Earlier this month we heard some intriguing rumours about a Bill Murray Christmas special, and although that doesn’t seem likely to be arriving in time for this holiday season, there is another Christmas special coming this year that may be of interest. Jon Favreau’s 2003 film Elf starring Will Ferrell has developed a pretty strong following over the years, becoming an annual tradition for many. The movie has even spawned a Broadway musical which toured the U.S. in 2012 and looks to be doing the same again this year. In addition, there is also a new Elf animated spin-off that will be coming to NBC in December. Sadly, Will Ferrell is not involved, but instead The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons will take his place.

According to Deadline, Jim Parsons will star in NBC’s upcoming stop-motion animated holiday special Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. The special will be directed by Seamus Walsh (It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!) and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The plot synopsis is as follows:

“Santa narrates the story of Buddy’s travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Along the way his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father’s eyes to the magic of Christmas.”

The show is expected to feature a total of nine musical numbers from the Broadway version with a voice cast that also includes Mark Hamill, Rachael MacFarlane, Ed Asner, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer and Gilbert Gottfried. Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas will air on NBC on December 16th at 8pm. Do you plan on checking this out?