The Christmas season has come and gone, including a month-long binge of every holiday movie possible. While watching some of these festive films, have you ever wondered what it took to bring these spirited stories to life?
Elf has been one of the top-performing holiday movies ever since it was released in 2003. It features the comedic work of actor Will Ferrel who stars as Buddy the elf, a human raised in the North Pole who goes on a journey to New York City in search of his biological father.
Elf’s depiction of the North Pole was especially interesting. In order to make Buddy look bigger than the elves around him, the directors made very strategic design choices to make it happen. They used optical illusions to trick the eye and make the cartoonish world of the North Pole contrast with the realism of the big city.
Full of one-liners and laughs that are still quoted all these years later, it’s no wonder that this movie has lasted this long in pop culture. Elf has become a staple for Christmas-related memes and gifs because of how perfectly ridiculous the humor is. This Netflix feature gives you a little taste of what it looked like to play a part in this iconic movie that we all still know and love today. Many detailed set and animation decisions were unique to this film and gave it its distinct style.
