Funnyman Will Ferrell recently admitted that he makes all his children watch his film Elf “on repeat” as part of their yearly Christmas family tradition.
Find out why the actor compelled his family to watch his iconic 2003 film, for reasons you will be surprised to find out.
The film, which starred Ferrel as the beloved elf named Buddy, became one of the highest-grossing Christmas films in history.
In the movie, Ferrell’s character was a childish adult who was accidentally shipped to the North Pole when he was still a baby. It made him grow up together with Santa’s elves.
Because of his environment, Buddy was raised thinking that he was an elf despite his physical appearance.
But as his height grew, Buddy can no longer shake the feeling that he is not like the others. It compelled him to decide to start tracking down his real family away from the North Pole.
Little did he know, his real family resides in New York City, one of the most festive cities on the planet.
The movie showed Buddy’s adventures from Santa’s workshop to the Big Apple while wearing his bright green and yellow elf costume.
Because of his positive, happy-go-lucky attitude, he often finds himself in trouble in the Big City. He also gets himself in plenty of funny encounters with testy New Yorkers, including his biological family.
Buddy was able to trace the whereabouts of his real father, who is now married and has a young son. He tried to integrate into the family, which led to plenty of hilarious situations. He was also able to instill the “Christmas Spirit” back into the New Yorkers who forgot about it due to their hectic lives.
The movie also stars James Caan as a children’s book publisher who turned out to be Buddy’s biological dad, Zooey Deschanel as Buddy’s love interest Jovie, Peter Dinklage as the best-selling children’s book author Miles Finch, and Ed Asner as Santa Claus.
Due to its festive Christmas theme, the film remains popular and significant 17 years after its release. Even Ferrell considered himself a loyal fan.
The 53-year-old actor admitted that the film had been part of their family traditions. In an interview, Ferrell told E! News that he forces 16-year-old son Magnus, 14-year-old Mattias, and ten-year-old Axel to watch the film over and over again every Christmas Day.
But the actor, married to Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, explained that the reason he imposes the rule was not spread Christmas cheer at home.
In the interview, Ferrell said that their house turns into chaos when the kids scream and complain about opening their presents. It is the reason why he required the boys to watch the movie ten straight times before they can open their presents.
While the Ferrell family tradition may not be like the typical Christmas customs used by other families worldwide, it seemed like this particular one works for them since it can help contain the chaos at home and remind his kids about the Christmas spirit at the same time.
