Elf is an American 2003 Christmas comedy movie, directed by Jon Favreau. It stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel, and Ed Asner with Leon Redbone. Ferrell plays a human named Buddy who is raised by elves in the North Pole. He lives the way the elves do and helps in Santa's workshop. He travels to New York City to find his father. He is used to how elves live, which is very different from how humans live, with New York being a perfectly opposite way of living compared to the North Pole.