Elf is, according to Will Ferrell, "a battle against cynicism. Things have gotten away from what the true spirit of the holidays are." Producer Todd Komarnicki concurs, believing that "now is the perfect time for this film because it shows that innocence triumphs over fear and there is a place for everyone in the world – even if your tights don’t fit!"
"Christmas is supposed to be a chance for people to come together and find common ground," adds Zooey Deschanel. "To forget all the petty things, love your friends and your enemies and your neighbors, and be happy. At least for one day."
Elf brings this message home, especially for Buddy, who begins his journey not really fitting in either the elf world or the human world, but who learns he can belong to both.
"The bad part about Christmas," laments Edward Asner, "is the depression that sets in afterwards because people aren’t able to sustain that feeling. We have to work on keeping that feeling going 52 weeks a year."
Writer David Berenbaum had been working with producer Jon Berg for many years when Berenbaum first gave him the script for Elf. "It was incredibly funny," enthuses Berg, "and there was a real sweetness to the story." Once the project was set up at New Line Cinema, the search for a director stopped at Jon Favreau. "Jon came to it with an immediate connection to the story -- to the sweetness and heart -- that was incredibly sincere," Berg recalls.
Berg recounts his first meeting with Favreau: "Jon was describing his vision and at one point I thought he was actually going to start weeping. He has a very strong attachment to Christmas; it gives him memories of family. So his association to the holidays is very pure and deep. He pitched it to us and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house."
Jon Favreau had met Will Ferrell years earlier through Vince Vaughn, Favreau’s co-star in the indie hit Swingers (which Favreau also wrote). He and Ferrell had been keen to find a project to make together, and when Elf landed on Favreau’s desk, he knew it could be the one. "That’s what really drew me to it, the fact that I could picture Will turning in a great performance on this movie," Favreau recalls. "Will has great comedic timing and also is a very warm, open person. That’s the combination you need for a guy to play this character and pull it off. Although Will goofs around, his portrayal of Buddy operates on a lot of levels. He brings dimension to it."
To get himself in the spirit, Favreau watched a marathon of Christmas classics and determined that all the lead characters shared one facet in common. "They’re people who don’t fit in," Favreau notes. "They feel very lonely, like they’re not part of a society. In It’s a Wonderful Life, the lead character never gets to leave his hometown; he feels trapped there. Scrooge is isolated. These are characters who feel outside and frustrated. Holidays, especially Christmas, are about people coming together. I think Christmas stories start very much with loneliness."
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