Will Ferrell stars as the ultimate fish out of water, Buddy, who as a baby crawls into Santa's toy bag and is whisked off to the North Pole, where he is raised as an elf. A misfit who grows to be three times the size of his elf family, Buddy ultimately heads to his birthplace of New York City to seek out his roots. Unfortunately, they turn out to be a "Scrooge"-like father (James Caan) and a cynical eight-year-old stepbrother who doesn't believe in Santa. Worst of all, everyone seems to have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. But using his simple elf ways, Buddy sets out to single-handedly win over his family and save Christmas in New York, hoping to at last find his true place in the world. In addition to Ferrell and Caan, the film features an all-star ensemble cast led by Ed Asner as Santa Claus, Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen and Zooey Deschanel.