Elf

When he was an infant, little orphan Buddy (Ferrell) managed to make his way from his crib to Santa's sack on Christmas Eve. Not only does he grow twice as fast as the elves his age, but Buddy finds himself labeled as a "special" "Elf" when his toy output doesn't match the rest of Santa's elves. When Buddy learns the truth about who he really is, he sets off on a hilarious quest for New York City to find his dad. Devastated to learn that his dad, Walter Hobbs (Caan), is on the "naughty list," Buddy becomes determined to spread some Christmas Spirit in the Big Apple. (Suzanne Hodges)

Special features include commentaries by Actor Will Ferrell and Director Jon Favreau; eight deleted and alternate scenes (HD 11:30); nine behind-the-scenes documentaries (HD 1:28:19): "Tag Along" with Will Ferrell, "Film School For Kids," "How They Make The North Pole," "Lights, Camera Puffin!," "That's A Wrap," "Kids On Christmas," "Deck The Halls," "Santa Mania," and "Christmas In Tinseltown;" "Elf" Karaoke (HD 4:36): We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Deck The Halls, and Jungle Bells; the theatrical trailer (HD 2:30) and a digital copy.

The 1.85:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, was photographed on Kodak film stock using the Panaflex camera system and sourced from an outstanding new 4K master Digital Intermediate format. Film grain is smooth and very light, and never objectionable. Picture quality is terrific, with nicely saturated colors that brighten the light storytelling. Depth and fine edges are excellent, with higher visibility in costume textures, close-up details, and wide shots, with color palette boost such as the North Pole setting and the colorful Christmas displays at Gimbels department store.The charming costumes are bright and colorful in all the appropriate colors for the Christmas season! The picture is sharp with excellent resolution that reveals finely textured clothing and facial features and other set details. Flesh tones generally appear natural, except for an occasional red or orange push. HDR contrast and shadow delineation are well balanced in this light, bright picture. Shadow delineation is generally excellent overall. The picture is virtually noise free and pristine looking. This is a really colorful picture that is sure to please. It is the reference standard for this Christmas classic. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is filled with wonderful, jazzy, and happy Christmas music that's really charming and delightful. Dialogue reproduction is tonally accurate, with voices sounding very natural and well placed within the listening space. While well recorded, most of the audio information is front-screen-channel heavy with better-than-average LFE and surround channel activity. Surround envelopment is nicely supportive. For a comedy, this is a very active soundtrack, with many enjoyable qualities, which makes for a pleasurable listening experience. (Danny Richelieu/GaryReber)