“It was always weird to me that none of the elves thought it was weird that I showed up at the North Pole,” Tim Allen said of his perennial 1994 holiday classic The Santa Clause, which inspired two sequels in 2002 and 2006. Allen is back in the red suit again in The Santa Clauses, a Disney+ original series that launches with two episodes on Wednesday, November 16th. “We answer that right away and it weaves itself into the story,” teased Allen during a press conference to promote the series.
(Disney/Justin Stephens)
“I always laugh with Tim,” reminisced Elizabeth Mitchel, who was a relative unknown when she first played Carol in 2002, a few years ahead of her breakout role in ABC’s Lost. “In this case, I had the kids as well, and they’re such a joyful group of kids. They’re funny, they’re kind, they’re all so talented, and, it was a really festive, happy mood. It had that feeling of Christmas. It was after the lockdown, so the kids were able to talk together and be together. And there was such a sense of community. Their parents were there, and I got to know all of them, and it was genuinely a joy to go to work in the morning.”
Not only do Scott and Carol Calvin have two kids of their own in The Santa Clauses (plus Charlie, now an adult with his own wife and kids), but the North Pole is run by elves, all played by juvenile actors. “Throughout this process, we came to learn the tremendous respect that Tim has for the reality in children’s minds that he is Santa Claus,” revealed executive producer and director of the first two episodes Jason Winer. Tim Allen learned the hard way on the set of the first film, forgetting that in the minds of the child actors he was working with, he was Santa when he was in the suit. He didn’t repeat that error on the sequels and when kids approach him in public, he plays along and tells them to keep the fact that he’s Santa a secret. “We had talked about doing a number of different behind-the-scenes, making-of documentaries and ultimately decided not to because, in the minds of the children watching this, this is the real Santa. There is no behind-the-scenes at the North Pole.”
“I was such a fan of the movies, and it’s why I wanted to be a part of this,” shared executive producer and writer Jack Burditt. “Everything was set for us there. Questions that I had, that some of the writers had from the movies. Let’s dive into that a little bit, so it was a trip.” Getting back to Tim Allen’s question about why the elves weren’t too concerned when Scott Calvin returned with Santa’s sleigh, the series also dives into what happened to the previous Mrs. Claus, and if a Santa has to stay in the role until they die, or can they, in fact, retire and choose a successor? “What Jack and the writers did with this franchise is to take the way the world has changed and use it as the jumping-off point for the story,” added Jason Winer. “The world has changed. Naughty and nice isn’t so black and white anymore.”
(Disney/Justin Stephens)
It’s been 16 years since The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been attempts over the years to make another project before this. “I said no to this originally until we massaged it,” Tim Allen revealed, getting involved as an executive producer and helping to craft the story into something that explored the origins of the Santa mythos. The card that Scott received in the first film always seems to have more fine print that previously went unnoticed and this time, it’s the secessus clause, as in secede, implying that this could be Tim Allen’s final time in the suit. “This was written as though this was a book and that doesn’t mean there can’t be another book,” Tim Allen responded to questions about how final this story will be for Scott Calvin. “I’ve got a previous connection with other characters that didn’t get to because we really didn’t have enough time. We have the legendary characters that I really adored in the movies.”
If this is truly to be Tim Allen’s farewell lap as Santa, who will he pass the role on to? Joining the press conference was Kal Penn, who plays Simon Choksi, a single father and tech innovator whose initials also happen to match both Santa Claus and Scott Calvin. “I’m really excited to be part of this,” Kal Penn shared, whose breakout role came in 2004 with the Harold & Kumar franchise. “You’ll find such an inclusive, dynamic cast that really has the focus on bringing people together. In a world that’s a little polarizing, what a nice thing to be able to do this holiday season.” For the record, he avoided any spoilers about Simon’s role in Scott Calvin’s plans to retire.
(Disney/Justin Stephens)
“I got emotional with the crew,” Tim Allen confessed, likening their speed and efficiency to his days as a race car driver working with a pit crew. “I can’t tell you how much work was put into this to deliver a product for all of you. That’s what everybody did this for. It was so much work and so much intensity. All of us just wanted to present it to the viewer. I felt overwhelmed at many times between the writing staff, production staff, actors, everything about this… This was a monumental task and I give it again to the crew that put this together, you’re gonna see it on the screen. I will tell you how short a period of time they had to put just costumes together, it was amazing. And these young kids that played them, every single one of them was on board with this. And there just wasn’t malcontent. It’s just breathtaking how much work there was and how much joy we present.”
A present for Disney+ subscribers this holiday season, The Santa Clauses premieres with two episodes on Wednesday, November 16th, followed by weekly episode releases through December 14th.