Santa Clause 2 leaves coal in our stockings


Nov. 12, 2002, midnight | By Sanjay Bhat | 22 years, 1 month ago


In 1994, Tim Allen starred as Jolly Ol' St. Nick in the original Disney blockbuster hit The Santa Clause. The movie followed Scott Calvin (Allen), a divorced, workaholic toy company marketing whiz who unexpectedly had the title of Santa Claus thrust upon him. The movie appealed to children and adults alike with its comedic sequences, natural charm, and natural magic.

But just as the legend of Santa Claus fades with time, so did the aura surrounding the movie, and the sequel, The Santa Clause 2, which provides as much excitement as a basket filled with holiday fruitcake.

Disney can hardly be accused of rushing the sequel to capitalize on the success of the original (with eight years separating the two), but it can be blamed for the hugely disappointing script. With five renowned directors working on the script, it is a Christmas miracle that they were not able to produce something better than the confusing, overdone, and flat out pathetic plot. While this movie has everything from a robotized Santa to little brats in Christmas sweaters, it lacks the one thing the original possessed: quality entertainment.

Just 28 days before Christmas, Calvin discovers that he must find a wife, (the Mrs. Claus in his contract) or he will lose the title of Santa Claus. With Christmas fast approaching, Calvin has to keep his North Pole workshop at full speed, while also returning back home to find a wife in record time.

As it turns out, Calvin already needed to return home to help his son, Charlie, who is having trouble in school (Calvin notices the problem because Charlie shows up on his Naughty List). In typical Disney fashion, the principal at Charlie's middle school, Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell), is a strict disciplinary who has lost the spirit of Christmas.

As if all that wasn't enough to keep the audience occupied, Calvin and his chief elves, Curtis (Spencer Breslin) and Bernard (David Krumholtz) decide to create a substitute Santa to supervise the workshop while the real Santa is off wooing Carol. As it turns out, the new Santa turns into a tyrant (surprised?) who manufactures an army of wooden soldiers to take over the North Pole. This evil, robotic Santa labels all children naughty, and tries to deliver only Christmas coal during his annual trip around the world.

The multitude of subplots drag down the movie, making it cluttered to the point of being overwhelming. Remembering all the events of each storyline becomes tiresome, and draining.

Allen attempts to bring his normal comedic punch, but is shackled by the confines of the poor script and flawed directing. His good-natured, witty personality does produce some mildly amusing sequences, but they, like most of the movie, remain buried underneath the overdone plot.

The Santa Clause 2 (105 min) is playing in theatres everywhere. Rated G. disney.go.com/disneypictures/santaclause2



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Sanjay Bhat. Sanjay Bhat is a senior currently enrolled in the Magnet Program at Montgomery Blair High School. He spends his time playing basketball, and is a member of the Blair Varsity Golf Team. Sanjay has lived in many places including England and France, before settling down … More »

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