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Date: 12/19/2022
On Disney+: “The Santa Clauses”
Growing up, there were a few holiday movies my family would watch annually. One of those movies was “The Santa Clause” starring Tim Allen. As the years passed, more “Santa Clause” movies were released – three in total – and while each member of my family had a movie in the series they preferred, we would still watch them all with great enthusiasm.
I am always nervous when a movie or series reboot comes out. Nine times out of 10, the new storyline will not live up to the nostalgia of the original(s). While I did find this is the case with the new limited series “The Santa Clauses” that Disney+ released, I still enjoyed myself as I watched Allen don the Santa suit and step foot into his elf-filled workshop once again.
The first three films
If readers have not watched the original movies, I highly suggest watching them before checking out “The Santa Clauses.” Disney+ is host to all three films: “The Santa Clause,” “The Santa Clause 2,” and “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.” The first three movies follow Scott Calvin (Allen) as he – a recently divorced, single parent who has a corporate job working for a toy company – accidentally catches Santa on his roof. When Santa falls off the roof, Scott checks his pockets for identification and finds a card that simply states, “If something should happen to me, put on my suit, the reindeer will know what to do.”
Scott dons the suit – and before he knows it – he is Santa Claus. With the job, though, comes several struggles. The first being – Scott doesn’t want the job, is in denial for a long time, and almost loses custody of his son because of the magical career.
For those who have watched the films, as the title suggests, this isn’t just about Santa Claus – it’s about clauses: also known as stipulations or contracts. In the first movie, the clause Scott must reckon with is the fine print that was not visible on the original Santa’s identification card that explains, as head elf Bernard said plainly, “You put on the suit, you’re the big guy.”
In the second movie, Scott finds out about the “Mrs. clause,” which is self-explanatory. In the third, he learns of the “escape clause,” where a rival hoodwinks Scott into professing he doesn’t want to be Santa anymore.
“The Santa Clauses”
Now to present-day – newly released “The Santa Clauses,” focuses in on another clause: one that was created for Scott, should he wish to retire. At this point, Scott has been Santa for 28 years. His child, Charlie, who was in the first three films is now in his mid-30s, and Scott has two additional children with Mrs. Carol Calvin-Claus (Elizabeth Mitchell) – his son Buddy “Cal” Claus (Austin Kane) and his daughter Sandra Calvin-Claus (Elizabeth Allen-Dick, Tim Allen’s real-life daughter.)
With a few accidents – Scott has come to realize he isn’t as young as he once was, and perhaps it is time for him to hang up his Santa hat and coat. He first looks to Charlie to keep Santa in the family – but Charlie admits to his father that he doesn’t want to raise his children at the North Pole.
What ensues are Santa interviews: candidates selected from all over – including a funny former NFL player’s cameo – when Scott chooses his successor. Unfortunately for Scott, he does not choose correctly.
Once Scott’s successor is in place, he and his family move to Chicago to live a “normal life.” This is a first for both children, as they have only ever known life at the North Pole. On top of this, it is the first time in roughly 20 years that Karen Calvin-Claus has felt as though she has her own identity. For two decades she has been known to the public only as Mrs. Claus – no first name, no career other than being Santa’s wife. She welcomed the opportunity to have agency over her life again.
The family soon finds, though, that the North Pole is in peril – and they are the only ones who can save it.
The good, the bad and the ugly
I felt the new series is a bit of a mixed bag. For me – a holiday enthusiast who can find the good in almost any Christmas movie – I did enjoy several parts of the six-episode series. For one, getting Tim Allen back on my screen and in a Santa suit was certainly welcome. I’m a fan of other movies and television shows he’s in: “Christmas with the Kranks,” “Home Improvement,” and my father’s personal favorite that I do get a kick out of – “Wild Hogs.” His jokes usually land with me, and I appreciate much of the adult-humor or one-liners that are riddled throughout all the “Santa Clause” movies and episodes.
One aspect to the series that I didn’t care for was the lack of continuity in the set. When I have watched reboots of other shows, such as “Gilmore Girls,” they took great care at making the sets almost identical. Sure – a few rooms had a different shade of paint, a new sofa or some updates – but the bones of the rooms were the same. Santa’s workshop was so vastly different in the reboot – I barely saw any similarities to how it appeared in the third movie, aside from the iconic Santa mouth fireplace.
I also did not care much for the elves in the reboot. In each movie, and the episodes as well, the elves are portrayed by children, with the exception of former head elf Bernard (David Krumholtz). While I thought the performance of new head elf Betty (Matilda Lawler) was well done, all the other elves fell flat. It is common in the Santa Clause series for the elves to make occasional jokes, but it felt like each line coming out of every elf was a joke. It was trying too hard – it was too much.
And finally, perhaps the largest disappointment for me of all, was that Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Liliana Mumy and Spencer Breslin did not come back to reprise their respective roles of Neil (Scott’s ex-wife’s new husband), Laura Miller (Scott’s ex-wife), Lucy (Neil and Laura’s daughter,) and Curtis – who served as head elf in the third movie. In particular, Judge Reinhold and Wendy Crewson are such a large part of the first three movies that it was disappointing to not have them back on screen. I read that Tim Allen commented there were just too many people and storylines that they couldn’t include them all, which I understand.
All in all, if you’re a fan of Tim Allen or the “Santa Clause” franchise, I am sure you will find something to laugh at or enjoy in this new series. It is certainly not as iconic as the original – but it is a fun ending to the Calvin-Claus family chapter.