Everything is a movie now. If it’s not already a movie, it’s about to become one. There’s a multi-film LEGO franchise already in existence. A Magic 8-Ball film is in development. There really isn’t any toy or nostalgic object that’s off-limits. This includes the well-known Elf on the Shelf, which started as a simple book and doll concept and will now be transformed into a feature-length film. After several pitch meetings this week, a few major studios and streaming services are about to start bidding on the rights to produce and distribute Elf on a Shelf.
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According to Deadline, the co-creators of the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon have been meeting with studios about the rights to make a feature film. Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, co-CEOs of CCA&B, originally created the Elf on a Shelf with their mother, Carol Aebersold, based on a family tradition. In the 15 years since they self-published the first book, they’ve sold more than 14.5 copies of the various Elf on the Shelf installments.
Apparently Hollywood has been keen on making an Elf on the Shelf movie for quite a while, but the creators had a difficult time deciding what story to tell. The idea that they’ve landed on will likely be an animated or live-action/CG hybrid movie that could eventually broaden to TV. In this version of the story, the various elves will be distributed to homes around the world to watch over kids, like the real-life dolls, as well as help conjure Christmas spirit amongst families in order to keep the North Pole operational.
“We had been chased by Hollywood for the last five or eight years, but we weren’t sure what story we wanted to tell,” said Bell. “We got to work on a backstory, and essentially what we’re bringing is a whole universe of characters, a franchise in need of an entertainment industry partner to bring it to life.”
Now that the team has met with studios, there will be bidding process to find out who will end up with the film distribution rights. The family will still hold on to the underlying rights on the property.
Do you want to see an Elf on the Shelf movie? Let us know in the comments!
