The Santa Clause (1994) is a Christmas film released by both Walt Disney Pictures and Hollywood Pictures, starring Tim Allen. Scott Calvin is a father who finds himself contractually bound to become Santa Claus when he unintentionally puts on the previous Santa's suit.
Plot
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a divorced father and businessman with an insolent son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd). On Christmas Eve, Charlie comes over to spend the night with him, and they go to the restaurant, read a story (The Night Before Christmas), and really feel the Christmas spirit. That night, they are awakened by a clatter (noise) on the roof. Going outside to investigate, Scott can see someone on the roof. He yells at the trespasser, which causes the man to lose his balance and fall to the ground. The incapacitated trespasser appears to be Santa Claus.
He magically disappears, but his suit remains. They find a business card in a pocket stating that if something should happen to him, someone should put on the suit, climb into the sleigh and the reindeer will take it from there. They find a sleigh and eight reindeer perched atop the house. Scott puts on the Santa suit to please Charlie, and begins delivering toys from rooftop to rooftop, thinking he was dreaming.
Their final stop is the North Pole. The head Elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz), shows him an inscription on the card which says that, upon the death of the previous occupant, whoever wears the suit assumes the identity of Santa Claus and all the responsibilities that go with it. This is the "Santa Clause," as stated by Bernard: "You put on the suit, you're the big guy." He also gives Charlie a snow globe.[1]
Scott only has eleven months, until the next Thanksgiving to get his affairs in order before becoming Santa Claus full time, which he tries to refuse. He and Charlie spend the night at the factory. The next morning they awake back in Scott's home, where the only indication of their previous night's adventure is Scott's new silk pyjamas with "SC" (Santa Claus) monogrammed on them. Scott dismisses it all as a dream.
Soon, however, Scott starts gaining weight and his boss likens him to the Pillsbury Doughboy. He develops a ravenous taste for Christmas treats, like Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. He grows a long gray beard, and shaving it off has no effect; it regrows instantly. His hair whitens, despite all attempts to dye it. He somehow knows who has been "naughty" and "nice". Children approach him with gift requests. Scott's rapid transformation worries his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and her new husband, psychiatrist Dr. Neil Miller (Judge Reinhold), who try to terminate his visitation rights to Charlie. They question Scott's mental stability, and believe that Scott's changes are attempts at getting his son to like him.
Eventually, Scott's visitation rights to Charlie are taken away. Disheartened, Scott begins to lose some of his certainty about his job as Santa. While visiting Charlie on Thanksgiving, Charlie's insistence that Scott is Santa re-awakens Scott's magic and he whisks Charlie away to the North Pole. Laura and Neil, who think Scott has kidnapped Charlie against his will, call the police, who make a massive investigation.
Meanwhile, at the North Pole, Charlie helps Scott and the elves perfect a new sled and communication devices. He calls occasionally, but this only reinforces Laura and Neil's belief that he is being held against his will. Eventually, Scott, as Santa Claus, goes on with his Christmas Eve trip, but is arrested while delivering presents to his son's home, and is accused of kidnapping Charlie. A team of rescue-elves, the ELFS, free Scott from jail by tying up the front desk guard, and fly Scott and Charlie home to his mother and stepfather, to whom Scott/Santa gives the presents they always wanted since childhood but never got: Laura gets a vintage Mystery Date game and Neil gets an Oscar Mayer "Wienie Whistle". (It was because of Neil's not getting the Wienie Whistle that he became convinced Santa didn't exist.)
Laura, realizing finally that Scott really is the new Santa, tosses the custody papers into the fireplace and welcomes Scott to come see Charlie any time he wants. Bernard tells Charlie that the snow globe is magic. Anytime he wants his father to visit, all he has to do is shake it. After ten minutes, he shakes it and Scott comes back, says he was off to Cleveland, and takes Charlie with him.
Cast
Reception
The Santa Clause was a hit, grossing over USD $144 million in the United States alone and over $189 million worldwide.[2]
It was also generally well received by critics, and holds a 79% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes film critic aggregation website.[3]
Soundtrack
Original Release Date: November 11, 1999
- Let's Go
- Believing Is Seeing
- Sash Completes The Ensemble
- Flight
- Weightless
- Away To The Window
- Bells Of Christmas
- Listen
- Goodnight, Goodnight... Don't Forget The Fire Extinguisher
- Visitation - The Drifters
- Rose Suchak Ladder
- List - Loreena McKennitt
- Elves With Attitude
- Someone In Wrapping
- Near Capture
- Comfort And Joy
- Not Over Any Oceans
- Christmas Will Return
DVD and VHS
This film has been released on VHS and standard DVD. The Santa Clause along with 2, and 3 were released in a 3-Movie DVD collection.
Sequels
The popularity of the film spawned two related sequels, The Santa Clause 2 in 2002 and Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006. Much of the character cast remains the same for each film, but with some additions.
In The Santa Clause 2, Tim Allen as Santa has been declared to be the best Claus ever, but with his son on the naughty list and the work becoming more hectic, Santa learns he must find a suitable wife or give up his duties as Santa Claus.
In The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, the North Pole and its holiday operation is threatened by the villainous Jack Frost (Martin Short), who plans to take over Christmas.[4]
References
External links
