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Santa Claus Movies

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Quick Reviews:

"The Night They Saved Christmas" (1984 TV Movie)
"Santa Claus" (1958 Film)
"The Santa Clause" (1994 Film)
"The Santa Clause 2" (2002 Film)
"Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (2006 Film)

The Night They Saved Christmas (1984):  This is a made-for-television movie starring Jaclyn Smith.   It was done so well that it could have been released in theaters.  Art Carney (Norton from "The Honeymooners") plays Santa Claus and Paul Williams (singer/songwriter and Little Enos from "Smokey and the Bandit") plays his chief elf Ed who recruit Jaclyn Smith's character and her family for help in saving the hidden North Pole workshop.  The story was so well thought-out that it almost gets you believing that something like this could actually exist!  There is quite a plot to this movie and I enjoy the cast!  In addition, June Lockhart plays Mrs. Claus, which is great!

Santa Claus (1958):  This film was made in Mexico and is quite good for production values, writing, and acting.  There are some things about this film that may strike many non-Mexican viewers as bizarre, but it does make the film worth watching:

Santa Claus vs. The Devil
Santa has white robotic reindeer that start like a wind-up toy.
Santa lives in a castle in outer space.
There are no elves that help Santa, only real children from all around the world.

The Santa Clause (1994):  Tim Allen is fantastic as Santa Clause!  What a unique concept.  He becomes the new Santa Claus by accidentally killing the previous Santa.  Scott Calvin magically grows fatter and jollier, finding happiness in life again as Santa Claus.  There are a lot of clever gag ideas throughout the production.  I love this film, but there are a few things that bug me that I don't really like in Santa movies.  Scott Calvin, i.e. Santa Claus, is divorced and his young son doesn't really like him.  Charlie, his son, keeps getting upset with him and you're thinking:  "Man, all these people have got to give Santa a break!".
The Santa Clause 2 (2002):  By leaps and bounds, even better than the original!  Scott Calvin has been Santa Claus for awhile.  He's starting to lose his magical powers, though, because he needs to find a Mrs. Claus in order to still be Santa Claus.  Of course there is a deadline, as stipulated by the mysterious "Santa Clause".  Scott goes back to see his son, his ex-wife, and her new husband while searching for a potential bride.  Who he finds for a bride surprises everyone, even Scott himself.  What's really neat is that you get to see other mythical childhood figures like the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Dan Cupid, etc.  The Tooth Fairy actually has a pretty substantial part and helps Santa out.  Meanwhile, up at the North Pole, a robotic Santa is taking over and acting like slavemaster to the elves.  Will Santa find a bride before his magic is depleted and time runs out?  In addition, will he stop the evil Santa from ruining Christmas forever?

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006):  I really enjoyed this movie.  The Santa Clause films keep getting better!  Elizabeth Mitchell, who plays Mrs. Claus in 2 and 3 is a delight.  Tim Allen has pretty much become America's most famous onscreen Santa Claus, and for good reason: he's great at it!  Martin Short as Jack Frost is great as the latest addition to the mythical characters line-up.  Jack Frost is a likable antagonist.  I think the robot Santa from 2 was almost a bit too mean.  Jack's a bit lighter and funnier, and he mellows out at the end.

    The sets are better than ever.  This is the North Pole we wish we could always see in Santa Claus films.  A lot of attention to detail there...a lot of money, too.

    Ann-Margret and Alan Arkin as Scott Calvin's (Santa) in-laws are great new additions.  All this and Santa and Mrs. Claus have a new baby: Buddy Claus!

    All in all, this is a wonderful family film.  G-rated, and entirely appropriate, yet fully entertaining.