work at the What Factory. This factory makes all the world's question marks. At the Bluesville school, recess lasts only one minute!

Eubie tries to make everyone happy. But his super good mood actually scares them.

A Deal with the Mayor

Eubie talks to the mayor of Bluesville. He asks what is wrong with the town. He also asks if anything makes the mayor proud. The mayor says Bluesville makes special coal. This coal cannot burn. Children in Bluesville like throwing it at each other.

The mayor makes a deal with Eubie. If Eubie can find another use for the coal, the mayor will put up a Christmas tree in the town square.

Trying to Help

Eubie's first plan is to get kids to have a pie fight. He hopes this will make them happy. But it only makes everyone angry.

Molly (Mae Whitman), a 10-year-old girl, takes Eubie to downtown Bluesville. This is the saddest part of town. They go to a meeting for a group called S.L.O.B. (Smile League Of Bluesville). The group only has one member!

There, Molly and Eubie meet Curtis (Candi Milo). Curtis brought his friend, Oreg. Oreg is a foreign student who doesn't speak English. But he is happy to be there. Molly soon thinks Eubie's plans won't work. She tells him to go home. When she says this, Eubie gets a new idea! But then the lights go out. Eubie is suddenly back at the North Pole.

Trouble at the North Pole

Eubie broke several rules trying to help Bluesville. As a punishment, Santa takes away Eubie's magic hat. At the North Pole, this means he loses his Christmas happiness and powers.

Gilda (Carol Kane) hears what happened. She tells Eubie to go back to Bluesville. She gives him her hat to bring back his powers and happiness. Eubie returns to Bluesville and tells the children his new plan.

That night, the children give the mayor anti-snore medicine. This makes him sleep soundly. Eubie spends the night polishing the cliffs around Bluesville. He uses a special "super-duper un-burnable coal polish." While he is doing this, Derek notices Gilda doesn't have her hat. He figures out what is happening. Derek tells a higher-up elf, following the North Pole rules.

Making Things Right

Eubie is taken back to the North Pole again. He and Gilda are punished. They have to clean the toy factory. Both their hats are taken away.

Derek is sad and angry with himself. He feels bad for telling on his friends. He tells Eubie and Gilda what he did. They forgive him, but Derek still feels awful. He asks what he can do to make it up to them. They tell him to do the one thing Eubie planned to finish making Bluesville happy.

Joy in Bluesville

When the sun rises over Bluesville, it shines on the polished coal. The light reflects, making the whole town bright and happy! At the What Factory, the machine now makes colorful exclamation points. The workers are delighted.

At school, recess starts. An elf's shoe is placed over the bell. This means the kids can play longer! Molly comes out of school and meets Derek. He tells her to find the mayor. She needs to give the mayor the coal polish Eubie used. She also needs to give him a piece of coal that turned into a diamond. Derek tells Molly to say Eubie is sorry he couldn't be there.

Molly happily goes to find the mayor. She waits for Curtis to tell a funny joke. Derek gave him a joke book. Molly finds the mayor and shows him the items. This proves there is another use for the coal! The mayor puts up a Christmas tree in the town square. Everyone celebrates, all thanks to Eubie.

That Christmas, Santa makes Eubie, Gilda, and Derek his sleigh crew. They brought joy to Bluesville. The town even changed its name to Joyville!

Characters and Voices

• Rob Paulsen as Eubie
• Harry Connick, Jr. as Lil' Farley
• Carol Kane as Gilda
• Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus
• Kevin Michael Richardson as Derek, Tucker, Mayor, Toady
• Mae Whitman as Molly
• Lewis Black as Norbert
• Candi Milo as Curtis
• Rory Thost and Liliana Mumy as Brother and Sister

Soundtrack Songs

Some DVDs of The Happy Elf come with a free soundtrack. Here are the songs:

• "The Happy Elf" - sung by Harry Connick, Jr.
• "Smile on Christmas Day" - sung by Rob Paulsen
• "Bluesville" - sung by Kevin Michael Richardson
• "Lil' Farley's 'Happy Elf'"
• "Old Santa Claus"
• "Eubie and Friends Pole Adventure"
• "Gingerbread House Test"
• "Eubie's Toy Car Test"
• "Coffee Shop Theme"
• "Department of Naughty and Nice"
• "Norbert's Orders"
• "Eubie's Naughty & Nice Tally"
• "Eubie Lands in Bluesville"
• "Bluesville Street Theme"
• "Molly and Friends Coal Toss"
• "Down Town Theme"
• "S.L.O.B. Meeting"
• "'Try'"
• "Molly and Gang's Christmas Mission"
• "Santa's Elves Wrap Party"
• "Santa Getting Ready for Xmas"
• "Mayor Gives the Town a Tree"
• "'Bluesville' Reprise"
• "Lil' Farley's 'Happy Elf' Reprise"
• "'Happy Elf' Wrap"

In 2013, a special recording for the live stage show was made. It happened in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Stage Musical Version

The Happy Elf TV special was turned into a full-length stage musical! Andrew Fishman rewrote the story. Harry Connick, Jr. added five new songs for the musical. One new song is called "That Magic Hat."

The musical first showed at the Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. This was on November 13, 2007. It received good reviews. Later, in 2010, a workshop version was performed. This was at the Adventure Theatre in Rockville, Maryland.

In 2012, Harry Connick, Jr. worked on the musical again. A new version was shown on December 1, 2012, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton, Pennsylvania, put on the final version of the musical. This was on December 19, 2014. It ran for two weeks before the musical was officially published.