Elf on the Shelf is going Hollywood. Netflix nabbed rights to the Christmas-themed story and will develop original live-action and animated content for the streaming service, catering to young kids and their families.
“Elf on the Shelf” originated as a rhyming children’s book that reveals how Santa determines who is naughty and nice. As the tale goes, St. Nick deploys scout elves to watch over kids between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The book comes with a stuffed elf that (kids, shield your eyes!) parents are responsible for moving around during the night to make their little ones believe Santa is watching.
Netflix, in line with the rhyming theme of “Elf on a Shelf” said, “We’re thrilled to share stories of our North Pole friends, bringing tales from the region where joy never ends! The Elf Pets, our pals, will join us, of course! You’ll get brand-new stories, straight from the source! Our love for the world will be easy to see, you’ll soon hear us sing in Italian, Thai and Hindi. While we’re hard at work creating more stories and cheer, there’s two Elf Pets specials on Netflix this year!”
Along with “Elf on the Shelf,” two existing animated short films — “Elf Pets: Santa’s Reindeer Rescue” and “Elf Pets: A Fox Cub’s Christmas Tale” — from Lumistella, the company behind Elf on a Shelf, are coming to Netflix in North America in time for the holidays.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to create immersive and engaging original stories of Santa’s North Pole while providing heartfelt family-entertainment to fans all over the world,” said Lumistella Company co-CEO and chief creative officer Chanda Bell. “We relish the opportunity to collaborate with Netflix to bring joyful family moments to life. This moment is a dream come true.”
Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee (“The Lego Movie,” “How to Train Your Dragon”) and Miri Yoon will serve as producers on all “The Elf on the Shelf” content. “The Elf on the Shelf” was created by Chanda Bell, Christa Pitts and Carol Aebersold, who will all remain involved on upcoming films and shows.
No word on whether “Mensch on a Bench” — the Jewish counterpart to Elf on a Shelf — will ever get the Netflix treatment.
Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.
