Will Ferrell is back as Buddy from the Christmas movie Elf, but definitely not in the way anyone was expecting. Directed by Jon Favreau, Elf has become a modern Christmas classic, with Buddy the Elf standing as arguably Will Ferrell’s signature role. Ferrell himself seemingly decided to bring Buddy back into the public spotlight just before the end of the 2024 holiday season at the most recent Los Angeles Kings basketball game.Seen in the crowd with a beer in hand and an unlit cigarette in his mouth, Ferrell donned Buddy’s full Elf costume for his surprise return to the role in a real-world setting.
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Buddy’s presence at the game did not go unnoticed by the broadcasting team, who zeroed in on Ferrell with the subtitle of “Buddy the Elf” below him. Ferrell’s latest Buddy appearance can be seen below, courtesy of Culture Crave. Judging from Ferrell’s much more ragged appearance as Buddy compared to his wildly energetic child-like role in Elf, he may have been going for a bit of ironic humor of showing a much gruffer version of Buddy.
Given that Buddy ages like a human compared to his fellow elves, Ferrell is seemingly showing a more weathered version of Buddy in the 21 years since Elf‘s release, especially after he becomes a father with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) at the end of the 2003 film. Either way, Ferrell’s unexpected return as Buddy is a jarring return to the character, to say the least.
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Released in 2003, Elf follows the story of Buddy, who was accidentally carried back to the North Pole in by Santa Claus (Ed Asner) in his sack of toys. Buddy ends up living a life as one of Santa’s elves, but eventually comes to learn that he is human, and makes a return to New York City to find his human father Walter Hobbs (James Caan). However, with Buddy only knowing life at the North Pole, his reunion with his father turns into a hilarious fish-out-of-water story.
Elf was a massive holiday season hit upon released, which prompted immediate interest by New Line Cinema for an Elf 2. However, Ferrell’s reluctance to return for Elf 2 has been the main factor in the sequel never happening. When even the promise of a $29 million payday couldn’t woo Ferrell back, it’s probably safe to write off the odds of Elf 2 ever happening.
With that said, Ferrell’s courtside appearance as Buddy the Elf at the L.A. Kings game seems to indicate that he’s not entirely opposed to returning to the role of Buddy altogether. Will Ferrell might never agree to return for Elf 2, but the Saturday Night Live veteran is apparently game to make some real-world Buddy appearances to stir up a little shock factor.
Elf is currently streaming on Max and Hulu.
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Image courtesy of New Line Cinema
