Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas
| Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas | |
|---|---|
| Directed by |
Mark Caballero Seamus Walsh |
| Produced by |
Chris Finnegan Aaron Horvath Michael Jelenic |
| Screenplay by |
Aaron Horvath Michael Jelenic Bob Martin Thomas Meehan |
| Based on |
Elf by Jon Favreau Elf: The Musical by Bob Martin Thomas Meehan |
| Starring |
Jim Parsons Mark Hamill Kate Micucci Ed Asner Max Charles Rachael MacFarlane |
| Music by |
Christopher Guardino Matthew Sklar |
| Cinematography | Ralph Kaechele |
| Edited by | Mike Wright |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Television |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 43 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas is a 2014 American stop-motion animated Christmas musical television special directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh and written by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan. It is based on the 2003 film Elf and the Broadway theatre Musical Elf: The Musical. The special stars Jim Parsons, Mark Hamill, Kate Micucci, Ed Asner, Max Charles and Rachael MacFarlane. The special premiered on December 16, 2014, on NBC.
Plot
Santa narrates the story of Buddy's travels to New York City to meet his father. Along the way, his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father's eyes to the magic of the holiday.
Cast
- Jim Parsons as Buddy
- Mark Hamill as Walter Hobbs
- Kate Micucci as Jovie
- Ed Asner as Santa
- Max Charles as Michael Hobbs
- Rachael MacFarlane as Emily Hobbs, Fake Santa #3
- Fred Armisen as Chadwick
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Fake Santa #2, Jerry Hobbs
- Gilbert Gottfried as Mr. Greenway
- Jay Leno as Fake Santa #1
- Steve Higgins as Matthews
- Matt Lauer as Mr. Sea Serpent
- Kevin Shinick as Fake Santa #4
Reception
The special was viewed by 4.82 million viewers.[1] Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas received positive reviews from critics. The review-aggregation website Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 74 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2] Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly gave the special a B+, saying "Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas probably won't become a classic, but it's a fun break from the usual standards."[3] Brian Lowry of Variety gave the special a positive review, saying "Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas suits the genre well, and suggests there is an alternative to simply running the sprockets off old holiday perennials. And in albeit in a minor way, that’s good reason to be happy — if not all the time, at least for an hour or so."[4] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the special a B, saying "Narratively and emotionally rushed, at least Buddy’s Musical Christmas smartly emphasizes its animated nature, through visual inventiveness and top-flight voice talent."[5]
References
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 17, 2014). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'NCIS' & 'The Voice' Adjusted Up, No Adjustment for 'Person of Interest' or 'MasterChef Junior'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ↑ "Tonight's Best - TV - Entertainment Weekly". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ↑ "‘Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas’ TV Review on NBC". Variety. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ↑ "Review: An animated retelling of Elf justifies its existence with visual daring". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
