Jim Parsons Will Star in New Elf Animated Christmas Special, Based on Film & Broadway Musical

Buddy’s going from the big screen, to Broadway to TV! Four-time Emmy winner and Great White Way alum Jim Parsons will star in the NBC animated holiday event Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas, an all-new retelling of the Yuletide favorite. The hour-long special, which will take on the look and feel of stop-motion animated Christmas specials, is set to air on December 16. It will combine elements of the 2003 film and the musical adaptation, which premiered on Broadway in 2010.

Elf tells the story of Buddy, a human orphan raised by Santa Claus at the North Pole, who believes he is a Christmas elf. When Buddy learns the identity of his true parents, he sets out to New York City to find his birth father. The musical adaptation features music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and a book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan.

Parsons has taken home four Emmy Awards for his performance as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. His additional screen credits include The Normal Heart, Garden State and Wish I Was Here. He has appeared on Broadway in Harvey and The Normal Heart.

In addition to Parsons, the special will also include the vocal talents of an all-star cast including Broadway vets Mark Hamill, Ed Asner and Gilbert Gottfried, as well as Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Kate Micucci, Rachel MacFarlane, Max Charles and Steve Higgins.