The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause
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The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by John Pasquin and written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick. The first installment in The Santa Clause franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordinary man who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof to his death on Christmas Eve. When he and his young son, Charlie, finish the late St. Nick's trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole where Scott learns that he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed Santa Claus.

The Santa Clause premiered at Hollywood on November 5, 1994, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 11. It grossed $190 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics, and it has since become a Christmas-time staple among viewers. Its success led to two sequels, The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), both of which were commercially successful despite the former's mixed and the latter's negative reception. The franchise continued with a follow-up series, The Santa Clauses, which premiered November 16, 2022 on Disney+.

The film was originally going to be released under the Hollywood Pictures banner, but following positive test screenings among children, it was transferred to the Walt Disney Pictures banner.[citation needed]

Scott Calvin, a marketing director for a toy company at Lakeside, Illinois, prepares to spend Christmas Eve with his young son Charlie. Scott wants Charlie to maintain his belief in Santa Claus, despite not believing himself. Scott's ex-wife Laura and her psychiatrist husband Dr. Neal Miller stopped believing in Santa at a young age and feel it is time for Charlie to do the same.

Scott and Charlie are awakened that night by a noise on the roof. While investigating, Scott startles Santa Claus, who falls off the roof and dies. Santa's body vanishes, leaving behind a red suit and business card stating that if anything were to happen to him, someone should put on the suit and the reindeer will know what to do. Scott and Charlie find Santa's sleigh and reindeer on the roof. At Charlie's request, Scott reluctantly dons the suit and delivers gifts before the reindeer take them to the North Pole.

It turns out that, by putting on the suit, Scott is subject to a legal technicality known as "The Santa Clause," and has accepted all of the late Santa's duties and responsibilities. The head elf, Bernard, gives Scott eleven months to get his affairs in order before reporting back to the North Pole on Thanksgiving. Overwhelmed, Scott changes into the pajamas provided to him and falls asleep. The next morning, Scott awakes in his own bed and believes the previous events were a dream, but realizes he is still wearing the pajamas given to him. Charlie is proud that his father is the new Santa Claus, and this arouses concern in Laura, Neal, and the school staff. Scott, not wanting to destroy Charlie's newfound enthusiasm, asks him to keep their North Pole trip a secret.

Over the next year, Scott undergoes a drastic transformation; he gains weight and develops an increased fondness for sweets, particularly milk and cookies. He develops a white beard that instantly regrows after shaving, and his hair turns white in spite of attempts to dye it. During a meeting with his company, Scott is angered at a proposal to advertise a toy military tank by showing Santa riding it. Scott also begins to recount "naughty" and "nice" children by name when he sees them. After Laura and Neal witness children wanting to sit on Scott's lap at Charlie's soccer game, they assume Scott is deliberately misleading Charlie and suspend Scott's visitation rights.

On Thanksgiving, a devastated Scott goes to Laura and Neal's house to see Charlie one last time. Charlie, desperate to help Scott realize how important he is to the children of the world, shows him a magical snow globe (a gift from Bernard), convincing Scott that he really is Santa. When Laura and Neal allow Scott a minute to talk to Charlie alone, Bernard appears and transports father and son to the North Pole. Thinking Scott has kidnapped Charlie, Laura and Neal summons the police.

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