Elf Me is a 2023 Italian Christmas adventure-comedy directed by the filmmaking collective Younuts, and written by Gabriele Mainetti, Giovanni Gualdoni, Leonardo Ortolani, Marcello Cavalli, and Tommaso Renzoni. It premiered in Rome on November 15, 2023, before releasing internationally on Prime Video on November 24, 2023, dubbed into eight languages. The film stars Lillo as Trip, an accident-prone Christmas elf who gets laid off from Santa’s workshop for building weapons instead of toys, and teams up with Elia (Federico Ielapi), a bullied 10-year-old from a small Alpine village, to save Christmas from a ruthless toy tycoon.
The story was originally conceived as a much edgier concept — an elf who builds weapons rather than toys — by comic book author Giovanni Gualdoni, who pitched it to Mainetti during the promotion of his 2015 hit They Call Me Jeeg. The pair reworked it into a family-friendly holiday film once Amazon came aboard.
Quick Facts
| Director | Younuts |
| Writers | Gabriele Mainetti, Giovanni Gualdoni, Leonardo Ortolani, Marcello Cavalli, Tommaso Renzoni |
| Composers | Michele Braga, Gabriele Mainetti, Emanuele Bossi |
| Starring | Lillo, Anna Foglietta, Federico Ielapi, Claudio Santamaria |
| Studio / Distributor | Amazon Prime Video (produced by Goon Films & Lucky Red) |
| Release date | November 24, 2023 (international); November 15, 2023 (Rome premiere) |
| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy |
| Runtime | 99 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Budget | €8 million |
Who Composed the Elf Me Soundtrack?
- Michele Braga (born April 11, 1977) is an Italian composer known for They Call Me Jeeg (2015), Dogman (2018, which earned him a David di Donatello nomination), Rose Island (2020), and Freaks Out (2021, co-composed with Mainetti).
- Gabriele Mainetti (born November 7, 1976) is an Italian actor, director, composer, and producer best known for directing They Call Me Jeeg and Freaks Out. He co-wrote, produced, and co-composed Elf Me, and even stepped in to direct a few individual scenes.
- Emanuele Bossi rounds out the film’s three-way composing credit.
Elf Me Soundtrack List
The 21-track score from the Elf Me (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) album:
- Gli Elfi Laboriosi (1:26)
- Trip e Babbo Natale (2:20)
- Evil Puppet (2:13)
- Elia e la Mamma (1:06)
- Ciocca Suite (2:30)
- Slittino (3:29)
- Ciocca Sente le Voci (2:04)
- Fuga dai bulli (0:50)
- Volo in Bicicletta (2:27)
- Golem (5:05)
- L’Oca (5:05)
- Al Negozio di Mia Madre (0:46)
- La Trottola (1:54)
- Il Pacco Volante (1:42)
- I Doni per Combattere (1:56)
- Elia e il Papà (2:28)
- La Melma (1:23)
- Trip Alone (0:51)
- La Carta dell’Elfo (1:32)
- Battaglia per Trip (0:59)
- Elfi Renne e Addii (0:48)
You can check out this soundtrack on various platforms, including Amazon Music and Spotify.
Where to Stream Elf Me
The film streams exclusively on Prime Video. The soundtrack is available on Amazon Music and Spotify. (External Link: Film Music Reporter)
Cast
- Lillo as Trip
- Anna Foglietta as Ivana
- Federico Ielapi as Elia
- Giorgio Pasotti as Elia’s father
- Caterina Guzzanti as Brina
- Claudio Santamaria as Ciocca / Santa Claus
- Fabio Rovazzi in a supporting role as the North Pole speaker
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed Elf Me?
Younuts, an Italian directing collective, directed the film. Gabriele Mainetti — one of the writers, producers, and composers — also stepped in to direct a handful of individual scenes.
Who composed the Elf Me score?
Michele Braga, Gabriele Mainetti, and Emanuele Bossi share the composing credit.
Where can I watch Elf Me?
Prime Video, exclusively — it’s dubbed into eight languages for its international release.
Is Elf Me connected to Gabriele Mainetti’s other films like Freaks Out?
Not in story, but in creative team: Mainetti and Michele Braga previously worked together scoring Freaks Out (2021) and They Call Me Jeeg (2015), and Mainetti cast Freaks Out and Jeeg star Claudio Santamaria as Elf Me’s villain.
Is Elf Me based on a book?
No. It’s an original story conceived by comic book author Giovanni Gualdoni and reworked with Gabriele Mainetti, Leonardo Ortolani, and Marcello Cavalli.
Related reading: Browse the Prime Video hub or the Movie Soundtrack hub for more.