Elf

Color, PG, 95 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround, widescreen, Street: Nov. 16, $29.95; First Run: W, Nov. 2003, $173 mil.

NEW LINE/WARNER

Jon Favreau proves himself to be an able studio comedy director with Elf, a Christmas movie from the feel-good school that works as a fine vehicle for its star, Will Farrell. Favreau's hands-on approach extends to the new Infinifilm edition of the holiday hit, which is brimming with the brand's trademark extras and behind-the-scenes bits. Favreau is the kind of guy you want doing a commentary, as he explains technical terms in a way that the layman can understand; for example, how the filmmakers used force perspective and other old-fashioned techniques to achieve a movie with a nostalgic look like the ones he "grew up with." Although Favreau does take the movie seriously, he gets giggly watching Farrell do his thing on the screen, and Farrell does much of the same during his own commentary. It might be off-putting for some to hear Farrell talk so seriously about comedy--"The funniest things are played really more from an acting standpoint," he remarks at one point--but to get some laughs, one can just switch off the commentary track and get back to the movie on its own. A section of featurettes takes viewers behind the scenes: the production crew shows how they created the North Pole, "the world that the actors act in," according to art director Kelvin Humenny; in "Tag Along with Will Farrell," the oversized elf takes us on a tour of the set; Charles and Stephen Chiodo explain how they create their puppet figures; and Favreau and editor Dan Lebetal do postproduction work in "That's a Wrap!" The longest featurette in this section, "Film School for Kids," could actually be called "Film School for Anyone" because it is an in-depth look at the complex process of moviemaking. Ultimately, says Favreau, the idea is that "everybody's sharing the same vision," but to do that, you need producers, first assistant directors, second second assistant directors, make-up artists, dolly grips, sound mixers and so on. Fortunately, everyone is on hand to explain what they do--a real bonus for the DVD. Another section, "Beyond the Movie Features," includes four brief featurettes of people out in the real world who love Christmas--like the woman in Lynnfield, Mass., who spends 30-35 days, eight hours a day, decorating her home for the holidays. The disc is rounded out with a few games and a DVD-ROM with other activities. --Mayna Bergmann