It follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), who was raised among elves in the North Pole. After years of feeling like he didn't quite fit in with his fellow elves, Buddy heads to New York City in search of his real father during Christmastime.
Here are a few things you may not know about the holiday comedy "Elf."
Buddy's super long belch was recorded by a famous voice actor.
And who can forget Buddy's famous pasta dish?
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No, Ferrell wasn't belching on-screen for an impressively long time in the film. Instead, the long burp was recorded by Maurice LaMarche.
Better known as the voice of Brain from "Pinky and the Brain," LaMarche's vocal contributions to the film were uncredited, but his belch will live on in cinematic history.
Jim Carrey reportedly almost played Buddy.
Jim Carrey starred in a different Christmas movie.
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Although Buddy is one of Ferrell's most well-known roles, Vulture reported that when the script was first circulating in 1993, Carrey was the first choice to play the curious elf.
The movie is set in New York City, but most of it was filmed elsewhere.
Many scenes from "Elf" were filmed in Canada.
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Many scenes from "Elf" were set in New York City, but a lot of the production actually took place in Canada.
"Analog techniques" were used in place of CGI in some parts of the film.
These techniques add magic to the film.
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VFX supervisor Joe Bauer told Creative Planet Network in 2012 that "Elf" director Jon Favreau wanted to use "analog techniques" to bring the magic to the North Pole.
The crew used techniques like forced perspective to make Buddy look bigger than the elves around him.
The North Pole sets were built for perspective.
"Elf" used special sets to create illusions.
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Bauer also told Creative Planet Network that the sets for the North Pole were meant to establish a scale for the elves in the film. The teams worked with a two-thirds scale to allow Ferrell to seem bigger than his elven counterparts.
Afterward, the crew would adjust the height of the cameras and objects to bring the optical illusion to life.
CGI was used in some parts of the film.
CGI can be seen in the snowball fight scene in "Elf."
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Even though it might not seem obvious, CGI was used in some parts of the film — including the snowball scene.
Naturally, the miraculously long throw during this scene was CGI, as were any snowballs you didn't see thrown by someone.
Peter Billingsley makes a cameo.
Peter Billingsley played an elf in "Elf."
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Actor Peter Billingsley played the iconic role of Ralphie in classic holiday movie "A Christmas Story." He also made an uncredited appearance in "Elf" as Ming Ming the elf.
This story was originally published on November 27, 2018, and most recently updated on December 12, 2025.
The director of the film makes a cameo as well.
The "Elf" director plays a doctor.
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"Elf" director Favreau makes an appearance in the film as Buddy's doctor.
An elf hockey scene was cut from the film.
The deleted scene from "Elf" can be found online.
YouTube/FandagoNOW Extras
"Elf" has a lot of great scenes, but the one of elves playing hockey wasn't meant to be one of them. This scene was cut from the film, but you can still watch it online.
There's an "Elf" Broadway musical.
"Elf" during its opening night.
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For just a few short weeks at the end of 2010, "Elf" was transformed into a Broadway musical that brought in a reported $1.4 million in just one week.
Ferrell has said he couldn't have predicted the film's success.
"Elf" has become a holiday classic in a few years.
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In a 2015 interview with Good Morning America, Ferrell said he's surprised that "Elf" has continued to be successful years after its release.
He joked that it could have been his last movie, but instead, the film has become a cult classic.
The "throne of lies" scene was shot in one take.
The set was demolished.
New Line Cinema
According to Esquire, the famous "throne of lies" scene was filmed in one take. This was due to a tight budget and because production had little time to rebuild such an intricate set.
Ferrell has said he won't do an "Elf" sequel — and he reportedly turned down a huge offer, too.
Will Ferrell may not sign onto an "Elf" sequel anytime soon.
"I remember asking myself: could I withstand the criticism when it's bad and they say, 'He did the sequel for the money?' I decided I wouldn't be able to," he told the publication.
Later, in 2013, Ferrell reaffirmed his decision to People, saying he wouldn't make another "Elf" movie. He said it would look "slightly pathetic" if he tried to "squeeze" back into his elf tights.
