ITV to air NBC’s Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas

ITV has acquired the rights to NBC’s animated adaption of Elf with plans to broadcast the special this Christmas.

Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas is based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell and is an all-new telling of Buddy’s delightfully absurd, yet heart-warming story blending the look and feel of stop motion animation with a modern day Christmas film.

Santa Claus will narrate the story of Buddy’s travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had.  Along the way his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father’s eyes to the magic of Christmas. – ITV

The one hour special stars The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons in the lead voice role alongside Ed Asner who played Santa in the film, Mark Hamill, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Gilbert Gottfried, Kate Micucci, Rachael MacFarlane, Max Charles, and Steve Higgins.

Songs from Broadway adaption Elf: The Musical feature in the special including Happy All the Time, A Christmas Song and Nobody Cares About Santa Claus.