25 Days of Christmas: Day Six

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

"We can call it... Christmas 2!" - BZ











I went and saw this movie in the theater when I was a little kid and ever since then this is what I picture when I think about Santa and his workshop. The whole place is made out of wood and the elves work happily making the old fashioned wooden toys for all the kids of the world. The night I went and saw the flick it was snowing like crazy and I remember we almost didn't go to the movie due to the weather. It's a good Christmas memory.

The movie begins with the origin of Santa as he and his wife are trapped in a snow storm and are transported to the North Pole where they meet the elves as learn what the future has in store for them.

We get a pretty good montage as Santa gets his bearings and we travel through time with him as he makes his name until we come to the present day. He befriends a homeless boy and we get to see how Santa lives and how much he cares about what he has been called to do with his eternal life.

Things go a little bad when the newly appointed assistant elf, Dudley Moore, messes up one Christmas and allows a ton of defective toys to leave the workshop only to break soon after they are delivered. It breaks my heart every time when the little boy with the wagon full of leaves watches as the handle comes loose and the thing rolls into the path of a massive truck and is smashed to bits. The little kid is heart broken when he sees his new toy that he asked Santa for destroyed before his eyes. *sniff*

I'm ok....

Anyway... Dudley Moore is broken up about the mess he made and he takes off for New york City to try and prove himself once more. He hooks up with a sleazy toy merchant and offers him a chance to make candy that will allow people to fly for a short amount of time. This is all well and good but the toyman wants to make tons of money off this venture and in the end make the world forget about Santa Claus all together.

It gets even worse when we find out that the candy explodes when it gets too hot. That's an issue. With the help of the young boy and another young girl Santa sets out to rescue his disgraced elf and ultimately Christmas itself.

It's fun little movie from the same people who brought us Superman: The Movie and the director who gave us Supergirl. The cast is pretty good with a few cheesy folks thrown in for good measure. I'm looking at you, John Lithgow...

It's very 80's and the product placement is pretty in your face at times. I can tell you right now that Coke and McDonalds gave up a lot of cash to be in this flick. At one point you see the homeless kid with his face smashed up against the window of the local McDonalds and drools as the packed restaurant serves it's customers. It also seems as if each patron has ordered something different so that we can see the full range of the menu on screen.

Watching this flick again for the first time in decades brought it all back for me and I enjoyed every moment. David Huddleston was excellent as Santa. I liked his gray beard and his massiveness as he stood with elves and children. He easily makes the top of the list as the best Santa so far.

And with this movie the sleigh rolls on and I pick out the next flick on the list...