Owing to its popularity, the film was then extended into a franchise with The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Esape Clause releasing in 2002 and 2006 respectively.
The Santa Clauses, a new Disney+ series is the latest addition to the franchise.
The Santa Clause starred Tim Allen and set the bar high for the Christmas films that followed. It included elements of comedy, festivities and family to make for the perfect blend that one would look for in a Christmas movie. Many films preceded and followed The Santa Clause to make for great holiday films too.
Here are five more films like The Santa Clause to enjoy this holiday season.
Some more fun films like The Santa Clause (1994)
1) A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story is one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films that has become a must-watch in every list of Christmas films. It was released in 1983 and was one of the first films in the holiday genre. Some witty writing and an amazingly timed comic performance makes the film a great movie, independent of its association with Christmas.
Starring Peter Billingsley, A Christmas Story follows Ralphie, who is on the a constant look-out for a bully from his neighborhood and has to make it to Christmas without getting into trouble. Along the way, he also has to convince his family of what the perfect Christmas present would look like.
Many adaptations and spin-offs of the film have come out over the years, with the most recent being A Christmas Story Christmas, which also stars Billingsley as an adult Ralphie who tries to bring back the nostalgia of Christmas. The film will be released on HBO Max on November 17, 2022.
2) Elf (2003)
Starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau, Elf was released in 2003 and opened to great reviews to become an instant favorite among the family audience as a heartwarming Christmas comedy. Ferrell’s character Buddy the Elf became a household name at the time and his performance was appreciated by cinephiles, critics, and the general audience alike.
The film, like The Santa Clause, attempts to explore the lives of mythical characters, including elves. It follows Buddy, a human who is raised among elves. Upon finding out his true identity, Buddy travels to New York in search of his biological father.
Favreau’s take on elves is imaginative and fun to watch, while Ferrell works his magic to make all the jokes land perfectly.
3) The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
The Year Without a Santa Claus is a holiday television special that premiered in 1974 and was a stop-motion animated movie. It is the perfect embodiment of a Christmas film in the fact that it explores the very idea of Christmas and what it stands for.
It follows a rather old Santa who decides to go on a holiday and skip the gift distribution owing to his ill health. However, the rest of the elves manage to look for believers around the world who still have faith in the Christmas spirit and encourage Santa to get back to giving presents to children around the globe.
Like The Santa Clause, this film also attempts to redefine the identity of Santa and how the absence of Santa Claus would change the whole idea of the holiday season. It is centered around the idea that he is irreplaceable during Christmas.
4) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Despite starkly negative reviews, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is among the most popular Christmas movies out there. It was released in 2000 and became quite a commercial success owing to its star Jim Carrey and the direction of Ron Howard.
It follows a sulky old Grinch who despises the townsfolk and the idea of Christmas. However, a six-year-old sets out to show him the true spirit of Christmas and reform him into a more hopeful person. Jim Carrey, as usual, puts up a compelling performance with impeccable comic timing.
Like The Santa Clause, this film too tries to be as optimistic as it can get despite the darker elements in the plot.
5) Polar Express (2004)
No Christmas movie list is ever complete without a mention of Polar Express. One of the first films to use motion-capture technology to tell a heartwarming Christmas story that was ever told, Polar Express remains a brilliant film even when it’s not the holiday season.
Exploring themes of hope, happiness, privilege and love, Polar Express finds its way into the audience’s heart as smoothly as possible. When the film was released in 2004, it was criticized for the animation not being good enough and the spirit of Christmas being mixed with a strange and remotely anxious atmosphere. However, the film aged like fine wine and is widely regarded as a masterpiece today.
Whether it is animated films in general, Christmas movies, or children’s cinema, few films beat the spirit that Polar Express brought about.
Catch The Santa Clauses on Disney+ now, which premiered on November 16, 2022.
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