The Elf remake featuring Star Wars legend Mark Hamill that you never knew about

Virgin Radio

21 Dec 2021, 14:36

It’s one of our most loved Christmas films, but if, like us, you have given up hope that there will ever be a sequel, fear not because there are other ways to get your Buddy the Elf fix.

A Broadway musical based on the film made its way to the UK 11 years ago for a 10-week run, and during its time in Dominion Theatre, it became one of the fastest-selling shows since the venue opened.

The success of the film and then the musical led to the creation of an animated Elf remake starring Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons as the beloved Buddy the elf and Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker as his father, Walter Hobbs.

The remake, named Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas, is a 42-minute animation largely based on the Broadway version of the classic movie.

It follows the familiar story of Buddy’s mission to reunite with his estranged father, which leads him to New York City, where he is very much out of his depth.

Eventually, of course, Buddy is able to win over his father, saving Christmas and reminding people of the true meaning of the festive period at the same time.

In this rendition, the story is not narrated by Papa Elf but Santa Claus, who is voiced by Ed Asner, which fans will recognize played Santa in the original movie.

The rest of the characters were recast, with Kate Micucci playing Jovie (Buddy's love interest) and Rachael MacFarlane as Emily Hobbs.

The animation is a lot shorter, so it does skip over some plot points and songs from the original film and Broadway show but still provides the same joy from our favourite elf.

Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas premiered in 2014 and was nominated for seven Annie Awards, which are essentially the Oscars for animations. It went on to win an award for Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.

So, when you settle down for your Christmas film binge the year, maybe you can add this one to the list instead of rewatching the original Elf for the 100th time.

Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, iTunes and other digital platforms.