This holiday season, Ryan Reynolds really wants to make sure fans know that the upcoming Apple TV+ feature Spirited, in which he stars alongside Will Ferrell, is in fact NOT Elf. In a promo clip released to the Deadpool star’s Twitter account, fans see the Christmasy duo seated by a roaring fire and speaking about their holiday feature. Unfortunately, Reynolds hasn’t been bitten by the holiday spirit bug quite yet, as he lets out a big “this sucks” at the beginning.
Diving in to help his co-star, Ferrell asks “what’s wrong?” before Reynolds reveals his biggest fear for the film: that audiences will be let down because it isn’t Elf. Assuaging his worries, Ferrell tells Reynolds that viewers won’t be “expecting Elf.” But, this does little to help Reynolds who refers to Spirited as “a musical from two guys with questionable pitch.” We love the brutal honesty and self-awareness! Breaking it down, Ferrell lists what the film is and isn’t before the promo comes to a close.
While it may not be a sequel to 2003’s Elf, Spirited promises to put an entirely new swing on the holiday genre with the two kings of banter-heavy comedy at the head of it all. Telling a new version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (and in toe-tapping musical form nonetheless) Spirited shares the story from the Ghost of Christmas Present’s (Ferrell) perspective. Setting out on his yearly seasonal haunting to transform the life of one greedy and crabby holiday hater, Christmas Present soon finds his match in Clint Briggs (Reynolds). While trying to help Briggs make big changes in his life, the specter will find his own existence under the microscope when Briggs challenges the messages the ghost has been preaching over all of these years.
Also starring Octavia Spencer, the film features an ensemble cast including Sunita Mani, Joe Tippett, Aimee Carrero, Jen Tullock, and Marlow Barkley. The Apple TV+ feature marks a reunion for Ferrell and director Sean Anders who previously worked together on the Daddy’s Home films. Anders is also known for his work behind such comedies as Horrible Bosses 2 and Hot Tub Time Machine. Anders co-wrote the feature with frequent collaborator John Morris (Daddy’s Home, We’re the Millers). Dear Evan Hansen and La La Land composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul penned the film’s score with the toe-tapping numbers choreographed by Chloe Arnold (The Late Late Show with James Corden).
While he may not be reprising his role as Buddy the Elf, Ferrell can be seen sporting a green suit during parts of the film’s trailer, which you can see below. Check out the promo bit for Spirited and catch the feature when it hits theaters on November 11 and lands on Apple TV+ on November 18. Check out the new promo below:
