Her 5-year-old is autistic and afraid of crowded places. The movie "Elf" gave him enough confidence to ride an escalator, like Will Ferrell's character does for the first time.
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"Elf," which turns 20 on Tuesday, has been a game changer for my 5-year-old son, James, who has autism spectrum disorder.
Before we saw the movie "Elf" on Christmas, James feared loud, crowded public spaces, particularly the mall. This isn't uncommon for people with autism, as overstimulating environments can trigger big reactions and distressing behaviors.
One day, he decided he didn't want to go to restaurants or grocery stores anymore, finding the variables of these places too unpredictable and overwhelming. A relative insisted she take us to the mall anyway, and James started screaming at the sight of an escalator in Macy's, perplexed to see moving stairs and already unhappy about the fluorescent lighting.
Everything changed after he saw "Elf," the 2003 comedy starring Will Ferrell.
In the film, Buddy the Elf leaves the North Pole for New York in search of his birth father. When he gets to the city, he stops at Gimbels, a department store that looks a lot like Macy's, and navigates the shop in peculiar, hilarious ways: He famously stretches his legs over several escalator steps, unsure of how to use the moving stairs. Then, he hides out until the mall closes so he can properly decorate a store's display of the North Pole ahead of Santa's arrival.
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James loved these scenes and decided to act out each one during every viewing: He'd roll alongside Buddy on-screen, pretend to cut with scissors as Buddy prepares paper snowflakes, and mime running Christmas lights around a pillar.
Once we'd seen "Elf" several times, I thought James might be more enthusiastic about going to the mall again, and I was right.
We walked into Macy's, and I pointed to the escalator, which used to frighten him, and I explained that we were going to ride up it like Buddy the Elf. James' little body shook on the ascent — he was a little apprehensive, like Buddy — but it was a positive experience this time, and then he wanted to ride them again and again.
He did some rolls and traipsed around the store with glee. The warmth, joy, and winsome nature of Ferrell's character inspired confidence and adventure in my reluctant little boy, who learned through "Elf" that the mall didn't have to be scary.
We also took the elevator, another thing James previously feared, thanks to Buddy the Elf, who presses all the buttons inside an elevator so it can light up like a Christmas tree.
"Elf" has had a piece of my heart since its release two decades ago. I was 15 years old when it came out, right on the edge of childhood, but not too cool to see a family movie in theaters.
I remember laughing with my friends in our seats the moment Buddy learns he's not really an elf and collapses onto one of his friends. I bought "Elf" on DVD a year later using my babysitting money. It's perhaps the best $20 I've ever spent, as the disc still works nearly two decades later, and my kids adore the movie.
Coincidentally, James' first in-theater movie was "Barbie," also starring Ferrell. I took James to see the blockbuster film on his birthday this summer, and he was surprised to spot an older version of Buddy the Elf on screen. It was fitting that the guy who helped him face his fears around malls was there for his first cinematic experience, too.
