Santa Claus (1985)
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A weary Santa Claus must embark on a modern-day rescue mission to save his industrious elf from a greedy toy company executive.
The story
In the Middle Ages, a woodcutter named Claus and his wife Anya travel to the North Pole, where they are granted immortality and the destiny of delivering gifts to every child on Earth. By the late 20th century, an exhausted Santa enlists Patch, an industrious inventor, as his assistant. However, when Patch's automated toys malfunction, he leaves the North Pole in shame and ends up in New York City. There, he is manipulated by B.Z., an unscrupulous toy company executive who uses Patch's inventions to create dangerous products, leaving Santa disheartened by the success of these commercialized items.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the Middle Ages, Claus and Anya arrive at the North Pole and are tasked with delivering gifts globally. Centuries later, Santa enlists Patch to modernize toy production. Patch creates an automation machine, but after its toys malfunction, he leaves the North Pole for New York. There, he is exploited by B.Z., who produces lollipops and candy canes laced with magical flight dust. When Cornelia and Joe discover that B.Z.'s candy canes will explode and that he plans to flee Brazil while leaving Patch to take the blame, they write to Santa. Santa travels to New York in January to intervene. B.Z. attempts to fly away using magic candy canes but is propelled into space. Patch frees Joe, and the two head back to the North Pole in a flying car. Santa pursues them in his sleigh. To save them from the exploding candy canes, Santa performs a dangerous maneuver called the 'Super Duper Looper,' catching them as they fall. Patch returns home, and Santa allows Joe and Cornelia to live with him in the workshop.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jeannot Szwarc
- Writers
- David Newman · screenplay; David Newman · story; Leslie Newman · story
- Cast and characters
- David Huddleston · Santa Claus; Dudley Moore · Patch; John Lithgow · B.Z.; Judy Cornwell · Anya; Burgess Meredith · the Ancient Elf; Jeffrey Kramer · Towzer; Christian L. Fitzpatrick · Joe; Carrie Kei Heim · Cornelia
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure; children's; Christmas
- Themes
- Immortality; Commercialism vs. Tradition; Redemption
- Tone and mood
- Fantasy; Tacky; Cheesy
- Setting
- The North Pole and New York City during the Middle Ages and the late 20th century.
- Premise and plot tags
- Origin Story; Christmas Fantasy; Adventure
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews upon release, underperforming at the box office, but it has since become a cult classic, particularly in the United Kingdom where it is a highly repeated television staple.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 22% · review count: 23
- Production trivia
- The film was the last major fantasy film produced by the production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind, known for the Superman films.; John Carpenter was originally offered to direct the film but turned it down.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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