48 Fun Facts About The Santa Clause

What is the name of the divorced toy-company executive Tim Allen plays in The Santa Clause?

Scott Calvin is the toy-company executive Tim Allen plays; the initials S.C. are the film's quiet joke, since he is about to inherit the job of Santa Claus.

How does Scott end up with the job in the first film?

He startles the old man on his roof, who falls, and puts on the suit; the card left with the suit says the reindeer will know what to do, and they whisk him to the next rooftop.

What is the name of Scott's eight-year-old son who rides along on that first Christmas Eve?

Charlie, played by Eric Lloyd, is Scott's eight-year-old son, who insists the man they saw really was Santa and rides along with his father for that first Christmas Eve.

Which head elf, played by David Krumholtz, tells Scott he has eleven months to get his affairs in order?

Bernard, the head elf played by David Krumholtz, is the one who tells Scott he has until the next Thanksgiving, eleven months away, to get his affairs in order.

Which physical change is NOT one Scott undergoes over the year after wearing the suit?

His eyes turning blue never happens; the suit instead gives Scott a beard that regrows after shaving, hair that whitens despite dye, sudden weight gain and a craving for milk and cookies despite his lactose intolerance.

Roughly how much weight does Scott tell his doctor he has gained in a single week?

Scott tells his doctor he has gained 45 lbs in a single week; the doctor, who can find nothing wrong with him, has no explanation for a man ballooning that fast.

What is the profession of Neil, Laura's new husband, in the films?

Psychiatrist is Neil's profession; played by Judge Reinhold, he spends the first film insisting that Scott's Santa stories are doing the boy psychological harm.

What magical gift from the head elf lets Scott's son summon his father at any time?

A snow globe is the head elf's parting gift to Scott's son: shake it and his father will come. In the sequel the boy hands the same globe to Principal Newman to prove his father really is Santa.

Where do the police arrest Scott on Christmas Eve in the first film?

Inside Laura and Neil's home the police are waiting, because the couple reported their son kidnapped after Scott vanished with him at Thanksgiving; the elves later spring Scott from jail.

What does Scott give Laura and Neil at the end of the first film?

Childhood presents they never got: a Mystery Date game for Laura and an Oscar Mayer wiener whistle for Neil, the gifts whose absence made each of them stop believing in Santa.

Which two comedy stars turned down the lead role before Tim Allen took it?

Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were both offered the lead and passed; Tim Allen, then the star of TV's Home Improvement, took it for his first starring film role.

Which Canadian town stood in for Lakeside, Illinois in the first film?

Oakville, Ontario, a suburb west of Toronto, supplied the snowy streets of the fictional Lakeside, Illinois; most of the first film was shot around the Toronto area.

Why did Eric Lloyd, who plays Scott's son, wear a dental prosthetic for part of the film?

He lost his front teeth in an accident on a day off during the shoot, so Eric Lloyd wore a dental prosthetic for his remaining scenes to keep the boy's smile consistent on screen.

Which line about a phone line was cut from later releases of The Santa Clause after complaints?

'1-800-SPANK-ME. I know that number.' referred to a real adult phone line; after a parent complained that her child had dialled it, Disney removed the line from later home releases.

Which film opened at number one the same weekend as The Santa Clause, holding it to second place?

Interview with the Vampire took the number-one spot on the weekend of 11 November 1994, leaving The Santa Clause in second; the Santa film outlasted it, finishing with roughly $190 million worldwide.

Roughly what was the first film's production budget?

$22 million was the first film's budget; it grossed close to $190 million worldwide, nearly nine times that, which is why two sequels and a streaming series followed.

Which Canadian singer-songwriter wrote and performed 'The Bells of Christmas' for the first film?

Loreena McKennitt, the Celtic-influenced singer based in Stratford, Ontario, wrote and sang 'The Bells of Christmas' for the film; Michael Convertino composed the score.

What rule from the Handbook of Christmas drives the plot of the 2002 sequel?

The Mrs. Clause requires Santa to marry, and Scott learns he has until Christmas Eve to find a wife or he stops being Santa for good, which sends him home to Lakeside.

Why is Scott's teenage son on the naughty list in The Santa Clause 2?

He vandalised his school, spray-painting graffiti on school property, which lands him on the naughty list and in the office of Principal Carol Newman.

Which of these is NOT a member of the Council of Legendary Figures?

The Groundhog has no seat; the council Scott sits on is Mother Nature, Father Time, Cupid, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman, plus Santa himself.

Which Star Trek actor voices and plays the Sandman on the Council?

Michael Dorn, Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, plays the Sandman on the Council of Legendary Figures in the second and third films, dozing off in the middle of meetings.

What does Curtis build so Scott can leave the North Pole to find a wife?

A life-sized animatronic Toy Santa is Curtis's stand-in; the double reads the handbook too literally, decides the whole world is naughty and plans to deliver coal to everyone.

Which actress plays Principal Carol Newman, who becomes Mrs. Claus?

Elizabeth Mitchell, later Juliet on Lost, plays Carol Newman, the principal Scott courts and marries in the sequel; she returned as Mrs. Claus in the third film and the streaming series.

What is the name of the rambunctious reindeer-in-training Scott rides after Toy Santa in the sequel?

Chet is the young reindeer Curtis brings to fetch Scott; the pair crash-land back in the elf village, where the finale turns into an elf-versus-toy-soldier snowball fight.

Which 2003 film did Tim Allen skip so he could make The Santa Clause 2?

The Cat in the Hat had cast Tim Allen as the Cat, but its shoot clashed with The Santa Clause 2 and he withdrew; Mike Myers took the role in the 2003 film.

Where was The Santa Clause 2 filmed?

Vancouver, British Columbia, was the production base for the 2002 sequel, the first film of the series to be shot on Canada's west coast.

Which comedian plays Jack Frost in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause?

Martin Short plays Jack Frost, the smooth-talking winter spirit who schemes his way into the North Pole; Short had come up through SCTV and Saturday Night Live.

Why is Jack Frost causing trouble in the third film?

He is jealous he has no holiday of his own, so Jack Frost keeps trying to horn in on Christmas; the council puts him to work at the North Pole as punishment, which suits his plans perfectly.

What cover story does Scott use so Carol's parents will visit without learning he is Santa?

He is a toymaker in Canada, as far as Carol's parents know, so the elves plaster the North Pole with Canadian flags and signs to sell the story.

Which two screen veterans play Carol's parents, Bud and Sylvia Newman?

Alan Arkin and Ann-Margret play Carol's parents, Bud and Sylvia Newman; Arkin won the supporting-actor Oscar for 2006's Little Miss Sunshine, released the same year as the third film.

What does the Escape Clause do when Scott invokes it?

It sends him back to 1994 to undo becoming Santa: Frost grabs the coat first on the rooftop, and Scott wakes in an alternate 2006 as a workaholic executive with Frost running the North Pole as a resort.

In the alternate timeline, what has Jack Frost renamed Christmas?

Frostmas is what Christmas has become in the alternate timeline, where Jack Frost, having grabbed the Santa coat first, runs the North Pole as a commercial resort for paying tourists.

How is Jack Frost finally reformed at the end of the third film?

Lucy gives him a 'magic hug' at the end: Frost had frozen Lucy's parents solid, and the warmth of her hug melts his icy heart, after which a repentant Frost thaws Laura and Neil.

Roughly how much did The Santa Clause 3 gross worldwide, the lowest of the three films?

$110 million worldwide was the third film's total, against about $190 million for the first film and $173 million for the second; critics were also harshest on the third.

On which streaming service did the series The Santa Clauses premiere in November 2022?

Disney+ premiered The Santa Clauses on 16 November 2022, with Tim Allen back as Scott, now 65 and hunting for a successor; a second season followed in November 2023.

Which actor plays Simon Choksi, Scott's chosen successor in season one of The Santa Clauses?

Kal Penn plays Simon Choksi, the struggling tech-company founder whom Scott picks as his successor and who tries to run the North Pole like an online delivery business.

Who plays Sandra, Scott and Carol's daughter, in The Santa Clauses?

Elizabeth Allen-Dick plays Sandra, the animal-loving daughter of Scott and Carol; she is Tim Allen's real-life daughter, and the series was her first acting role.

Which Modern Family actor plays Magnus Antas, the Mad Santa, in season two of The Santa Clauses?

Eric Stonestreet, Cam on Modern Family, plays Magnus Antas, a tyrannical past Santa who was trapped for centuries inside a nutcracker until he breaks free in season two.

Which folk figure, called the Christmas witch, mentors Sandra in The Santa Clauses?

La Befana, the witch of Italian folklore who brings gifts on Epiphany eve, is played by Laura San Giacomo; she lives in the woods outside the North Pole and trains Sandra in magic.

Who directed the original 1994 film The Santa Clause?

John Pasquin directed the first film after working with Tim Allen on Home Improvement; the two sequels were directed instead by Michael Lembeck.

Which Disney-owned label acquired the spec script in November 1992 as a vehicle for Tim Allen?

Hollywood Pictures, Disney's label for edgier fare, acquired the spec script as a Tim Allen vehicle; the darker early draft was softened once the project moved to Walt Disney Pictures.

Where did all the reindeer used in the first film come from?

The Toronto Zoo supplied the reindeer, a short drive from the suburban streets where most of the first film's location work was done.

Which Everybody Loves Raymond actor plays Scott's boss Mr. Whittle and later Father Time?

Peter Boyle, Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, plays Scott's boss Mr. Whittle in the first film and Father Time in the sequels; he died in December 2006, weeks after the third film opened.

What was the production budget of The Santa Clause 2?

$65 million was the reported budget of The Santa Clause 2, which nonetheless turned a healthy profit on a worldwide gross of about $172.9 million.

Which comedy beat The Santa Clause 3 to the number one spot on its opening weekend in 2006?

Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary, opened at number one on 3 November 2006 with The Santa Clause 3 in second place, and stayed on top the following weekend as well.

In which 1997 Disney comedy had Tim Allen and Martin Short already worked together?

Jungle 2 Jungle, a remake of the French comedy Un indien dans la ville, starred Allen as a New York commodities trader meeting his jungle-raised son, with Short as his business partner.

What is the name of the son Carol gives birth to at the end of the third film?

Buddy, named after Carol's father Bud, is born at the North Pole at the end of the third film; he returns as the teenager Cal in the streaming series.

Which NFL quarterback appears as himself, a potential replacement Santa, in The Santa Clauses?

Peyton Manning turns up as himself in the first season, pitching himself to Scott as the next Santa; the retired quarterback does not get the job.