In January 2022, The Santa Clauses was announced, to be an original series on Disney Plus; with Tim Allen reprising. This article will discuss all about the updates for this upcoming title, as well as recapping the past three movies.
As reported on by Deadline in March; Jason Winer is directing and executively producing this project, alongside Tim Allen, Kevin Hench, Richard Baker and Rick Messina as EP as well.
Elizabeth Mitchell is also set to reprise her as Carol, from the 2002 sequel and third movie in 2006, an exclusive also from Deadline. Laura San Giacomo has also been hired to play a Christmas Witch.
This limited series is still a continuation of The Santa Clause trilogy. It will be taking place; when Scott Calvin has reached his 65th birthday and is set to hang up his boots and red and white outfit; for the next Santa.
Update: In July 2022, actor David Krumholtz who played Bernard in the original movie, has been brought back for the series. David posted a video on his instagram announcing it.
Official Synopsis
Scott Calvin is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever. He’s starting to lose a step in his Santa duties, and more importantly, he’s got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children, and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole.
Disney Plus press release
This description does mention about his two kids: Charlie and Lucy, Eric Loyd is reprising, however known if Lilliana Mumy will be.
Set Images
Santa’s office
Allen shares an image of the first glimpse of Santa’s office.
North Pole corridor
An extra view of the beautiful festive set designs. Tim Allen writes ‘Santa and the Elves are at lunch’.
New character
Here is where the focus will shift in the storyline for this limited series; Harold & Kumar actor Kal Penn is set to star as Simon Choksi.
Simon Choksi [is] an ambitious game inventor and product developer and a devoted single father. Simon can talk the tech-mogul talk but can’t walk the walk, and his dreams of being the next Bezos falls drastically short. But all that changes after a visit to the North Pole.
Deadline
After reading this description, it seems that Kal Penn’s character could be becoming the next Santa; an inventor in the entertainment/game industry taking over this role would be very fitting.
Teaser trailer
A teaser trailer has been released for series.
Recapping the trilogy
The Santa Clause (1994)
Tim Allen first starred in the 1994 movie also titled The Santa Clause; as Scott Calvin, a business man who works for a toy company. One Christmas night, Calvin is woken up by his son Charlie (Eric Loyd), hearing someone on the roof! This just so happens to be Santa and his Reindeer delivering presents.
Scott and Charlie accidentally startled Santa; causing him to fall off the roof, and leaving an empty suit behind, in the snow. Only when Scott Calvin tries the suit on, he unknowingly accepts the Clause; to be Santa. However, he is reluctant to take on the role at first… Calvin does end up willingly choosing that life and saves Christmas.
The sequel in 2002
In this sequel, it turns out that there more than one Clause in the contract for being Santa; Scott Calvin must find a wife, otherwise his Christmas magic is lost. While he is looking for that special someone, he cannot divide his time between being at the North Pole and back in the the city; forcing him to seek help of an ELF who creates a plastic clone of him, this version of course becomes the rogue antagonist of the movie.
Scott Calvin does find his new love in an unlikely place; the headteacher Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), at the same school that his own troublesome son attends. Calvin takes down the clone, and get’s married at the end; restoring his magic to remain being Santa.
The Escape Clause (2006)
This movie focused heavily on his family struggles, as all of Scott’s time is being taken up by his work. Carol is pregnant, and both of their families are also visiting the North Pole to get to know eachother, and learn more about the ‘Toy business’.
Jack Frost (Martin Short) is the antagonist of this third movie; he is very much jealous of the attention that Santa: as a legendary figure of Christmas is getting. Frost does get what he wants; by tricking Santa into an ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ style scenario, except he changes Scott’s fate in the past. They are both taken back in the timeline; where the suit has been put on by Frost instead of Scott, in the first movie.
Calvin is forced into a timeline where Jack Frost has capitalized the North Pole, and his family have distanced themselves from him further.
The fate of Santa is once again fixed by the end of the movie, as he changes the timeline back and redeems Jack.
When is The Santa Clause series coming out?
This series will premiere on Disney Plus, November 16, 2022; as mentioned in the trailer and by the actor on Twitter, ‘Finished shooting at the pole. The magic begins this fall’, and sharing a new image of a window at the North Pole.
This series is also set to star: Elizabeth Allen-Dick, Austin Kane, Rupali Redd, and Devin Bright.
The Santa Clause (1994) movie is currently listed as 13, in the Chatter Box Film selection of 40 best Christmas movies to watch.
