Elf is about Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) and how he came to be. About 30 years ago, when Santa (Ed Asner) was dropping off gifts at an orphanage, an inquisitive orphan climbed into his bag and rode back to the North Pole with him. Not sure what to do with the infant, Santa placed one of his top elves, an elf who had always wanted children but never found the time to settle down, in charge of the baby. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) raised the boy as his own, never telling him that he was actually human, although it was clear to all of those around him, due to his 6'3" stature and his innate inability to make toys effectively and quickly.
When the day comes that the truth comes out, Papa Elf explains that his mother has passed away, but that his father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan) is alive and well and living in New York City, although he is a frequent guest of "the naughty list." Buddy sets out to find his father and become a family once again. Well, find his father he does, but not without complication. A large man dressed in a green woolen elf outfit isn't the most popular fellow in NYC. Some of the funniest scenes are Buddy exploring New York - eating gum off the subway rails, running around and around in a circular door, getting hit by taxis. It's all really hilarious and Ferrell plays his role with such vigor that he truly is Buddy the Elf. Naturally, with the outfit and all, he lands a gig at Gimbel's Department Store in the Christmas area, which leads to more complications, namely him outing the "Santa" as a fraud and also falling in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), a beautiful co-worker.
Eventually, the workaholic and errant father, Walter, his lovely and kind wife, Emily (Mary Steenbergen), and their wary son, Michael (Daniel Tay), all come to accept Buddy as a part of their lives. But when Christmas rolls around and there isn't enough Christmas cheer to keep Santa's sleigh in the sky, it's up to Buddy to save the day and everyone realizes that he was telling the truth all along and that he did actually come from the North Pole.
Elf is one of the funniest Christmas movies ever made and, at least to me and my family, has become a timeless classic in its short 5-year existence. The Blu-ray comes packed with special features, but they are all the same ones that appeared on the DVD release. However, there's something extra with the Blu-ray and that's Focus Points, which act as a pop-up video while you watch the film to give you added tidbits of the making-of. So, is it worth it on Blu-ray? Well, the surround sound is good, but I wasn't blown away by any major differences in that department. I noticed when viewing the scenes with the North Pole that they looked far more "snow-globe" (which was the desired effect) than I had noticed on DVD. But here's the kicker - I noticed things on the Blu-ray release that I had NEVER noticed before, and I have seen the movie 7 times prior to this! So clearly, things "pop" on the Blu-ray and you get a much better experience. I was worried that the CG characters like the Puffin and Mr. Norwahl would look fakey-fake, but they were just as charming and endearing as ever. The long and short of it is this - if you don't already have Elf as part of your movie collection, you need to pick it up on Blu-ray. You won't be disappointed.
