Comedian Will Ferrell was already a household name in the States, but the rest of the world was introduced to him as Elf in Jon Favreau's "bracingly subversive" Christmas comedy about a human baby raised as one of Santa's little helpers. It scored a big thumbs up with critics and audiences alike and, since its release a year ago, Ferrell has become the hardest working actor in Hollywood. He'll next be seen in Woody Allen's Melinda And Melinda.

Christmas Spirit

This two-disc DVD package is spilling over with goodies for the kids, including an interactive Fun And Games section where pint-sized movie fans can re-enact scenes from the movie - the best of which is The Race Down Mount Icing. In a section especially devoted to all things Christmassy, kids give their views on the holiday season while Christmas In Tinseltown goes behind-the-scenes of the town's flashiest production.

Reams of behind-the-scenes footage and cast and crew interviews bulk out the All Access section. There's a special attention to younger viewers in Film School For Kids, as everyone from director to prop master explains their role on the set. For a more in-depth look at how the look of the film was achieved, production designer Rusty Smith explains all in How They Made The North Pole. Meanwhile Lights, Camera, Puffin! throws the spotlight on the process of stop-motion animation, a technique employed for characters like puffin, troll and the Narwhal whale.

Will Ferrell's video diary - which follows the star on a typical day of shooting - is perhaps the most engaging of all the featurettes as it captures the switch between his madcap onscreen persona and the low-key style that characterises him when the cameras aren't rolling. That's not to say Ferrell is a faker, for as he puts it: "I'm a fan of playing comedy as real as possible rather than trying to be overtly funny."

All The Trimmings

Cameras follow director Jon Favreau into the editing suite with Dan Lebental as they cut the film together in That's A Wrap. He's remarkably unselfconscious in explaining what he's doing, while he's doing it, but it's clear he relishes the task. In his own words, shooting the film is merely "shopping for groceries" while "post-production is cooking the meal." Thankfully this wasn't a turkey dinner.

Favreau expounds a little more on his philosophy of film editing in commentary for eight deleted and extended scenes. Most of these were cut to preserve pace, although they boast some priceless character moments like Buddy (Ferrell) violently barging his fellow elves during an ice hockey match. In fact this scene was cut because it was deemed "a little too brutal" and risked alienating younger viewers.

Favreau serves up more behind-the-scenes trivia in a casually instructive feature commentary while Ferrell delivers an alternative, and surprisingly sedate, track. Wrapping up the package is Elf Jukebox, in which Favreau explains the movie's wide-ranging musical cues - but for a good old-fashioned Christmas sing-a-long check out Elf Karaoke in the fun-and-games section. With something for movie fans young and old, this two-disc release of Elf makes for a hefty stocking filler this Christmas.

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