Thanks to his role in 1994’s The Santa Clause, Tim Allen became a fixture of many a holiday season, bringing joy and laughter to families as both Scott Calvin and Santa. Nearly 30 years later, the 2022 TV schedule sees Allen returning for Disney+’s The Santa Clauses, a new limited series. Even though the prospect still brings out the “crotchety” side in the prolific sitcom actor, there was a special hook that made him excited to step back into the role.
Literally stepping back into the prosthetics and makeup that make him look like Santa is the part of the job that Tim Allen owns up to making him not so jolly. I learned this fact first hand thanks to speaking to Allen and his daughter/co-star Elizabeth Allen-Dick during the Disney+ press day for the six-episode series.
16 years have passed since the actor’s last performance as the holiday figurehead, in 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. With that much time elapsing, and before Tim Allen’s recent remarks about how that film was “infected” by the franchise’s fame, I asked how it felt to get back into the game. Answering that question in pure Tim Allen fashion, here’s what he told CinemaBlend:
I didn’t overthink it, because my wife warned me. [She] said, ‘You didn’t like this the last [time, and] literally all of the movie.’ It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just I’m a crotchety guy, and it’s a bother to get in this stuff and be in it for 11 hours. They’re better at it, a little bit … it’s not a lot better. And the script was so good for that first, second [episode] - the one that you saw, set this whole thing up, and I said, ‘Wow.’ Then I become, if you will, an artist, and I like [it]. That’s great material, and I can’t wait to bring that to the screen.
Looking at any given shot of Tim Allen’s Santa in The Santa Clauses, you could imagine how much work went into making him look like what some would consider to be the “traditional” Santa. It’s even more of a contrast when you compare this appearance to that of Scott Calvin, which is the default form of Tim Allen’s franchise lead once he’s left the North Pole. Unlike the kindly gentleman at the North Pole, Allen’s kept himself in pretty good shape.
But just like any of us, once the holiday magic seized the Disney Legend, he was all in. Even when answering the question, you can feel Tim Allen shift gears from any initial dread to pure ho-ho-happiness. Continuing to explain what this opportunity meant to him, here’s how Allen got caught up in describing the magic of The Santa Clauses:
We got together with the marvelous crew, set deck, everybody, about this. You’ve got to understand how much of a job this was, because it’s a movie, but it’s shot like a TV show. But it isn’t really, it’s more like a movie. That’s where I wanted to go, so we pushed it in that direction, so set deck and lighting is a treat for all of you to watch this. It’s beautifully shot and [we] got to answer questions, you get this fun in it, we get to go to different locations. It’s a marvelous experience.
It doesn’t take long for fans of The Santa Clause movies to catch the spirit of this saga all over again. The North Pole looks as whimsical as ever, Santa still has that wild fireplace that looks like him in his bedroom, and the big man still loves his snacks. Though, without spoiling anything, Casey Wilson’s big scene in The Santa Clauses trailer turns out to be a huge callback to the very first film, and you’ll get to see why in the first episode.
Plenty of mysteries awaiting in The Santa Clauses, such as how Bernard the Head Elf makes his return, so it’s not surprising that Tim Allen was won over by this new entry. With the history of The Santa Clause being firmly part of the best Santa movies to ever exist, this new show just might help expand that empire into the world of TV.
Those who are ready to get into the holiday spirit can do just that, as The Santa Clauses’ two-episode premiere is now available for streaming. You won’t have to dash away, dash away, dash away all to the movies though, as a Disney+ subscription will act as your portal to the North Pole.
