The Santa Clause

1994
U
1h 37m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

140K

YOUR RATING

Tim Allen and Eric Lloyd in The Santa Clause (1994)

Play trailer1:43

8 Videos

99+ Photos

Body Swap Comedy High-Concept Comedy Holiday Comedy Holiday Family Slapstick Comedy Drama Family Fantasy Holiday

When a man inadvertently makes Santa fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.When a man inadvertently makes Santa fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.When a man inadvertently makes Santa fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

140K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 9 nominations total

Videos8

Trailer 1:43

Official Trailer

Clip 2:40

Goofs! The Santa Clause

Clip 2:40

Goofs! The Santa Clause

Clip 1:03

We Are Santa | Supercut

Clip 3:20

Hidden Gems to Watch on Disney+

Photos209

+ 203

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9:57

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
One of the children in Charlie's class during Parents Day is an elf with pointed ears, which can be clearly seen when Charlie pulls the snow globe out of his backpack. When Charlie tells the class that his dad is Santa Claus, the elf boy is the only one who doesn't laugh.

Goofs
When Scott/Santa is arrested, he leaves Charlie and the reindeer waiting on the roof of the Miller house. When the E.L.F.S. squad comes to the house, they find Charlie alone. The reindeer and sleigh have disappeared with no explanation whatsoever.

Quotes
Little Elf Judy: My own recipe. Took me 1,200 years to get it right.
Scott Calvin: 1,200 years?
Little Elf Judy: That's right.
Scott Calvin: You know, you look pretty good for your age.
Little Elf Judy: Thanks, but I'm seeing someone in wrapping.

Alternate versions
A brief scene where Laura gives Scott the phone number of Neal's mother (1-800-SPANKME), and Scott says that he "knows that number," has been deleted from the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film in addition to Disney+ prints.

Connections
Edited into The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)

Soundtracks
Oh Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
Traditional tune, lyrics by Ernst Anschütz (uncredited)
Arranged by John Neufeld

User reviews210

Featured review

7/10

Charming Christmas fantasy the whole family can enjoy...

TIM ALLEN provides a bunch of chuckles and good cheer as the amiable, goofy father of ERIC LLOYD who sees Santa Claus take a tumble off his roof one Christmas Eve and finds he must substitute for the "big guy," taking the reindeer to the North Pole toy shop for further directions along with his young son.

The script is full of one-liners that Allen tosses off with comic skill. His father role is played for laughs but also has his tender side when moments call for it. His needling of JUDGE REINHOLD about his awful sweaters becomes a running joke. So do many of the other amusing moments in a script that is both clever and highly original. ERIC LLOYD proves to be an appealing child actor as the boy who urges his father to be a substitute Santa.

To get a flavor of the dialog, just take a look at the "quotes" from the film on the Quote page.

It's handsomely produced in wonderful color to give the film its winter atmosphere (filmed in Canada).

Summing up: It's worth going along for the ride. A charming Christmas fantasy with lots of amusing situations. Brisk entertainment for the masses, it inspired a couple of sequels.