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Elf (2003)

PG | | Comedy, Family, Fantasy | 7 November 2003 (USA)
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After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.

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2 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Buddy
... Walter
... Papa Elf
... Santa
... Emily
... Jovie
... Michael
... Gimbel's Manager
... Miles Finch
... Deb
... Fulton
... Morris
... Eugene
... Gimbel's Santa
... Leon the Snowman (voice)
See full cast »
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Storyline

Buddy was a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa's sack and ended up at the North Pole. Later, as an adult human who happened to be raised by elves, Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. Hobbs, on Santa's naughty list for being a heartless jerk, had no idea that Buddy was even born. Buddy, meanwhile, experiences the delights of New York City (and human culture) as only an elf can. When Walter's relationship with Buddy interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities. Written by Ken Miller <wkmiller704@yahoo.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

elf | santa claus | christmas | christmas spirit | snowball | See All (199) »

Taglines:

This holiday, discover your inner elf.

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild rude humor and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

7 November 2003 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Elf, el duende  »

Filming Locations:

 »
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Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,113,501, 9 November 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$173,398,518

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,044,933
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

, ,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The voice of the jack-in-the-box laugh is that of Dal McKennon. The audio clip is taken from Lady and the Tramp (1955), in which McKennon performed the voice of a laughing hyena. See more »

Goofs

When Buddy and Leon are talking they are both "walking". Leon is making an impression in the snow as he "slides" along, but Buddy's footprints are making no impression. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Papa Elf: Oh, hello. You're, uh, you're probably here about the story.
[the pages flip to show Papa Elf talking to the camera]
Papa Elf: Elves love to tell stories. I-I'll bet you didn't know that about elves. There's, uh, probably a lot of things you didn't know about elves. Another, another interesting, uh, elfism, uh, there are only three jobs available to an elf. The first is making shoes at night while, you know, while the old cobbler sleeps.
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits, the original score from the film plays over in the background, and then the last one thing showing was the title of the film. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Kids on Christmas (2004) See more »

Soundtracks

Whoomp! There It Is
(1993)
Written by Stephen Gibson and Cecil Glenn
Performed by Tag Team
Courtesy of DM Records, Inc.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is 'Elf' based on a book?
Q: How does the movie end?
Q: What is 'Elf' about?
See more »

User Reviews

 
Unexpected out of nowhere against all odds classic
8 January 2016 | by – See all my reviews

This was my 4th viewing and now ready to review.

The story is insane. This film should not have worked. But almost as a tribute to the X-Mas miracles it tries to riff off, it is an astonishingly entertaining film.

Behind the camera Favreau, Mr Money Shot, who has quietly without fanfare turned into one of the hottest directors in Hollywood history. In front of the camera Farell who I usually don't care for but may just give the performance of his career here. A script to die for. Probably the best use of Zoey D's looks in her career to date.

Way under rated and unappreciated.

As in my other reviews, most "recent" X-Mas films (since about 2000) are Canadian B-movies shot on a budget which would barely cover a reno on THIS OLD HOUSE What an unexpected treat See it
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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