Repost: "The Santa Clauses" Season 2 Out Soon - A Review of the Disney+ Series So Far

This was originally posted on January 8th, 2023 by NWP's Nathaniel Wiley, slight changes have been made since then.

Disney's The Santa Clauses season two is coming on November 8th, 2023. This show is enjoyable for kids and adults, and features a talented cast. This show is a sequel to the original three The Santa Clause movies. The franchise debuted in 1994, featuring Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, Eric Lloyd as Charlie, and David Krumholtz as Bernard the elf. The film franchise featured regular installments (1994, 2002, 2006) until 2006, when the movie trilogy ended. However, in September of 2022, Disney+ released a teaser trailer of a new TV show titled The Santa Clauses, featuring Tim Allen returning in the big red suit as Santa/Scott Calvin. To add to the excitement former NFL star Peyton Manning was featured in the teaser, as well as an original cast member David Krumholtz. Finally, after its long-anticipated arrival, on November 16th, 2022, The Santa Clauses debuted its first two episodes to the public and rolled out the next four over the course of the next four weeks. The series sparked many emotions from the public, and I liked it. So, today, I'll be giving my opinion on The Santa Clauses TV series on Disney+.

What An Elfing Amazing Cast!

The Santa Clauses debuted with a great cast, and the cast got even better as the series progressed. For starters, they brought back Tim Allen as the star of the show. I've been an avid Tim Allen fan since I first saw Toy Story, and went on to watch many Home Improvement episodes as well as the first two movies in The Santa Clause franchise. Tim Allen is such a funny actor, and at this point knows the best ways to be the jolly Santa Claus that everyone remembers from the '90s.

The show also features Elizabeth Mitchell of the TV series Lost, as Mrs. Claus. Mitchell won a Saturn Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her performance in Lost.

Included in the show is Kal Penn, who plays Simon Choski. He has been in many movies and TV shows, such as Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and National Lampoon's Van Wilder. He is also a former White House staff member.

The show also features some notable younger actors as well, such as Matilda Lawler (pictured above, first person on the left), a teen actor best known for her performances in HBO's Station Eleven (2021/2022) and Disney's Flora & Ulysses (2021). She is a highly talented actor. In The Santa Clauses, she plays the head elf Betty, who helps Santa with his daily life at the North Pole.

The show also features Austin Kane, a 20-year-old actor who has appeared in many shows, including Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Lethal Weapon, and ABC's The Goldbergs. He plays Santa's son, Buddy Calvin. In the show, he plays a video game-addicted kid who just wants to see what the real world is like.

As well as these actors, the show also has Peyton Manning in an episode, David Krumholtz in an episode, and young actors Devin Bright and Elizabeth Allen-Dick (Tim Allen's daughter).

Overall, the show has a fantastic cast with some veteran actors (Allen and Mitchell), as well as newer actors who have a great future in acting.

It's Corny and Funny!

It's hard to pull off a script that both kids and adults alike, especially when you are continuing a franchise that already exists. This show pulls it off, however. There are some jokes in it that seem to push it, however. A reviewer from Variety says that the joke about Santa really liking NFTs (Nutty Fudgey Teacakes) was a bit too much. But, while some of the jokes don't work as well as intended, others do!

For example, in one scene, the elves misspell Santa's name as Satan, so when they put up the sign, it says "we love you Satan," to which the elves scream and quickly scramble to fix the lettering. That gave me a laugh.

The writing is very well done, and the overall storyline is comical, and sweet, and brings great magic to the holiday time and to this franchise.

Storyline and Character Development

At the D23 Expo about a month ago, Tim Allen said that the primary goal of him and the executives, producer, director, etc. involved in making the series was to answer questions raised by the original three movies. Essentially, the goal of this series was to address the spirituality of Christmas, as well as fill in plot holes left by the previous installments to this franchise.

The characters in the series really shine. The development of the characters is highlighted by the actors, and gives the story so much more depth. For example, the series explores the identity of Mrs. Claus (played by Elizabeth Mitchell), which was a subject previously untouched in the other media in the franchise.

The actors really do make the characters pop. They add emotion and realism to the characters.

The storyline is pretty basic, however. Christmas is at risk of being destroyed and it's time to find a Santa to fill in the shoes of Scott Calvin (Tim Allen). The story is entertaining, however and has some funny moments.

Overall, this is a worth-while show. It is enjoyable and brings joy to the holiday time. 4/5 stars from me! Enjoy watching this show and its upcoming second season!

Nate's Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

"The Santa Clauses" on Disney+

---

Works Cited “Austin Kane.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm3180292/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. Chelsea. “TV Review: The Santa Clauses Episodes 1 & 2.” The Geeky Waffle, 22 Nov. 2022, thegeekywaffle.com/home/2022/11/22/tv-review-the-santa-clauses-episodes-1-amp-2. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. DisneyD23. “The Santa Clauses Panel Highlights | D23 Expo.” Www.youtube.com, 16 Nov. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj9XgnZDZOU&t=98s. Accessed 8 Jan. 2023. “Elizabeth Mitchell.” IMDb, m.imdb.com/name/nm0593310/awards/?ref_=nm_awd. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. experiencethesantaclauses, and The Santa Clauses. “Disney’s the Santa Clauses’ Winter Wonderland on Instagram: “Simon, Cal, and Betty the Elf Spotted at @Experiencethesantaclauses in NYC! If You’re in the Area, Check out @ExperienceTheSantaClauses Winter Wonderland at @Watermarkny, Inspired by @DisneyPlus’s “the Santa Clauses”. Snap Photos on Santa’s Sleigh Order a Sweet Treat or Holiday Cocktail Get Cozy next to Santa’s Oversized Fireplace + Much More! Get Tickets at ExperienceTheSantaClauses.com or Link in Bio @ExperienceTheSantaClauses #TheSantaClauses #ExperienceTheSantaClauses #NYCChristmas #Christmas2022.”” Instagram, 19 Dec. 2022, www.instagram.com/p/CmXY7giSliY/?hl=en. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. “Flora & Ulysses.” IMDb, 19 Feb. 2021, www.imdb.com/title/tt8521736/. Hurtado, Alexandra. “Tim Allen’s Santa Is Coming back to Town! Everything We Know about “the Santa Clauses” on Disney+.” Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays, 28 Nov. 2022, parade.com/tv/the-santa-clauses-disney-plus. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. “Jack Burditt.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0120994/?ref_=tt_ov_wr. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. “Kal Penn.” IMDb, 23 Apr. 1977, www.imdb.com/name/nm0671980/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2019. “Peyton Manning Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, 2000, www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MannPe00.htm. “Station Eleven.” IMDb, 16 Dec. 2021, www.imdb.com/title/tt10574236/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. The Santa Clauses, and Disney. “We Have Some Very Merry News to Share! Season Two of #TheSantaClauses Is Coming to #DisneyPlus.” Twitter, Twitter, 14 Dec. 2022, twitter.com/santaclauses/status/1603177658795237377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1603177658795237377%7Ctwgr%5E842945c7a6a0fccf776902c3408d0f966793ac7f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Fsantaclauses2Fstatus2F1603177658795237377widget%3DTweet. “Watch the Santa Clauses | Disney+.” Www.disneyplus.com, 2022, www.disneyplus.com/series/the-santa-clauses/6ggA9rAPkovW?distributionPartner=google. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023. Zee, Michaela. ““The Santa Clauses” Teaser: Tim Allen Is Ready to Retire as Santa, and Peyton Manning Wants the Job.” Variety, 10 Sept. 2022, variety.com/2022/tv/news/tim-allen-the-santa-clauses-trailer-1235362207/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023.

Cover Image Credit: yensid1998 on Flickr

Disclaimer:

We do not own the rights to Disney, The Santa Clauses, Mickey Mouse, or any of Disney's registered trademarks. NWP is not profiting off of this article. If you have any concerns regarding trademarks or legal issues, visit our contact us page. Thank you.