Walt Disney Pictures, Boxing Cat Films, Outlaw Productions (I)
Tim Allen, Ann-Margret, Judge Reinhold, Martin Short, Spencer Breslin, Alan Arkin, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, Peter Boyle
Santa, aka Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is faced with two big problems. Mrs. Santa is expecting, and both sets of parents are visiting the North Pole. But nobody can get along, and there’s a lot of conflict going on. Keeping everybody happy is almost impossible. But worse than that, Jack Frost (Martin Short) is trying his best to take over Christmas by forcing Scott to use the little known “Escape Clause”, which will turn back the clock and make it like Scott never became Santa at all, leaving the job open for him. Jack is an annoying little dweeb who is only out for himself.
This third installment of The Santa Clause series is not quite as good as the other two, but it’s still a lot of fun. The characters are very well developed now, so we get to add a few more. We again meet all the other mythical creatures like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, and more, but the key is Jack Frost who is a really devilish guy. But the family stresses are getting to Scott, and it appears things are pretty hopeless. We have to stress through the problems as Scott tries to find a solution. Things get really bad before they can get better. This is an entertaining addition to the series and one that’s well worth watching. This is some of Tim Allen’s best work, and the addition of the in-laws, Bud and Sylvia (Ann-Margaret and Alan Arkin) is brilliant.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
** The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006),