DISNEY’S THE SANTA CLAUS 1994

DISNEY’S THE SANTA CLAUS WAS RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 11 1994.

Scott Calvin is a marketing director for a toy company in Lakeside, Illinois. A divorced father, he prepares to spend Christmas Eve with his son Charlie. Scott wants Charlie to maintain his belief in Santa Claus, despite not believing himself. Scott’s ex-wife Laura and her psychiatrist husband Dr. Neil Miller both stopped believing in Santa at a young age, and they feel it is time for Charlie to do the same.

Following an uneventful evening at Denny’s (after Scott accidentally burned the dinner at home), Scott and Charlie are awakened that night by a noise on the roof. In his investigation, Scott startles Santa Claus who is on the roof, who then slips, falls off the roof, and dies in the snow below. Santa’s dead body vanishes, leaving behind a red suit and business card stating that if anything were to happen to the man, put on the suit and the reindeer will know what to do. Scott and Charlie are surprised to find Santa’s sleigh and reindeer on the roof. At Charlie’s request, Scott reluctantly dons the suit and spends the rest of the night delivering gifts before the reindeer take them to the North Pole.

The head elf, Bernard, explains that by putting on the dead man’s suit, Scott is subject to a legal technicality known as “The Santa Clause”, and has accepted all of the late Santa’s duties and responsibilities. Bernard gives Scott eleven months to get his affairs in order before reporting back to the North Pole on Thanksgiving. Confused and overwhelmed, Scott changes into the pajamas provided to him and falls asleep.

The next morning, Scott awakes in his own bed and believes the previous night’s events were a dream, but realizes he is still wearing the pajamas given to him. Charlie, recalling what had happened, is convinced that his father is the new Santa Claus, and his proud expression of this arouses disbelief and concern in Laura, Neil, and the school staff. Scott, not wanting to destroy Charlie’s newfound enthusiasm, asks him to keep their North Pole trip a secret. Over the next year, Scott undergoes a drastic and inexplicable transformation; he gains an extraordinary amount of weight and develops an increased fondness for sweets, particularly milk and cookies. He develops a thick white beard that instantly regrows after shaving, and his hair turns white in spite of attempts to dye it. During a meeting with his company, Scott is angered at a proposal to advertise a toy military tank by showing Santa riding it. He also begins to recount ‘naughty’ and ‘nice’ children by name when he sees them. After Laura and Neil witness children wanting to sit on Scott’s lap at Charlie’s soccer game, they assume Scott is deliberately misleading Charlie and decide to have a judge suspend Scott’s visitation rights. On Thanksgiving night, a devastated Scott goes to Laura and Neil’s house to see Charlie one last time. Charlie, desperate to help Scott realize how important he is to the children of the world, shows Scott a magical snow globe that Bernard had given him, finally convincing Scott that he really is Santa. When Laura and Neil allow Scott a minute to talk to Charlie alone, Bernard appears and transports him and Charlie to the North Pole. Thinking Scott has kidnapped Charlie, Laura and Neil call the police.

Scott sets out to deliver gifts with Charlie in tow. Upon arriving at Laura and Neil’s home, Scott is arrested inside the house while Charlie waits for him in the sleigh. The elves send a team to break him out of jail. Scott returns

 Charlie to his house and insists he spend Christmas Eve with Laura and Neil. His heartfelt speech to Charlie about the importance of everyone in the family convinces Laura and Neil that he is Santa. Laura burns the court documents suspending Scott’s visitation rights, and tells Scott he can visit anytime. Bernard appears and tells Charlie that any time he shakes his magical snow globe, his father will appear. Before leaving, Scott gives Laura and Neil the two Christmas presents that they never got as children, which had caused their disbelief in Santa. Scott’s takeoff from the roof proves his identity to the police and a crowd of witnesses outside the house.

Shortly after Scott leaves, Charlie summons him back with the snow globe and Laura agrees to let Charlie go with Scott in the sleigh to finish delivering the presents.

Cast

• Tim Allen as Scott Calvin / Santa Claus
• Eric Lloyd as Charlie Calvin
• Wendy Crewson as Laura Miller
• Judge Reinhold as Dr. Neil Miller
• David Krumholtz as Bernard The Head Elf
• Paige Tamada as Judy The Elf
• Peter Boyle as Mr. Whittle
• Joyce Guy as Principal Compton
• Judith Scott as Susan Perry
• Tabitha Lupien as Ballet Girl
• Lachlan Murdoch as Fax Kid
• John Pasquin as Santa #6
• Steve Vinovich as Dr. Pete Novos
• Frank Welker as Reindeer (voice)
• Kerrigan Mahan as Reindeer (voice)
• Bob Dermer as Puppet Punch
• Nina Keogh as Puppet Judy
• Melissa King as Sara
• Steve Lucescu as Santa Claus, who Scott accidentally kills, and must take his place. (Uncredited).
• Larry Brandenburg as Detective Nunzio
• Jayne Eastwood as Judy the Waitress
• Kenny Vadas as the E.L.F.S. Leader
• Chris Benson as Fireman O’Hara
• Mary Gross as Ms. Daniels

The script was written on spec by Steve Rudnick and Leo Benvenuti.^[5] In November 1992, it was announced Hollywood Pictures had acquired the script as a potential starring vehicle for Tim Allen.^[5]

The film was shot at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California,^[6] and on location in the Greater Toronto Area, with Oakville serving as the city of Lakeside, Illinois. The reindeer used in the film were all from the Toronto Zoo. The trains used in the North Pole scene and the start of the film were all made by LGB.^[7]

Bill Murray and Chevy Chase^[8] were offered the role of Scott Calvin, but both turned it down; Chase declined due to scheduling conflicts, and Murray did not want to do another holiday-themed movie after doing Scrooged. Tom Selleck, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, and Mel Gibson were also considered for the role. Jeff Daniels, Stanley Tucci and Bradley Whitford were considered for the role of Neil Miller. Patricia Richardson, Patricia Clarkson, Patricia Heaton, and Kate Burton were considered for the role of Laura Miller.^[9][10

The Santa Clause was released on VHS and LaserDisc on October 25, 1995.^[22]

At one point in the film, a brief exchange between Scott and Laura takes place in which Laura hands Scott a piece of paper with Neal’s mother’s phone number on it. Scott then says “1-800-SPANK-ME. I know that number.” In the United States, the exchange was removed from all home media releases of the film (except for the VHS and LaserDisc releases) and most digital downloads starting with the 1999 DVD release after a 1996 incident in which a child from Steilacoom, Washington called the number (which turned out to be an actual, working sex line number) and incurred a phone bill of US$400 (equivalent to $746.36 in 2022).^[23] The line is also removed from the Disney+ print. On television broadcasts, the number is changed to 1-800-POUND.

The Santa Clause was released on DVD on October 29, 2002, and was presented in widescreen and fullscreen versions.^[24] I WOULD DEVENTLY HIGHLY RECOMEND THIS 1994 DISNEY CHRISTMAS MOVIE TO THOSE WHO LOVE CHRISTMAS AND CHRISTMAS MOVIES .