The stop-motion, hour-long animated special features the voice of four-time Emmy Award winner Parsons as Buddy. The voice cast also includes Mark Hamill, Ed Asner, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Gilbert Gottfried, Kate Micucci, Rachael MacFarlane, Max Charles and Steve Higgins.
"Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas" airs at 8 PM ET. Check local listings.
The critics are filing their reviews and Playbill.com will continue to update as reviews come in.
The special, according to press notes, is "an all-new retelling of Buddy’s delightfully absurd yet heartwarming story and blends the look and feel of the stop-motion animated Christmas specials of the past with the sharp sensibility of the modern-day classic holiday film. …Santa narrates 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."
The score is composed by Matthew Sklar and Christopher Guardino with songs from Elf: The Musical by Sklar and Chad Beguelin. There are nine songs in the special, including “Happy All the Time,” “A Christmas Song” and “Nobody Cares About Santa Claus.”
“Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas” is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh. It features a teleplay by Thomas Meehan, Bob Martin, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Watch previews from the special below: