Back when the script was first being shopped around in the 90s, producers wanted Jim Carrey to play the goofy lead. – The outdoor scenes shot in New York City feature real people so many of the reactions you see are genuine!
Though it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Buddy, Ferrell wasn't the first choice for the titular character. When the script for the movie first emerged in 1993, Jim Carrey was attached to star, per Vulture. However, by the time the film went into production, Carrey had moved on from the role.
While Jon Favreau emphasized the use of stop-motion in particular in the movie, there is one sequence that was all but impossible to film without some serious CGI work.
How They Made Elf | The Holiday Movies That Made Us
Were any scenes in Elf improvised?
“Elf” (2003) The Christmas classic “Elf” gave Will Ferrell ample opportunity to explore his character, inside and out. In the scene where Buddy explores New York City, the bulk of his onscreen antics were improvised.
The teams worked with a two-thirds scale that would allow Ferrell to seem bigger than his elven counterparts. Afterward, the crew would adjust the height of the cameras and objects to bring the optical illusion to life.
1. Jim Carrey as Buddy the Elf in Elf. The script for Elf was first written in 1993, and at the time, Carrey was attached to star in it. However, the movie did not immediately go into production, and by the time it did in 2003, Carrey was no longer interested in the role.
The first script for Elf was written way back in 1993 with Jim Carrey in mind to play Buddy. However, as the project took years to get off the ground, The Mask star never ended up taking on the role.
The Original Elf Script Was Written For Jim Carrey
Given his wild and zany characters on In Living Color, Carrey was seen as a natural for the goofiness and playfulness needed to play Buddy the Elf. That casting was not meant to be, however, as Berenbaum's version of the movie never got made.
Elf was Will Ferrell's second box office hit. He reportedly received a whopping salary of $17 million for that film alone, more on par with what his talents would dictate in the mid-2000s. He was allegedly offered $29 million to act in an Elf sequel, but couldn't get his heart into it, so he turned it down.
This actually makes Buddy a fair amount younger than Will Ferrell himself, who was 35 years old at the time of Elf's filming, and 36 when the movie was released to theaters.
There's also this: “Elf” was one of the first major films shot in New York City after 9/11. “It was a city in mourning,” Favreau told Rolling Stone in 2013.
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 emotional drive behind Buddy's search for his father is what makes Elf a touching Christmas film. Elf endures as a beloved Christmas story because it cherishes the family dynamic and reminds fans of the joy of being with loved ones during the holidays.
The director, Jon Favreau, and his team wanted to minimize the use of computer graphics throughout the movie for necessary effects which includes the technique to make Buddy look bigger compared to real-sized actors who were playing the roles of elves. The best way for that is through Forced Perspective.
Berenbaum finished the first draft of Elf in 1993 with In Living Color alum, Jim Carrey in mind for the lead role, with a much darker undertone of the film — but Carey wasn't meant to be in the role. The version featuring Carey was never made, and the script sat idle for years.
Fun fact: Producers wanted to feature the famous Macy's 34th street location, the largest store in the world, but Macy's refused to have their name used. So they settled on Gimbels, a now defunct NY department store–the exterior was shot at 5th Avenue and E 30th St and decorated with CGI.
New York is a city in New York state. It is the main setting for Elf. New York City, in Elf, is set in 2003, 2 years after 9/11 at the World Trade Center. Buddy the elf goes there to find his father, Walter Hobbs, who is working at the Empire State Building.
Gender. Susie Hobbs is the daughter of Buddy and Jovie, the granddaughter of Walter Hobbs and Susan Wells, the adopted granddaughter of Papa Elf, the step granddaughter of Emily Hobbs and the half-niece of Michael Hobbs. She's shown at the end of the movie when Buddy and Jovie are married and visit Santa.
Recalling what it was like working with Will Ferrell and director Jon Favreau, Mark Acheson, the memorable mailroom character in the festive film, who Buddy (Ferrell) ends up getting drunk with after mistaking his alcohol for syrup, said he only took the role because he would get to work with the huge star.
Born December 18th, Buddy was adopted by elves and Santa Claus as a baby, so he never got to discover how exactly to be human. He developed certain skills like quickly decorating a large space, creating toys in short amounts of time and generally being a good person.
Children who participate in this activity gleefully anticipate finding their elf each morning and seeing just what he's been up to while they were fast asleep. There is only one rule according to the story: if the child touches the elf, it will lose its magic.
How Old Is Buddy In Elf? Buddy is 30 years old in the movie Elf, according to a quick line of narration at the beginning. Buddy's age of 30 adds humor and charm to his holiday adventure.
