Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas is a stop-motion animated musical television special, based on the 2003 Jon Favreau-directed film Elf and the 2010 Broadway musical of the same name, produced for NBC by Warner Bros. Animation and premiered on December 16, 2014 at 8pm ET. It stars Jim Parsons as Buddy.
Summary
Santa narrates the story of Buddy's travels to New York City to meet his father. Along the way, his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father's eyes to the magic of the holiday.
Songs
- "Happy All The Time" - Santa, Buddy, and the elves
- "World's Greatest Dad" - Buddy
- "I'll Believe In You" - Emily and Michael
- "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" - Buddy, Emily, and Michael
- "A Christmas Song" - Buddy and Jovie
- "Nobody Cares About Santa" - Fake Santas and Buddy
- "There Is a Santa Claus" - Emily and Michael
- "A Christmas Song (Reprise)" - Jovie, Walter, Emily, Michael, and the townspeople
- "The Story of Buddy the Elf" - The cast
Availability
The special was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 3, 2015. The DVD was also released in a 2-pack with the original film, and in the 2017 Jolly Holiday Collection box set (alongside The Year Without a Santa Claus and A Miser Brothers' Christmas).
November 3, 2015
November 3, 2015
Notes
Differences from the original movie
- Papa Elf is absent from this special; instead, it is said that Buddy was raised by the elves.
- Buddy's real name, "William", is never mentioned.
- Buddy and Jovie's child's gender and name is different in this special. In the original film, they had a daughter named Susie whilst in this, they have a son named Baby Buddy.
Accolades
The special won the 2015 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production, and was also nominated for Best Animated Special Production, Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production, Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production, Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production, and Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.
Cast
| Voice actor/actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Jim Parsons | Buddy Hobbs |
| Mark Hamill | Walter Hobbs |
| Kate Micucci | Jovie |
| Ed Asner | Santa Claus |
| Max Charles | Michael Hobbs |
| Rachael MacFarlane | Emily Hobbs Fake Santa #3 |
| Steve Higgins | Chadwick |
| Kevin Michael Richardson | Fake Santa #2 Jerry Hobbs |
| Gilbert Gottfried | Mr. Greenway |
| Jay Leno | Fake Santa #1 |
| Fred Armisen | Matthews Elf |
| Matt Lauer | Mr. Sea Serpent |
| Kevin Shinick | Fake Santa #4 |
Gallery
.png "Song - A Christmas Song (Reprise).png (1 MB)")