Maps of Movies
Elf (2003)
Where Elf says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The North Pole is a Canadian hospital, and Gimbels hasn't existed since 1987: where Buddy's New York was really filmed
View on the map
Scenes and places
The North Pole workshop (2003)
A baby from an orphanage crawls into Santa's sack and is taken to the North Pole. The elves name him Buddy and Papa Elf adopts him. Growing up, he believes he is an elf, until he learns as an adult that he is human.
Set in North Pole (Santa's workshop) — Santa's workshop, where the elves raise a human baby named Buddy.
A made-up place; the real location is a closed Canadian hospital campus.
Filmed at Riverview Hospital, Coquitlam, Canada — The former hospital grounds stood in for the North Pole, including most of the interiors. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Walking out of the Lincoln Tunnel (2003)
Buddy travels to New York City to find his father. Having left the North Pole, he arrives in a magical land called New York.
Set in Lincoln Tunnel, W 39th St and 10th Ave exit — The tunnel mouth where Buddy first enters Manhattan. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A road tunnel under the Hudson River that carries traffic into Midtown Manhattan.
Filmed at Lincoln Tunnel (W 39th St / 10th Ave exit) — Filmed at the Manhattan exit of the tunnel. The coordinate is the tunnel's reference point, so it can be a few hundred metres off the exit. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Walter's office at the Empire State Building (2003)
Buddy finds Walter at his workplace, but Walter mistakes him for a Christmas-gram messenger and has him thrown out.
Set in Empire State Building — Walter Hobbs works for a publishing company in this building. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The 1931 Art Deco skyscraper on Fifth Avenue.
Filmed at Empire State Building lobby — The lobby scenes were filmed here; the office story setting is the film's own. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Gimbels department store (2003)
Buddy visits a Gimbels department store and becomes infatuated with a deadpan employee named Jovie. Hearing that Santa will visit the next day, he redecorates the store overnight.
Set in Gimbels department store (recreated) — The department store where Buddy meets Jovie and visits Santa's grotto.
The real Gimbels chain closed its Manhattan flagship in 1987.
Filmed at Textile Building, 295 Fifth Avenue — Used for the exterior of the recreated Gimbels. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Home with the Hobbs family (2003)
After a DNA test confirms Buddy is his son, Walter reluctantly takes him home to meet his stepmother Emily and half-brother Michael.
Set in Hobbs family apartment — Walter takes Buddy home to the apartment he shares with Emily and Michael. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A prewar apartment building on the west side of Central Park.
Filmed at 55 Central Park West — The building used for the Hobbs apartment exterior. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The snowball fight (2003)
Buddy wins Michael over by defeating a gang of bullies in a snowball fight. Michael then helps him ask Jovie out.
Set in Central Park, near Pine Bank Arch — Michael and Buddy face a gang of bullies in the snow.
A stone arch in the park; no coordinate was found for it in the sources used.
Skating at Rockefeller Center (2003)
Buddy takes Jovie out on a date. The plot summary gives only the date itself, not the rink.
Set in Rockefeller Center — The skating rink and tree where Buddy's date is set. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Skyscraper complex famous for its winter ice rink and Christmas tree.
Filmed at Rockefeller Center — Named as the skating-rink location by a single source. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Crossing the Queensboro Bridge (2003)
Heartbroken and ashamed after Walter lashes out, Buddy writes an apology on an Etch A Sketch and prepares to leave the city.
Set in Queensboro Bridge — The bridge Buddy walks across. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A steel cantilever bridge linking Manhattan and Queens.
Filmed at Queensboro Bridge — Named as the bridge scene location by a single source. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Back in Central Park (2003)
Buddy meets Santa in Central Park and the family finds him again.
Set in Belvedere Castle, Central Park — Buddy meets Santa in Central Park. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The park's best-known castle and fountain, both near the centre of Central Park.
Filmed at Belvedere Castle — Named as a park location by a single source. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Bethesda Terrace and Fountain — Named alongside Belvedere Castle by the same single source. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Grand Central Terminal, 42nd St entrance — Buddy at the shoeshine stand outside Grand Central. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Empire State Building, 34th St side — The shop-window nap where his father finds him. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Buddy — A human raised by Santa's elves, who goes to New York to meet his biological father.
- Walter Hobbs — Buddy's birth father, who works for a publishing company at the Empire State Building.
- Jovie — A deadpan Gimbels employee Buddy becomes infatuated with.
- Michael — Walter's son from his marriage to Emily, and Buddy's half-brother.