Elf (2003)

After discovering he is a human, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole decides to travel to New York City to locate his real father.

Director:

Jon Favreau

Writer:

David Berenbaum

Stars:

Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Ferrell	...	Buddy
James Caan	...	Walter
Bob Newhart	...	Papa Elf
Edward Asner	...	Santa
Mary Steenburgen	...	Emily
Zooey Deschanel	...	Jovie
Daniel Tay	...	Michael
Faizon Love	...	Gimbel's Manager
Peter Dinklage	...	Miles Finch
Amy Sedaris	...	Deb
Michael Lerner	...	Fulton
Andy Richter	...	Morris
Kyle Gass	...	Eugene
Artie Lange	...	Gimbel's Santa
Leon Redbone	...	Leon the Snowman (voice)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

elf | christmas | father son relationship | santa claus | christmas movie | 

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Taglines:

This holiday, discover your inner elf.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild rude humor and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Billingsley (Head Elf) starred in one of the biggest Christmas classics. A Christmas Story.

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Goofs

Santa asks Buddy to help him fix the Kringle 3000 turbine. There is little clearance between the Kringle 3000 and the ground. When Michael sees his Huff board present inside Santa's bag, he grabs it and the sleigh flies a little bit. Buddy is underneath the sleigh fixing the Kringle 3000, but as it comes down there is no scream. He would have been crushed by the weight of the sleigh.

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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.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The Snowman closes out the movie by saluting and winking at the camera

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Connections

Referenced in Studio C: Episode #9.1 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Baby, It's Cold Outside
(1949)
Written by Frank Loesser
Performed by Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel
Leon Redbone appears courtesy of August Records

User Reviews

Wonderful holiday spirit film - Never gets old

I was lucky enough to see in the theater today which was so much fun! Will Ferrell is endlessly entertaining in just about anything. Zooey Deschanel is especially stunning in this role, she's a glow of true beauty. Elf is so much fun as should be to many others too! Numerous funny parts and several heartwarming bits makes for a lovely gem that I'll always appreciate.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elf

Filming Locations:

55 Central Park West, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,100,000, 9 November 2003

Gross USA:

$174,626,840

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$221,671,773

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Guy Walks into a Bar Productions, Gold/Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1