John Debney’s score to the 2003 holiday favorite Elf returns in two new editions from Varèse Sarabande, including a collectible picture disc and an expanded Encore Edition on CD and digital.
Arriving September 25, the picture disc brings a little extra Christmas spirit to the turntable, with Buddy the Elf inside a festive snow globe on Side A and artwork inspired by the film’s original teaser poster on Side B. The expanded Encore Edition also arrives on CD September 25, with a digital release following October 16.
For those looking to dig deeper into Debney’s music, the Encore Edition expands the score to 44 cues, more than 20 of which are exclusive to this release.
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BUDDY GOES TO NEW YORK
Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell, Elf follows Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole, as he heads to New York City in search of his father and a place where he belongs.
Debney’s score follows Buddy from the North Pole to Manhattan, giving the movie a musical vocabulary that can handle wide-eyed wonder, comedy and the genuine warmth underneath it all.
That emotional side was important to Debney. Looking back on the score in 2014, he described Elf as a personal favorite and noted how meaningful it was that listeners continued reaching out to him about the music year after year.
FINDING BUDDY’S THEME
One of Debney and Favreau’s key decisions was giving Buddy a theme that could grow alongside the story.
As Debney later explained, they wanted a melody that could recur throughout the film before finally being allowed to “bloom and blossom” at the end. Sitting at the piano, he looked to composer Georges Delerue and his ability to write melodies that were both simple and emotionally powerful for inspiration.
That idea is there from the opening strains of “Papa Elf,” giving Buddy a musical identity that can develop right alongside him.
44 CUES OF CHRISTMAS CHEER
The expanded Encore Edition provides a much deeper trip through the score, with 44 cues following everything from Buddy’s childhood and journey to New York to the snowball fight, mailroom chaos and climactic chase with Santa.
It also includes original soundtrack mixes and edits of selections including “Papa Elf,” “Main Title,” “A Snowman’s Advice,” “Attack of the Little People” and “Buddy and Santa Take Flight.”
LISTENING NOTES
“Papa Elf”
Start where the movie does. Those opening notes immediately establish the storybook warmth that Debney carries through the rest of the score.
“Buddy’s Journey”
North Pole to New York is quite a commute. This is the score settling into adventure mode as Buddy heads out into a world he’s never seen before.
“A Snowman’s Advice”
A little bit whimsical, a little bit sentimental, and very Elf. It’s a nice snapshot of how Debney keeps Buddy’s world sweet without making it saccharine.
“Central Park Rangers”
For the score with a little more bite. The movie’s increasingly chaotic final stretch gives Debney a chance to turn up the momentum.
“Buddy and Santa’s Flight”
This is where that musical groundwork pays off. Buddy’s Christmas journey gets the big-hearted lift it has been building toward all along.
THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER
More than two decades after Buddy first left the North Pole for New York, Elf has become a perennial holiday favorite, and Debney’s music remains an important part of what gives the movie its heart.
Whether it’s the picture disc spinning alongside the Christmas decorations or the 44-cue Encore Edition digging deeper into Debney’s score, these new editions offer two very different ways to spend a little more time in Buddy’s world.
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