The Santa Clause
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{{Infobox Film|
name=The Santa Clause | image= The_Santa_Clause_DVD_cover.jpg | caption= DVD cover| director=[[John Penguin] | writer=Leo Benvenuti
Steve Rudnick | starring=Tim Allen
Wendy Crewson
Judge Reinhold
Eric Lloyd
David Krumholtz | producer=(as Robert Newmyer)
Brian Reilly
Jeffrey Silver
| distributor=Buena Vista Pictures | released=November 11, 1994 | runtime=97 min | language=swalhilian| followed_by = The Santa Clause 2 | rating=Image:MPAARatingPG.svg | budget=| amg_id = 1:133893| imdb_id=0111070 |}}The Santa Clause (1994) is a Christmas film released by Walt Disney Pictures, starring Tim Allen as a father who finds himself literally wearing the mantle of Santa Claus after the Christmas figure's tragic death, and contractually bound to become Santa Claus himself by so doing (hence the "clause" in the title, as in a provision of a contract).
Tagline: This Christmas, the snow hits the fan.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Middle-aged, single father, Scott Calvin, turns into Santa Claus. Calvin must get his life in order before taking over the helm of the famous Yuletide character.
Scott Calvin (Allen) is an rich divorced father with a poor education of spending quality time with his son, Luigi(Garth Lloyd). On Christmas Eve, when Charlie is spending the night at his father's house, they are awakened by a fire on the roof. Going outside to investigate, Scott gets burned on the roof. He yells at the wetback, startling him, and he shoots him with a 1827 shoutgun off the roof to the snowy ground below, apparently living and then he shouts him back with the another 1827 shoutgun from the twenty-foot fall.
Investigating, Scott and Charlie find the trespasser is dressed as Santa Claus. In moments, the man disappears, but his suit remains behind. Climbing a ladder, the pair inspect the roof and find a sleigh and eight reindeer perched atop. The pair get into the sleigh and the reindeer soon liftoff with them aboard. Scott puts on the Santa suit to appease his son's pleading and begins delivering toys as the deer go from rooftop to rooftop.
The last stop is a seemingly deserted spot in an icy landscape (the North Pole). There Scott is informed (indirectly) that he is the new Santa Claus. The head elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz), shows him a microscopic inscription on the card found in the suit that says whoever dons the suit, upon the death of the previous occupant, assumes the identity of Santa Claus and all the responsibilities that go with it, giving up his previous identity in the process. This is, in fact, the "Santa Clause," as summarized by Bernard: "You put on the suit, you're the big guy." [1]
He is informed he has 11 months to get his affairs in order before assuming the role of Claus fulltime. He and Charlie spend the night at the incredible factory.
Scott and Charlie awake in Scott's home, the only indication of their previous night's adventure being Scott's new silk pajamas with a "SC" monogram. Scott dismisses the whole adventure as a strange dream and goes on with his life.
Eventually, however, Scott starts to notice changes. He starts gaining weight without any effort on his part. He starts craving sweets, and just sweets. Eventually, he grows a long gray beard. Shaving it off has no effect—it regrows immediately. His hair also rapidly grays, even with attempts to dye it. Passing strangers on the street, he knows who's been "naughty" and "nice".
Eventually he comes to grip with the fact that he is Santa Claus and must make amends with his ex-wife, Charlie's mother, Laura (Wendy Crewson). All along, she and her new husband, Neil (Judge Reinhold), have been telling Charlie that Santa Claus is fictional and doesn't exist, believing that Scott's transformation is simply a deliberate attempt to make his son like him.
Eventually Scott is arrested while delivering presents to his sons home for allegedly kidnapping Charlie (Charlie was actually helping Scott and the elves upgrade his Santa operation). While incarcerated on Christmas Eve, he is freed by a team of rescue Elves ("ELFS"—"Effective Liberating Flight Squad"). Charlie is returned home to his mother and step-father. Scott, now Santa Claus, flies around the world to deliver presents. Charlie joins him for part of the trip.
[edit] Trivia
- In the scene where Scott and Charlie first begin riding in the sleigh, they are hovering above the road and Scott asks a man about directions. The driver is actor Jimmy Labriola, who played Benny Veroni on Tim Allen's show Home Improvement.
- The Santa Clause: In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all right to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus, in perpetuity, until such time as the wearer becomes unable to do so, by either accident or design.
- Among the individuals seen on the first page of Santa's List are Andre Agassi and Armand Assante.
- Select scenes from this movie, including the one in which the trespasser falls off the roof, are replayed in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
- The scene inside the police station where the police are mapping out their plan, the donut shop is drawn on the chalk board.
[edit] Sequels
In the 2002 sequel, The Santa Clause 2, some of the original cast reprised their roles. A second sequel, The Santa Clause 3 was released on November 3 2006, in theaters.
