Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
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A department store's new Santa Claus faces a legal battle to prove his identity is real.
The story
After a drunk employee is fired from a department store's holiday preparations, the manager finds an elderly man named Kris Kringle to take his place. Kris is immediately embraced by the public, but his claim to be the real Santa Claus causes a stir. The manager, Dorey, is concerned about the influence Kris has on her young daughter, Susan, who has been taught not to believe in the mythical figure. As the holiday approaches, the success of the store's marketing campaign draws the ire of rival executives, leading to a public dispute over Kris's identity and his place in the community.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
When an intoxicated employee is fired from Cole's Department Store, manager Dorey Walker hires an elderly man named Kris Kringle to take his place. Kris becomes a sensation, but his insistence that he is the real Santa Claus leads to a legal battle when rival executives, led by Jack Duff, attempt to discredit him. While Kris babysits Dorey's daughter, Susan, she shares her Christmas wishes with him. The conflict culminates in a court hearing where Kris is forced to defend his identity. A miracle involving a child's card and a judge's realization leads to a ruling that Santa is real. Following the trial, Dorey and her neighbor Bryan find their love for each other, and Susan's wishes are fulfilled as the family moves into a new home with a new baby brother.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Les Mayfield
- Writers
- John Hughes · screenplay; George Seaton · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Richard Attenborough · Kris Kringle; Elizabeth Perkins · Dorey Walker; Dylan McDermott · Bryan Bedford; J. T. Walsh · Ed Collins; James Remar · Jack Duff; Mara Wilson · Susan Walker; Robert Prosky · Judge Henry Harper
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy; drama
- Themes
- faith; tradition
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; heartwarming
- Premise and plot tags
- holiday; courtroom drama; remake
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1947 film
- Reception
- The film had a successful run on home video, selling an estimated 8 million videocassettes on its debut, despite a modest theatrical box office.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.2 · scale: 10
- Production trivia
- The film is the first theatrical remake of the original 1947 film.; The character of Susan Walker was originally written as a boy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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