The Santa Clauses On Disney+ - Everything You Need To Know
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From 1947's heartwarming "Miracle on 34th Street" to 2022's action-packed "Violent Night," there are more movies about Santa Claus than you can shake a jingle bell at. And one of the all-time classics is 1994's "The Santa Clause," where Tim Allen plays the unfortunate Scott Calvin. Failing to read the fine print of a contract, Scott accidentally volunteers to become the new Santa after the previous one falls off his roof. The film garnered two sequels in 2002's "The Santa Clause" and 2006's "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause."
And now, the story has moved over to TV format. Over 15 years since the third film was released, the story of Scott Calvin continues in the Disney+ series "The Santa Clauses." The show began airing on November 16, 2022 and wrapped things up on December 14. Originally marketed as a limited series, the show was renewed for a second season, so fans were clearly digging it. If you haven't seen the series yet or want to look deeper into the behind-the-scenes players, read on for everything you need to know about "The Santa Clauses."
What is the plot of The Santa Clauses?
In the first season of the Disney+ series, Scott Calvin is starting to think about hanging up the old red hat. Christmas isn't quite as popular as it once was, and Scott feels that he's losing his magic. Plus, he wants to spend more time with his family — Carol/Mrs. Claus and their two kids, Buddy and Sandra. And fortunately, Scott discovers that it's totally possible for him to find a replacement (and not fall off the roof in the process) and spend more time with his wife and kids. The search for a new Santa eventually leads him to single dad Simon Choksi, but will his replacement actually restore that missing holiday cheer? Or does Scott need to rethink his plans a bit before leaving the North Pole behind? In addition to Scott's existential Christmas crisis, we get to see Carol explore some of the mysteries behind the legacy of Mrs. Claus and come into her own as the Christmas icon.
Who stars in The Santa Clauses?
Needless to say, Tim Allen reprises his classic Christmas role of Scott Calvin/Santa Claus, and he's accompanied by Elizabeth Mitchell, who played Mrs. Claus in the previous films. Eric Lloyd returns as Scott's son from his first marriage, Charlie. As for Scott and Carol's two kids, Buddy is played by Austin Kane, and Sandra is portrayed by Allen's real-life daughter, Elizabeth Allen-Dick. However, Allen says he didn't pick his daughter due to nepotism.
"I wanted to put my youngest daughter as an elf, just so she'd see herself in a movie," Allen explained to Entertainment Weekly. "But as she was reading for that, she read so well that they said, 'We'd like to read her for more of a part.' I said, 'Whatever you want to do. I want nothing to do with it. I don't want to pitch my daughter for a part in the movie.' But she ended up moving to the high ranks. They loved how she read, loved it so much, because she's playing a 13-year-old girl and she is 13. They ended up casting her as Santa's daughter. It was a surprise but it became the most amazing experience."
Kal Penn plays Simon Choksi, the man Scott eyes for his replacement, and Rupali Redd plays Simon's young daughter, Grace. David Krumholtz returns for his role of head elf Bernard, and he's joined by Matilda Lawler as Betty, Devin Bright as Noel, Sasha Knight as Crouton, and Izaac Wang as Hugo. Laura San Giacomo plays La Befana, the Christmas witch, and also keep an eye out for NFL legend Peyton Manning, "Parks and Recreation" star Jim O'Heir, and Casey Wilson, who played Sara in the original "Santa Clause" film.
Who were the directors and showrunner of The Santa Clauses?
We all know that Santa Claus delivers toys to children around the world, but who delivered "The Santa Clauses" to Disney+? Jack Burditt is the creator behind the show, and he has plenty of sitcom experience under his belt. He's worked on programs like "30 Rock," "Frasier," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," and "The Mindy Project." Plus, he's had experience working with Tim Allen as well, as he created the ABC sitcom "Last Man Standing."
As for who's directing, the episodes are divvied up between Jason Winer, Charles Randolph-Wright, and Katie Locke O'Brien. Winer has helmed episodes of shows like "Modern Family" and "Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23," along with the Russell Brand version of "Arthur." Randolph-Wright has worked on shows like "Greenleaf," "Delilah," and "South of Nowhere," while O'Brien has directed episodes in series such as "A.P. Bio," "Ghosts," and the "Saved by the Bell" reboot.
How are critics and audiences responding to The Santa Clauses?
"The Santa Clauses" is hoping to bring joy and goodwill to everyone, but were people charmed by Tim Allen's return as the jolly gift-giver? Well, sadly, most critics seem to be on the Ebenezer Scrooge side of things, as "The Santa Clauses" has a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews. As Caroline Framke of Variety put it, the show "works so desperately hard to fill out six episodes — a full three hours of Clause #content! — that it just ends up dragging its feet." Chris Wasser of the Irish Independent concurred, saying the series is "jarring and largely joyless."
However, not all critics agreed with this Grinchy take, with Brian Lowry of CNN.com writing, "The Santa Clauses doesn't bother trying to reinvent the sleigh, but it does splash a new coat of paint on it, in mostly agreeable and mildly clever ways." Most audience members seem to fall in line with Lowry's opinion, as the series has a 63% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 155 reviews. The general vibe is pretty similar on IMDb, where the series boasts a 6.3 stars out of 10, based on over 4,000 reviews.
What is The Santa Clauses rated?
Between the two major Santa Claus offerings of 2022 — "The Santa Clauses" and David Harbour's "Violent Night" — you can probably guess which one is rated R and which one isn't. Yeah, "The Santa Clauses" is the one made with all ages in mind. Keeping in the tradition of the films, "The Santa Clauses" is rated TV-PG, which means it's appropriate for all families.
Where to watch The Santa Clauses and the Santa Clause movies
If you haven't seen Season 1 of "The Santa Clauses" yet, don't worry — you don't have to travel all the way up to the North Pole. Instead, you just need to visit Disney+, where all six episodes are nestled safely amongst other beloved holiday offerings.
But what if you want to revisit the previous films in the franchise? Well, never fear. We've got you covered. The film that started it all, 1994's "The Santa Clause," is also available on Disney+. If you're more in the renting mood, you can find the film for $3.99 on Amazon Video, Apple iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.
The sequel finds Tim Allen's Scott Calvin looking for the future Mrs. Claus while dealing with the fact that his son's now on the naughty list. You can stream 2002's "The Santa Clause 2" on Disney+, or you can rent it for $3.99 on Amazon Video, Apple iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.
Finally, the third film in the franchise, "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," finds Scott Calvin getting fooled by that ice cold trickster, Jack Frost (Martin Short), into giving up the mantle of Santa Claus. It doesn't help matters that Scott's in-laws are visiting the North Pole either. Find the third film on Disney+, or rent it for $3.99 on Amazon Video, Apple iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.