Did the ELF movie disabled make fun of disabled people?

Elf Movie Disabled

The human infant Buddy is raised by elves in the beloved Christmas film Elf from 2003. Except for a fight with a dwarf, he does not make fun of persons with disabilities. Yet, some claim that the figure makes fun of persons with disabilities. These claims are a recent development, and it is unlikely that they will actually destroy the cherished classic holiday film. The Elf was a huge hit, both critically and commercially, when it came out. To this day, it is still a significant Christmas tradition, and numerous TV channels and online services compete for the privilege to air it. So, let’s find out elf movie disabled views from different people

In the 2003 movie Buddy, a human child is raised by elves.

He is a baby who ends up at an orphanage after his mother, Susan, passes away. Walter, his father, is unaware of his existence. Santa Claus makes the journey from the North Pole to Earth during the Christmas season to spread holiday cheer and gifts.

When Santa stops by the orphanage, Buddy is enthralled by the presents and crawls inside his luggage. Buddy is unknowingly carried back to the North Pole by Santa. The elves decide to keep Buddy and raise him after finding him. After the brand of diapers he is wearing, they give him the name Buddy. Buddy develops with the elves, who adopt him as one of their own. He is given the task of making toys, but his work is subpar. Hence, they assign him the duty of evaluating toys that he isn’t particularly fond of.

Elf movie disabled: Later, he returns to Earth in search of his father.

When Buddy is occupied with his chores on one occasion, he overhears a conversation that suggests his father, Walter, is still alive and employed in New York. As a result, he makes the decision to go look for his father. He is permitted to go by the elves, but they caution him of certain risks. Buddy goes to Walter’s workplace in New York to make his claim that he is his son. He is immediately ejected. Later, he finds himself in police custody, and Walter is forced to come and save him. A DNA test is later conducted, and the results show that he is indeed his son. 

After that, Walter drives him to his house so he may meet his wife and kid, who is in high school. Elf movie disabled spends a lot of time talking about Buddy’s difficulties relating to others and his immature, childish actions. He eventually irritates his father to the point where he disowns him. They later make amends at the conclusion in a display of the Christmas spirit. Moreover, Buddy marries Jovie, a worker at a department shop, and they have a child together. Apart from a fight with a dwarf, Buddy never makes fun of people with disabilities.

Elf movie disabled: Did buddy really make fun of the disabled? 

Buddy doesn’t make fun of those with disabilities. But he gets into a fight with Miles Finch, a dwarf. Finch, a children’s book author, arranges a meeting with Buddy’s father to go over a possible publishing agreement. Buddy enters the conference and believes that he is an elf based on Finch’s size. He continues to refer to Finch as an elf, which enrages the author, who then lists his money and possessions. And he begs Buddy to stop referring to him as an elf. Finch storms out of the meeting as Buddy continues, once calling him an irate elf. As a result, Buddy’s father disowns him out of rage.

ELF
Image Credit: lolalambchops

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, dwarfism is a disability. Buddy may have made fun of people with disabilities, but it is essential to remember that he did it out of misinformation about Finch rather than with malice. Others claim that Buddy’s character is offensive to people with disabilities.

Elf movie disabled: What is this movie all about?

Since Elf’s release twenty years ago, it has grown to be a significant Christmas tradition. Nonetheless, some criticism has surfaced recently. According to a 2021 opinion piece, Buddy’s portrayal in Elf movie disabled as a person with cognitive impairment makes light of disabled folks. Buddy lived in both the Elf and human worlds, so it’s clear that he knows precisely how to behave in each. He can’t actually produce toys in the world of the elves, and they refer to him as special, a derogatory term for individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, he behaves immaturely in the human world. He tops his pasta with M&Ms and maple syrup. He occasionally consumes cotton buds as well. Because of all this, his father describes him as “chemically unbalanced,” a “deranged Elven man,” and “certifiably insane.”

This is said to be equivalent to making fun of persons with disabilities without including them in the joke. Also, Buddy should have been clearly identified as having a disability, according to the opinion piece. Nonetheless, some people think Buddy was acting innocently, naively, and unassumingly and that his character is not disrespectful.

When was Elf last broadcast on television?

Elf’s most recent television appearance was in 2016. It hasn’t been on extraterrestrial TV since that time. It is only now solely accessible on a few TV stations during the holidays. For instance, Sky TV’s Sky Cinema Christmas channel will be available in the UK in December 2022 for viewers to watch Elf. At the same time, it was also accessible on AMC, also known as the American Movie Classic channel.

Elf Movie Disabled
Image Credit: No film School

Does Netflix have Elf Movie Disabled?

Currently, Netflix does not have Elf. Elf used to be available on the platform for a while, but as of 2020, it is no longer. This is most likely the result of an impasse between Netflix and the production company, New Line Cinema, regarding an agreement. Yet, there is a strong chance that Elf will return to Netflix in the future.

People always want to see this renowned movie throughout the Christmas season. So, it is reasonable to assume that Netflix will continue to speak with Elf movie disabled creators about bringing the show back to their platform.

Elf: Where Can I See It?

Elf is available on streaming services like HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Fubu. If you want to see this fantastic movie, you must first subscribe. Elf is also available on cable networks like DirecTV, TruTV, TBS, and TNT. Also, it is accessible on Google Play, YouTube, Redbox, iTunes, Apple TV, and Vudu. On some of these platforms, you have the opportunity to buy the movie outright, while on others, you may only rent it. This is a dynamic list. Elf movie disabled creators are still in negotiations, and new platforms may eventually run it, while others may lose the right to air it.

Why Should A Fictional Character Be Outed?

Will Ferrell’s portrayal of Buddy the Elf in the Insider story “outs” him as having a cognitive handicap. He’s just a fictional character, so who cares, right? Wrong. The truth is that it’s crucial that we avoid mislabeling fictitious characters. Assume the article I’m responding to garnered positive feedback; assuming five million people said, “Yes, right on. The Elf was not suitable! Then, each of those five million people may inform two further friends about that viewpoint. We utilize fictional characters as one of many cultural tools to analyze the world, so today, we need to discuss Buddy the Elf and explain why he is absolutely not cognitively impaired or on the autism spectrum.

The fact that this was published (albeit as an “opinion piece”) by such a well-known newspaper is a bigger problem than the fact that I believe the author erred in doing this.

Given that I spent six years in college earning two degrees in writing, in part through analyzing stuff like this, I gave this article some thought as to why it immediately made me angry. What’s wrong with thinking critically about something, even if it’s not true? But that’s exactly the issue—rather than being presented as an opinion. This was instead presented as a general judgement that has an impact on a large number of individuals. It’s a warning from a famous movie, not someone addressing a suspicion and playing with an idea.

In addition, it’s an accusing outing of a character who claims that a beloved movie is “making fun of disabled people” when it’s actually not doing that. It’s not a well-thought-out critique or a critical thought piece.

Why does Elf purportedly reveal a more significant overall issue?

Buddy clearly does not have autism, but it does not diminish the experiences of those who have been denied rights because of traits similar to those Buddy possesses. Buddy’s excitement and perplexing actions, if anything, normalize various personality types. It encourages people to cease criticizing other people when they look at them. The idea that Buddy is autistic has been raised previously, not just in this Insider article. Several autism blogs have also ridden this little mini-train, as did HuffPost in 2016. The fact that this new hot take completely misses the mark and transforms an assumption into a significant judgment, however, is what makes it so ridiculous. Nevertheless, isn’t that what assumptions inevitably lead to?

Conclusion 

This is all we got for the elf movie disabled. We hope you enjoy the reading. For more updates and writing pieces similar to this, please bookmark the page. You can also tell us about the next topic in the comment section!

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