20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF ELF SPARKLES WITH A LIVE FILM CONCERT TOUR ACROSS 31 CITIES WORLDWIDE

Los Angeles, CA, July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nobody spreads Christmas cheer quite like Buddy the Elf! This holiday season, CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment announce a once-in-a-lifetime concert event: Elf in Concert. The tour will spread festive joy across 31 cities worldwide, as local orchestras perform John Debney’s heartwarming score live to picture, projected onto a 40-foot movie screen.

Kicking off on Nov 17 in San Jose at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, Elf in Concert will embark on a magical journey across the country. This includes performances at iconic venues such as the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on November 25^th, the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 17^th, and will culminate in a festive grand finale at McCaw Hall in Seattle on December 29^th. For the complete performance schedule, location details, and to sign up for on-sale notifications in your area, visit the official website.  

Elf is consistently ranked among the top holiday movies. Debney, who has worked on some of the most successful films of all time including The Passion of the Christ, Iron Man 2, The Jungle Book, and Hocus Pocus, expresses his enthusiasm: “I’m so thrilled to be working with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and CineConcerts on the upcoming Elf in Concert. Writing the score was a true highlight of my career. Seeing the joy that the music and film brings to audiences each year is truly wonderful. Elf has really become a modern classic and bringing this into concert halls worldwide is an absolute honor. I very much look forward to presenting this unforgettable concert experience to live audiences worldwide!”

Elf follows the charming yet unconventional Buddy, who, having been accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler, was raised among Santa’s elves. As an adult, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York in search of his real father, wearing his full elf clothing.

For dates and further information, visit the official website.

Facebook: facebook.com/ElfinConcert
Twitter: @CineConcertsLLC
Instagram: @CineConcerts
Hashtag: #ElfInConcert

CITIES / DATES

*composer John Debney conducting

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About CineConcerts – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live and digital music experiences performed with visual media, and continues to redefine entertainment. Founded by Producer/Conductor Justin Freer and Producer/Writer Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts will engage over 4.8 million people worldwide in concert presentations in over 3,000 performances in 48 countries through 2025, and recently launched CineConcerts +PLUS – a global digital network and app suite with hundreds of exclusive podcast episodes and produced content. CineConcerts continues to work with some of the most prestigious orchestras and venues in the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and more. Recent and current live and digital concert experiences include Elf in Concert, The Pinball Concert (Digital), The Polar Express in Concert, Rudy in Concert, The Passion of the Christ in Concert, The Da Vinci Code in Concert, The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, Gladiator Live, The Godfather Live, It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert, DreamWorks Animation In Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50^th Anniversary Concert Tour, Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Concert, and A Christmas Dream Live.

About Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment (WBDGTE)

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment (WBDGTE), part of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Brands, Franchises, and Experiences, is a worldwide leader in the creation, development, and licensing of location-based entertainment, live events, exhibits, and theme park experiences based on the biggest franchises, stories and characters from Warner Bros.’ film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network and more. WBDGTE is home to the groundbreaking locations of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the world, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour and countless other experiences inspired by the Wizarding World, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, FRIENDS and more. With best-in-class partners, WBDGTE allows fans around the world to physically immerse themselves inside their favorite brands and franchises.

About John Debney

John Debney’s career seemed destined for Hollywood, the son of Disney Studios producer Louis Debney, John grew up in nearby Glendale, California where he got early inspiration for film and music growing up on the Disney Studio lot. The child of two musicians, John showed an early aptitude for music and began guitar lessons at age six, later playing in rock bands throughout college. Debney earned his B.A. in Music Composition from California Institute of the Arts in 1979, and after four years immersing himself in the business at Disney Studios, Debney made a professional entry into the industry, composing for TV, working with Steven Spielberg and Mike Post on shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tiny Tunes, and Sea Quest DSV. Debney continued his hands-on training, working with Hanna-Barbera composer Hoyt Curtin, and went on to score major television projects such as which he won an Emmy for Best Main Title.

Debney’s first big film break came in 1997 with an offer to work on Liar Liar with director Tom Shadyac. With the success of this blockbuster comedy under his belt, Debney went on to work on a variety of different major films including Elf, Iron Man 2, Spy Kids (1 & 2), and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Debney and Shadyac continued to collaborate, going on to do Bruce Almighty in 2003 and the spinoff Evan Almighty together. In 2005, Debney formed a successful partnership with director Robert Rodriguez, creating scores for his movies Sin City and Machete.

Although Debney was widely known within the industry as a versatile and talented composer, the world wouldn’t discover him until he composed the landmark score for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Enticed by the idea of working on a project that held deep, spiritual meaning for him, Debney’s score, which blended symphonic orchestra, a wide range of world instruments, and the beauty of the human voice, connected on an emotional level with viewers and listeners, and rose to #1 on Billboard’s charts for Soundtrack and Christian Albums, and #19 on the Billboard Top 200. The record was certified gold by the RIAA and won the Dove award for Best Instrumental Album, as well as garnering Debney an Oscar nomination.

Shortly after the movie release, Debney premiered “The Passion of the Christ Symphony” in Rome, Italy, a highly successful performance featuring an 83-person choir and a 96-piece orchestra, plus solo musicians and guest vocalists from both the film and the classical worlds, which received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience. In the tradition of classical composers, John Debney enjoys conducting his own work and has conducted some of the world’s greatest orchestras. “A big part of the joy in what I do is that I consider it an honor to stand in front of live musicians and have the opportunity to hear my music played by these talented people.”

Debney’s most commercially successful work to date is Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau, released in 2016. Debney credits the success of the movie to the fact that both the film and the score, “Embraced the history” of the original. Long-time collaborator, Jon Favreau and John Debney have worked on a variety of films together including Elf, Zathura, Iron Man 2, and The Jungle Book. Among John Debney’s other most recent works are scores for Draft Day, Stoneheart Asylum and HISTORY’s Emmy-nominated Hatfields & McCoys as well as the HISTORY’s most recent mini-series Houdini, and A&E mini-series Bonnie & Clyde.

Considered one of the most prolific and successful composers in Hollywood, Debney has won 3 Emmy’s and been nominated for 7, he is also an Academy Award nominee, and the youngest recipient of ASCAP’s prestigious Henry Mancini Lifetime Achievement Award.

“If I’m doing my job well,” says Debney, “I need to feel it. I really try to make sure that whatever I’m doing— even if it’s a comedy—that I’m feeling it and feeling either humor or the pathos or the dramatic impact of what I’m seeing. That’s the way I approach it.”

ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc. (s23)