‘Elf’ Producer Reveals the Secret to the 2003 Movie’s Enduring Success
The family comedy Elf didn't appear to have the makings of an instant Christmas classic when it hit theaters in 2003, but time has a way of proving society wrong. Nearly two decades later, in 2022, Americans ranked Elf as their 17th favorite Christmas movie among a YouGov list of 50 holiday classics, placing it behind such established titles as It's a Wonderful Life and Home Alone. Moreover, it was the eighth-most-watched movie on the list.
Elf finished even higher in a 2017 Fandango survey when Americans rated it the No. 1 Christmas movie of the 21st century.
In a genre where raunch is often king, it is the rare PG-rated comedy.
Filmmaker Todd Komarnicki, who produced Elf and recently directed the faith-based movie, Bonhoeffer, says he's been pleasantly surprised by the 2003 film's long-term success. It took several years, he says, to realize the film had staying power.
"It was sort of received with a chuckle when it came out," Komarnicki told Crosswalk Headlines.
"About seven or eight years in, I realized it was not going away and that it was increasing in its level of appreciation," he said.
Komarnicki, though, acknowledges he didn't anticipate the film achieving classic status: "When we made the movie, of course, we didn't know."
The film follows the comical-yet-heartwarming story of Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human raised as an elf at the North Pole who embarks on a journey to New York City to find his biological father. Legendary actor Bob Newhart portrays Papa Elf.
It was directed by Jon Favreau, who, up until that point, was best known as the filmmaker behind the R-rated comedy Made.
"That movie was mostly [filmed] in the back of a limo and mostly two guys cursing at each other," Komarnicki said, smiling.
Favreau's previous work did not suggest he was the obvious choice to helm a family-friendly Christmas movie.
Other prospective directors, though, didn't seem to grasp the family nature of the project.
"All these other directors we'd been meeting that were seeming to be in a lead position, they kept telling us the same thing: It's not edgy enough. It's just not hip enough. 'What if Jovie's boyfriend is a pimp' - like, what? They were so sure of themselves," Komarnicki said. "And my producing partner, John Berg, and I were losing heart. Is there nobody that understands the script that they're reading? They're just coming in to rewrite it. [But] this is a beautiful script."
Favreau, though, got it.
"Jon Favreau came in, and he said, 'I have a one-year-old son, and I want to make a movie that he can watch for the rest of his life. I want to make a Christmas classic.' He said that in the room," Komarnicki said.
Favreau wanted to make the film an homage to Rankin/Bass Productions, the company that produced such stop-motion classics as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.
"He had it all in his plan," Komarnicki said. "But he said, in the first meeting, 'I want to make a Christmas classic.' And he did."
The secret to the film's success, Komarnicki said, lies in its uplifting approach to comedy.
"American comedy for at least the last 30 years has been the comedy of humiliation. At its lowest form [it's a] kick in the crotch. And even a very beautifully written and wonderful show that I love Everybody Loves Raymond -- like the Honeymooners -- [it's] humiliate the husband. Dad is stupid --- somehow, we've got to bail you out.
"What Elf has is the opposite. Elf is a comedy of hope and heart. The main guy, the one that would normally be the one that's humiliated [Buddy], is made of Teflon joy. He can't be humiliated. And in fact, the darkness that comes at him gets transformed into light. That's why the movie stuck around. Because A, it feels good to watch that, and B, that's what we really hope in our heart of hearts would happen in our own lives."
Meanwhile, Komarnicki -- with a playful grin -- maintains the film is based on a true story.
"Promise you won't tell anybody."
Elf is rated PG for some mild rude humor and language.
WATCH: Elf - Original Theatrical Trailer
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Movieclips
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published December 06, 2024.
