The Santa Clause

"This Christmas, the snow hits the fan."

1994 1h 37m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🍅

73%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 2,379🍅73%Rotten Tomatoes●57Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 147,176

FantasyDramaComedyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.

“This Christmas, the snow hits the fan.”

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Cast

Tim Allen
Scott Calvin
Judge Reinhold
Neal
Wendy Crewson
Laura
Eric Lloyd
Charlie
David Krumholtz
Bernard
Larry Brandenburg
Detective Nunzio
Mary Gross
Ms. Daniels
Paige Tamada
Elf-Judy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Pasquin
Writers: Steve Rudnick, Leo Benvenuti, David Russell
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Santa Clause Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Pasquin, shot by Walt Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Convertino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Larry Bock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Tim Allen and Judge Reinhold and Wendy Crewson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "This Christmas, the snow hits the fan.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Pasquin directs. Walt Lloyd behind the camera. Michael Convertino scores. Larry Bock cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.6× over at the box office.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Santa Clause Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Pasquin, shot by Walt Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Convertino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Larry Bock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tim Allen and Judge Reinhold and Wendy Crewson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "This Christmas, the snow hits the fan.".
9IMDB entry: tt0111070 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "chicago, illinois", "elves", "winter", "holiday".

The technical file

Cinematography: Walt Lloyd
Original score: Michael Convertino
Editing: Larry Bock
Production design: Carol Spier
Costume design: Carol Ramsey
Makeup / hair: Bryan Moore
VFX supervisor: John E. Sullivan
Stunt coordinator: Shane Cardwell
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $22,000,000
Box office: $189,833,357
Return: 863% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Santa Clause (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 57/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 147,176 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

2 wins & 9 nominations total

Part of

The Santa Clause Collection

What starts as a freak accident on a snowy roof turns into a decades-long legal odyssey in the North Pole. When cynical toy executive Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) inadvertently causes Santa to slip, he doesn't just inherit a red suit.. he inherits a binding, life-altering contract known as "The Santa Clause." This trilogy follows Scott’s transformation from a skeptical, divorced dad into the world’s greatest icon of joy, proving that becoming Santa isn't just about the beard and the belly: it's about surviving the fine print.

Also by

John Pasquin

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-10-01
★ 7/10
A satisfactory Christmas film. <em>'The Santa Clause'</em> starts off pretty strongly, with Tim Allen (Scott) showing off some quick and amusing wit. The early moments are actually the best parts in my opinion, the rest of the 97 minutes are enjoyable enough though. Allen is easily the most standout part of the film, none of the other cast members really come close at all. Eric Lloyd does an alright job as Scott's son, Charlie. The festive music is pleasant, while the sets etc. look decent - the special effects aren't incredible, but are certainly serviceable. Many better Xmas productions out there, but there's enough here to feel entertained by.

Production companies