Maybe it’s a lot to ask in the world of franchise brand extensions and an eternal sequel/reboot/re-sequel cycle, but I’m going to ask it anyway: Would it be possible for someone to have an original idea, or legitimate reason to continue an existing property, before deciding to green-light the project? That particular cart goes before the horse—or in this case, the sleigh before the reindeer—where The Santa Clauses is concerned, returning us to the world that has already included three feature films without a single fresh notion in its head. Based on the two episodes of The Santa Clauses available for preview, it’s a vehicle to toss out a few dad jokes and light-hearted slapstick in service of concepts that were familiar even before the original The Santa Clause premiered nearly 30 years ago.
The Santa Clauses Review
The premise of The Santa Clauses finds Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) now many years into his tenure as the Jolly Old Elf, living at the North Pole with his wife Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) and teenagers Cal (Austin Kane) and Sandra (Allen’s real-life daughter Elizabeth Allen-Dick). And things have started to get a little shaky, as Santa Calvin is noticing that some of his supernatural Santa abilities are occasionally acting up on him. Maybe the world has gotten too worldly and cynical to provide enough Santa magic. Maybe it’s time for him to invoke the previously-unmentioned “secessus clause” that would allow him to hang up his red coat and retire.
Perhaps you’ve noticed something familiar about that concept of a glitching Santa dealing with a lack of belief that drains his magical batteries; it turned up, among other places, in Elf. And perhaps you’ve noticed something familiar about the concept of a Santa wondering if there’s any place for him in a world that doesn’t believe in him; it turned up, among other places, in the animated special The Year Without a Santa Clause in 1974. Series creator Jack Burditt isn’t just failing to break new ground, but is revisiting ground that goes back nearly half a century, and thus far without much of a twist.
The one noteworthy new invention is a subplot involving e-commerce entrepreneur Simon Choski (Kal Penn), who’s struggling to meet the “now now now” demands of his client base. It feels fairly clear that The Santa Clauses is setting up a scenario whereby Simon either tries to take over the powers of Santa as a delivery tool for his company, or become Santa himself, or perhaps both. The problem is that those scenes aren’t interesting enough on their own—and full of their own soggy slapstick, like a drone gone haywire—to maintain interest when the action is away from the North Pole. It’s a lot of throat-clearing, and doesn’t feel particularly worth the effort.
Of course, it would be easy enough to say that the only reason The Santa Clauses needs to exist is for a nostalgic visit back with Allen’s Santa, and to check in on other characters like his now-married oldest son Charlie (Eric Lloyd, reprising his original role). I’m sure there are folks out there who are happy just to see Allen back in a white beard and fat suit, and perhaps for them the specific content of this show is beside the point. But even Allen himself doesn’t seem particularly interested in what’s going on; the only real energy comes from the young actors playing Santa’s senior elves, including Matilda Lawler and Devin Bright. Otherwise, there’s a lot of foot-tapping waiting for something interesting to happen.
It’s kind of futile at this point to complain about Disney squeezing every drop out of every available piece of intellectual property. It’s who they are, and it’s what they do. All you can hope for is that the people behind the wheel have a little spark of imagination, like what the current Mighty Ducks or High School Musical series are managing. The Santa Clauses simply feels like something dictated by a spot on the release calendar, and a corporate mandate to make a new Santa Clause show. Mission accomplished, I guess.
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Let’s Hear From You
Are you growing tired of all of the Disney IP spinoffs and sequels on Disney+? Does The Santa Clause franchise still ring true for you all these years later? Will you be watching The Santa Clauses this holiday season? Share your thoughts in the comments.
More Holiday Reading
Catch up on more Disney holiday reading in the articles below:
https://www.micechat.com/328673-disneyland-holiday-guide-2022-christmas/
Season’s Eatings! The Complete Disneyland & Festival of Holidays Food Guide 2022