Elf | |
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Directed by | Jon Favreau |
Written by | David Berenbaum |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Greg Gardiner |
Edited by | Dan Lebental |
Music by | John Debney |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
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Running time | 97 minutes[1] |
Country | United States[2] |
Language | English |
Budget | $33 million[1] |
Box office | $228.9 million[1] |
Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy film directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. It stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves, who learns about his origins and heads to New York City to meet his biological father. James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart appear in supporting roles.
Elf was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 by New Line Cinema. It became a major critical and commercial success, grossing $220 million worldwide against a $33 million budget. Ferrell's performance as Buddy, in particular, was praised by critics. The film inspired the 2010 Broadway musical Elf: The Musical and NBC's 2014 stop motion animated television special Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas. It has been hailed by many as a modern classic and is often listed as one of the best Christmas films of all time.[3][4][5]