One of my favorite movie is Buddy the Elf. This movie instills Christmas’s spirit and magic and takes you back to being a child and the excitement of anxiously waiting for Santa’s arrival.
SANTA! I KNOW HIM!
Following Pixar’s storytelling rules, Buddy the Elf has a structure, purpose, and an underdog that will charm you right from the start.
Who else couldn’t help root for Buddy as he sets out on his journey to meet his dad, passing through the seven n levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly-twirly gumdrops and then walking through the Lincoln Tunnel?
Great stories have a clear purpose and structure, which are evident right from the movie’s start. Following The Story Spine concept created by Kenn Adams, Buddy the Elf’s story looks like this:
ONCE UPON A TIME:
A baby crawled into Santa’s sack at an orphanage, was brought back to the North Pole by mistake, named Buddy, adopted and raised by Papa Elf.
EVERYDAY:
As Buddy grows up, he believes he’s an elf, but struggles to do the everyday elf tasks like making toys when he discovers he isn’t an elf but a human. Papa Elf explains that his parents are Walter Hobbs and Susan Wells and that he was given up for adoption. Susan has since died, and Walter works as a children’s book publisher at the Empire State Building in New York City. He then learns the shocking news that his dad is on the naughty list due to his selfishness. Armed with a snow-globe of the Empire State Building Buddy sets out to meet his dad.
ONE DAY:
Once in New York, Buddy experiences the world’s best cup of coffee, then makes his way to his father’s office to meet his dad. Walter Hobbs dismisses Buddy as some crazy Christmas-gram, and he’s escorted out of the building. He finds himself in Gimbels department store where he’s mistaken for an employee and told to get back to work in the toy department, where he meets Jovie, who he is instantly smitten with. Learning that Santa will be arriving tomorrow, Buddy gets to work decorating. Once Santa arrives, buddy joins the kids’ excitement and immediately realizes this is NOT Santa. He goes on to tell him that he’s an intruder and smells like beef and cheese. As he removes his fake beard and calls him an imposter, a fight breaks out, and Buddy finds himself sitting in a jail cell; he calls the only person he knows, his dad. Walter bails Buddy out and takes him to get a DNA test, which confirms that he is indeed his son.
BECAUSE OF THAT:
Buddy is introduced to Walter’s wife, Emily and their twelve-year-old son Micheal. He transforms their house into a Christmas wonderland, teaches them about the four food groups of elves, protects Micheal from an epic snowball fight at school, and with the encouragement of Micheal, asks Jovie out on a date.Walter is struggling at work and is under pressure to have a new book ready for Christmas Eve. His team brings in a well-known children’s author, Miles Finch to help. During the meeting, Buddy barges in to tell his dad that he’s in love. Upon seeing Miles, Buddy is convinced he too is an elf and asks him where he from, which angers Miles, making Walter snap at Buddy, telling him he’s not his son. Heartbroken, Buddy heads home, crafts an apology on an Etch A Sketch, and walks the streets of New York. When Micheal realizes that Buddy is missing, he goes to his dad’s work to ask his dad for help. At first, Walter tells Micheal he’s busy, then quickly realizes what he’s done and family is more important.
BECAUSE OF THAT:
Buddy continues to walk through the streets when he sees Santa’s sleigh in the sky, crashing into Central Park. He makes his way to Santa, who informs him that his engine fell off and that there isn’t any Christmas spirit anymore, and his sleigh can’t fly without it. As Buddy is off looking for the engine, he runs into his dad and Micheal. Walter apologizes, and Buddy brings them back to meet Santa and devise a plan to get his sleigh to fly. As Walter is distracting the Central Park Rangers, who all don’t like Santa for putting them on the naughty list, Micheal takes Santa’s list and gets the attention of the news camera that have gathered outside Central Park, trying to prove that Santa is real and he needs everyone to believe, so his sleigh will fly.
Jovie sees Micheal on TV and heads down to see how she can help. Recalling how Buddy told her “the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is sing loud for all to hear”, she starts singing “Santa Claus is coming to Town” to help lift the Christmas spirit.
UNTIL FINALLY:
Buddy gets Santa’s engine fixed, and they are trying to fly over New York City; Walter has now joined Micheal and Emily with the crown that has started to sing with Jovie. Realizing Walter is pretending to sing, Emily gives him heck, and he finally bursts out, signing as Buddy and Santa fly overhead, proving that the spirit is in us all.
AND EVERY SINCE THEN:
A year later, Walter has started his own publishing company with a best-selling children’s book about Buddy’s adventures in New York City. Buddy and Jovie have married and have a daughter named Susie, and they take her to visit Papa Elf in the North Pole.
Seventeen years later, I still start each holiday season with this movie, and my son loves it just as much as I do, especially the fantastic use of witty, comical one-liners. I’m relieved Will Farrow would not agree to a sequel; this story doesn’t need a new chapter.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 