by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I can vividly remember specific movie-going experiences. This is particularly true during the years when there were no assigned seats, and you had to get to the theater quickly because you risked having bad seats, or not being able to sit with everyone you went with. The movies I have the most memories of waiting in a giant line outside the theater for include The Mummy (the Brendan Fraser one), Pearl Harbor, all the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, and The Santa Clause.
Tim Allen was at the height of his powers when The Santa Clause came out. He was riding high on his TV show, Home Improvement, and Disney was in an era where their live action movies were must-watch, and weren’t just remakes of their animated movies. This is arguably part of Disney’s best stretch of live action movies, sporting original and fun movies that millennials hold as gospel when it comes to the best that film has to offer.
Disney is currently in the era where their original stuff goes straight to Disney animation, and these movies from the 1990s are being mined solely for their nostalgic appeal. That’s what makes The Santa Clauses so unfortunate.
We pick up with Scott Calvin (Allen) over 20 years into his tenure as Santa Claus. Scott is still happily married to Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell), and they have two kids who have spent their entire lives at the North Pole, so they know only prepping for Christmas. When Scott begins to feel his magic fade, he begins to contemplate retirement and passing the mantle of Santa Claus on to someone else. Among the options is Simon (Kal Penn), an inventor and tech entrepreneur who strives to make Christmas happen every day for people all around the world.
I have to give Allen credit: he’s still got it for Santa. This is a Santa who has just gotten better with age, and Allen is still amazing for the role. Mitchell is my most valuable Claus though. She grounds the family, while also being the voice of reason. She’s also given some strong plot points about what it means to be Santa’s wife, and how she doesn’t get a lot of spotlight as Mrs. Claus. I didn’t come to this series with hopes of patriarchal commentary, but I am here for it.
If you are a fan of any of the previous Santa Clause movies, you’ll be happy to see some old favorites and references to events in each of the movies. I will give The Santa Clauses credit for not beating us over the head with cameos and references to the previous movies. The cameos are used in small ways, and they don’t overshadow the principal cast too much. Disney is trying to pull a fast one, though, making it seem like certain characters won’t show up. We all know they’ll be there. It’s just a matter of how much time we get and in what capacity.
Penn is a fun addition to this cast, and Simon’s story carries the most emotion. His performance is amplified by the addition of Grace (Rupali Redd), Simon’s daughter. Redd brings some much needed heart to a show that lacks some of its previous magic. Redd and Penn have wonderful chemistry, and I found myself wanting to see more of their interaction and story together. Instead, Simon’s tech entrepreneurship has some unexpected and oddly placed commentary on the tech industry and the use of drones to help deliver Christmas presents instead of Santa.
Where The Santa Clauses ultimately fails is with two aspects. The first is ticky-tack, but I couldn’t stand the elves. It was too much for me, and it just made me miss Bernard (David Krumhotlz), because he wasn’t so over-the-top with his performance. I do feel a little bad because it’s kids doing the best they can with the material given, but the elves were just too much for me. The only elf that brings something to the story is Betty (Matilda Lawler). She grounds the rest of the elves, probably because she is the one who has to enforce a lot of the rules around the North Pole.
The second aspect is the lack of conviction in the original premise of the story. With Scott looking to retire, we could have had a fascinating look at the importance of legacy and how to properly pass on the mantle. We get a limited look at what a Claus family out of the North Pole and into the real world looks like, which yields mildly funny results. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of the story that I enjoyed. When Scott is taken through the Yuleverse (trademark pending), it is a great look for the audience to see Santas in other cultures, and Santas from previous periods. This part also showcases why selecting the correct Santa successor is so important. Instead, we get a rushed selection and a finale that doesn’t even follow its own rules. I was mostly on board for most of the season, but the ending put a sour taste on what the show was ultimately building up to.
I won’t begrudge anyone who makes The Santa Clauses part of their annual Christmas traditions. If you were a fan of the movies, there’s a lot to mine here for nostalgia. The performances are generally fine, and I do concede it is nice to see Allen back in the Santa Claus coat. The ending ruins the series for me, and if this somehow gets a Season Two, I hope that consequences are semi-addressed for what happens. The Santa Clause will continue to be part of the Christmas rotation, but The Santa Clauses will be left out in the cold.
Score: 5/10
The Santa Clauses is currently streaming on Disney+
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