The modern holiday classic “Elf” turned 22 last month, having been released on November 7 in 2003. Seriously, can you believe that?
Jon Favreau’s uplifting comedy starred Will Ferrell in the eponymous role, alongside an impressive ensemble that also included James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart.
The plot follows Ferrell’s Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves in the North Pole, who learns about his true origins and travels to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, a cynical children’s book publishing executive.
As it’s the festive season, what better time to take a look back at how the “Elf” cast looked when the movie was released, compared to their most recent pictures?
Will Ferrell (Buddy the Elf)
Although “Elf” wasn’t Will Ferrell’s first movie, it was momentous for him as it was only his second starring role since departing the show that made him famous — “Saturday Night Live” — in 2002. He was 36 when the film released.
He was fantastic in the eponymous role as Buddy the Elf, aka Buddy Hobbs, and had already enjoyed a fruitful 2003 with a starring role as Frank “The Tank” Ricard in the comedy movie “Old School” (per IMDb).
GettyFerrell is now 58 and has enjoyed a terrific career in Hollywood. He’s appeared some truly iconic movies, including the comedies “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and “Step Brothers” in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
In 2025, he’s added three movie credits to his filmography, including the rom-com “You’re Cordially Invited,” which he also produced.
GettyJames Caan (Walter Hobbs)
A then-63-year-old James Caan played Walter Hobbs, Buddy the Elf’s biological father, in “Elf.” Caan played very much against type in the comedy role, but he performed it excellently.
When “Elf” was released, Caan was a long-established actor who’d appeared in iconic movies like 1972’s epic gangster flick “The Godfather” and 1990’s psychological horror thriller “Misery.”
In 2003, as well as “Elf,” he appeared in three other movies, including the experimental arthouse drama “Dogville” (per IMDb).
GettyCaan sadly passed away in 2022. He was 82. The cause of death was a heart attack brought on by coronary artery disease.
He was acting until his final years, and his most recent movie, 2023’s action thriller “Fast Charlie,” was released after his death.
GettyZooey Deschanel (Jovie)
Zooey Deschanel was just 23 when “Elf” hit theaters, and she’d only started appearing in movies four years earlier. However, she had appeared in a few, including 2000’s comedy-drama “Almost Famous” and the romantic drama “All the Real Girls” a few months before “Elf” (per IMDb).
GettyDeschanel played Jovie in the festive favorite and did a superb job of doing so. Jovie was an unenthusiastic employee at Gimbels who becomes Buddy’s love interest and, eventually, his wife and the mother of his child.
GettyDeschanel is now 45 and has a brilliant career both in movies on television behind her. Notably, she played Jessica “Jess” Day in 140 episodes of the popular sitcom “New Girl.”
Her most recent movie credits are 2024’s live-action animated fantasy comedy “Harold and the Purple Crayon” and the recently-released 2025 rom-com “Merv.”
Mary Steenburgen (Emily Hobbs)
Mary Steenburgen was 50 when she played Emily Hobbs in “Elf.” Emily was Walter Hobbs’ wife and, therefore, effectively Buddy’s stepmother.
Steenburgen had been appearing in movies for 25 years and her notable credits included 1990’s sci-fi Western “Back to the Future Part III” and 1993’s legal drama “Philadelphia” (per IMDb).
GettyIn 2003, “Elf” was one of three movies she appeared in. The others were the rom-com “Hope Springs” and drama “Casa de los Babys.”
GettyShe is now 72 and still acting quite prolifically. In 2025, she has filmed two movies — the indie drama “Easy’s Waltz” and the Western “Last Train to Fortune” — and featured in a prominent role alongside her husband, Ted Danson, in the Netflix comedy “A Man on the Inside.”
Daniel Tay (Michael Hobbs)
Daniel Tay was an almost-12-year-old child actor when “Elf” was released in theaters. In the movie, he played Michael Hobbs, the son of Walter Hobbs and half-brother of the eponymous Buddy.
At the time, Tay only had one acting credit to his name, having appeared as the young version of Paul Giamatti’s Harvey Pekar in the biographical comedy-drama “American Splendor” (per IMDb).
GettyTay is now 33 and has retired from acting. He graduated from Yale University, where he studied economics, and now works as an instructor for the SAT.
Prior to his acting retirement, some of his post-“Elf” credits included voicing the titular character in the 2006 animated fantasy comedy “Doogal” and appearing in the comedy “Beer League” that same year.
Ed Asner (Santa Claus)
Veteran actor Ed Asner played Santa Claus in “Elf.” He turned 74 just after the movie released in theaters.
He had almost half a century of screen appearances to his name, and is most notable for playing Lou Grant on the sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970 until 1977.
“Elf” was the only theatrical movie in which he appeared in 2003, but he was appearing regularly on television in medical drama “ER” as Dr. James McNulty (per IMDb).
GettyOn August 29, 2021, Asner sadly passed away at his home in California. He was 91 and died of natural causes.
Asner was still working on both the big and small screens until his final days, and he has multiple postumous releases to his name. Some of Asner’s posthumous credits include 2022’s animated comedy “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules,” 2024’s mystery thriller “Altered Reality,” and the festive flick “A Fargo Christmas Story” that same year.
GettyBob Newhart (Papa Elf)
Another veteran star who appeared in “Elf” was the wonderful Bob Newhart. He played Buddy’s father figure Papa Elf in the film and was 74 when it was released.
Newhart was arguably known best for starring in two different television shows of the same name: “The Bob Newhart Show.” The first was a comedy variety showed that aired from 1961 until 1962, the second was a sitcom that aired from 1972 until 1978.
Movie-wise, his first credit came in 1962 and, in 2003, the only other movie he appeared in was the comedy “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde” (per IMDb).
GettyNewhart sadly passed away on July 18, 2024. He died at his home in Los Angeles from complications of several illnesses. The legend was 94.
He hadn’t appeared in movies for a few years, but had been active on television. Most notably, he had reprised his “The Big Bang Theory” role of Arthur Jeffries, aka Professor Proton, in the spin-off prequel series “Young Sheldon” as recently as 2020.
GettyPeter Dinklage (Miles Finch)
Peter Dinklage had a memorable minor role in “Elf” playing the short-statured children’s book author Miles Finch. Dinklage was 34 when the film released in theaters.
At the time, Dinklage had been an actor for around a decade. In 2003, he appeared in two other movies; the comedy-dramas “The Station Agent” and “Tiptoes” (per IMDb).
GettyDinklage is now 56 and a hugely successful actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series “Game of Thrones,” which he appeared in from 2011 until 2019.
However, he also has a notable movie career. His most recent credits include 2024’s musical fantasy movie “Wicked” and, this year, in the crime movie “Roofman.”
GettyMake sure you watch the bona fide festive staple “Elf” this festive period — assuming you haven’t already, that is!
