The Santa Clause

This Christmas, the snow hits the fan.

1994 • 97 min • Fantasy · Drama · Comedy · Family

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Synopsis

On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.

Our family guide

Best from age 6

Movie Knight Score

2338 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
65 Audience · 2337 · 49%

Divorced dad Scott Calvin accidentally becomes the new Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. He must now navigate the magical transformation, his disbelieving family, and the responsibilities of the role to deliver Christmas joy to the world.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 1/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 2/10

Heads up

Some mild slapstick comedy
Brief arguments between adults
Discussions about Santa not being real
The father and son have a strained relationship at first

What it models well

The spirit of Christmas
Family bonding
Responsibility and commitment
Belief and imagination

Talk about it after

What makes a good parent?
The magic of believing in Santa
Adjusting to big life changes
The importance of honesty

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The Santa Clause. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

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Top billed cast

Director: John Pasquin • Crew: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick

Trailers & clips

Santa Clause (1994) Original Theatrical trailer [FTD-0591]

The Santa Clause | All the Facts | Disney+ Deets

The Santa Clause (1994) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Reviewer notes

Recommended
A satisfactory Christmas film. <em>'The Santa Clause'</em> starts off pretty strongly, with Tim Allen (Scott) showing off some quick and amusing wit. The early moments are actually the best parts in my opinion, the rest of the 97 minutes are enjoyable enough though. Allen is easily the most standout part of the film, none of the other cast members really come close at all. Eric Lloyd does an alright job as S...
r96sk, TMDB Community