Will Ferrell says holiday classic ‘Elf’ continues to ‘grow’ 20 years later

Will Ferrell has opened up about the impact of Elf even after 20 years.

In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, Will shared his gratitude for being part of the movie.

He said, “It’s really quite special. I mean, it continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and it continues to kind of entrench itself as kind of a holiday classic for people. I’m so lucky to have a movie like that in my catalog.”

The actor added that the film means so much to the people “not only during the holidays, but year-round. I have people come to me saying, ‘We watch Elf on July 4th. We just love it.'”

“So that’s what’s so great about what I get to do. You never really have an idea of what’s going to land with people, and I love the fact that this movie continues to resonate in a way that’s pretty incredible,” Will added.

Released in 2003 and directed by Jon Favreau, Elf follows Buddy the Elf, a human raised at the North Pole, as he ventures to New York City to find his father.