A baby crawls into Santa’s sack at an orphanage and is raised at the North Pole by Papa Elf, voiced by Bob Newhart. Buddy grows to six foot three and makes toys at a fraction of elf speed. When he finds out he is human, he walks to New York through the Lincoln Tunnel to find his father, Walter Hobbs, a children’s book publisher who does not know he exists. Elf is the last Christmas film that became a permanent one, and Will Ferrell has turned down 29 million dollars to make a sequel.
What Happens In New York
Buddy eats spaghetti with maple syrup, drinks a two-litre bottle of Coke, is sent to the mail room, and takes a department store Santa’s beard off because he is a fake. He falls for Jovie, played by Zooey Deschanel, who sings in the shower. Walter’s wife and son take him in while Walter tries to get rid of him. The ending is Santa’s sleigh crashed in Central Park, running on Christmas spirit, and Jovie singing to a crowd.
Why Everyone Quotes It
“You sit on a throne of lies”, “Santa! I know him!” and “Son of a nutcracker” are all here. Jon Favreau shot the North Pole with forced perspective, so the elves are small without effects. James Caan plays Walter completely straight, which is why it works. Peter Dinklage’s scene as the author Miles Finch is a whole film in three minutes.
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