In 2003, we were given one of the most iconic Christmas movies: “Elf.” When I’m looking for a movie to watch with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire, I will always choose “Elf.”
The movie begins with one of the elves named Papa Elf telling how Buddy came to be an elf, although he is actually human. Santa, while delivering presents, saw him in an orphanage and decided to take him to the North Pole with him.
While growing up, Buddy never realized that he was different and wasn’t one of the elves, even though he was taller than everyone and couldn’t make toys like the rest. It wasn’t until Papa Elf had enough of his poor skills that he finally told Buddy that he wasn’t an elf but instead a real person.
Finding out he was a human and they weren’t his real family, Buddy sets off to find his real dad. He starts the journey by floating on a piece of ice, then through a candy cane forest, and eventually makes it to New York.
Once there, he does find his dad, however, one problem is that he is a workaholic children’s book publisher and to make it worse his father has a whole new family!
After finding his dad, he begins to wander around and he ends up in a mall. While there, he ends up in a children’s toy store where they are dressed up as elves. Buddy, only growing up around elves, believes that they are elves and starts being friendly and very excited because he finds people who are like him. The workers are annoyed and just want to do their job.
At first, his dad, Walter Hobbs, is unwilling to accept Buddy, but over time is won over by Buddy’s lovable and comical demeanor along with his spirit for the true meaning of Christmas.
Mr. Hobbs isn’t the only one who learns to love Buddy, as Buddy soon wins over the heart of Jovie, a young woman who works in the children’s toy store.
Throughout his journey in navigating life in the real world, as opposed to the North Pole, Buddy faces many challenges. His whole life, Buddy has struggled to fit in with the elves which surrounded him, but as he experiences New York, he realizes that he doesn’t quite fit in with humans either, and he has to learn how to live life in this new environment. He struggles to understand many basic concepts of human life such as his father’s excessive focus on work, the idea of a ‘mall santa’, and most hilariously, how to use an escalator.
Even with such deep messages, the movie seems very light hearted and heartfelt. The audience quickly grows to love Buddy for his fun loving character and his way of making life more fun, and relieving the strain caused by the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Eventually he is able to discover that not fitting in is one of his greatest gifts, as he is a beautiful combination which unites the world of the North Pole with those around him.
Overall, the movie is a beautiful and hilarious piece that captures the importance of true Christmas spirit and never letting go of the joys of being childlike even through the struggles of adult life, as Buddy learns to balance his childlike ways in the real world and spreads joy and his pure hearted spirit to those around him, even the most hardened of heart.