The Santa Clause 3:
The Escape Clause
Year: 2006
Directed by: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Liliana Mumy & Martin Short
Runtime: 92 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 24/12/20
Directed by: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Liliana Mumy & Martin Short
Runtime: 92 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 24/12/20
The Santa Clause was one of my favourite Christmas films as a kid and I gained a new appreciation for it as an adult. The Santa Clause 2 was a flawed gem that I only discovered a few years ago for the first time. But The Santa Clause 3 was a film I had actively avoided for most of my life because I had never heard good things about it. But I decided to bite the bullet and revisit the North Pole for one final Christmas with Scott Calvin and see just how underwhelming the often-forgotten threequel is. Suffice to say, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause pleasantly surprised me.
Four years after marrying Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), she and Scott (Tim Allen) are now expecting a child in the run up to Scott’s twelfth year as Santa. However, the pressure this year is certainly getting to him. Scott is having difficulty balancing work life and home life, particularly with Carol now needing him around more as she is set to burst within the next few days. In order to ensure Carol has people to help her at all times Scott brings her parents (Alan Arkin & Ann Margaret) to the North Pole to keep her company but attempts to trick them into thinking it is actually Canada as they cannot know his secret. Scott also finally allows Laura, Neal, and Lucy (Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, and Liliana Mumy) to visit the North Pole for Christmas.
Meanwhile the Council of Legendary Figures meets to discuss the antics of Jack Frost (Martin Short) who in an attempt to make himself seem more relevant has caused disruptions to Santa’s delivery routes just before Christmas. Scott gives Jack one last chance to prove himself by allowing him to work in the workshop in the lead up to Christmas to try and redeem his actions. Seizing his opportunity to take the position of Santa from Scott, Jack does what he can to not only sabotage the workshop but also Scott’s relationship with his family.
Four years after marrying Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), she and Scott (Tim Allen) are now expecting a child in the run up to Scott’s twelfth year as Santa. However, the pressure this year is certainly getting to him. Scott is having difficulty balancing work life and home life, particularly with Carol now needing him around more as she is set to burst within the next few days. In order to ensure Carol has people to help her at all times Scott brings her parents (Alan Arkin & Ann Margaret) to the North Pole to keep her company but attempts to trick them into thinking it is actually Canada as they cannot know his secret. Scott also finally allows Laura, Neal, and Lucy (Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, and Liliana Mumy) to visit the North Pole for Christmas.
Meanwhile the Council of Legendary Figures meets to discuss the antics of Jack Frost (Martin Short) who in an attempt to make himself seem more relevant has caused disruptions to Santa’s delivery routes just before Christmas. Scott gives Jack one last chance to prove himself by allowing him to work in the workshop in the lead up to Christmas to try and redeem his actions. Seizing his opportunity to take the position of Santa from Scott, Jack does what he can to not only sabotage the workshop but also Scott’s relationship with his family.
The success of the first two Santa Clause films rested almost entirely on the shoulders of Tim Allen’s incredible performance and comedic acting. That’s why Santa Clause 2 didn’t fare quite as well, because whilst we got double the Tim Allen, one of them was extremely obnoxious and annoying which put a dampener on the whole experience. As such Santa Clause 3 does the opposite and gives us less Tim Allen as he now shares the screen with Martin Short. Not to put a downer on Short’s performance because it is good, but it doesn’t compare to Allen’s and so to get less of that is a shame. The film as a whole is also not as funny in comparison to the previous two, there’s less jokes and the ones that are present don’t hit the mark quite as well.
That’s not to say The Santa Clause 3 is totally bad. There’s a lot to like, particularly the drama surrounding the in-laws, and I do like the final act where we see a version of the North Pole had Calvin never been Santa. But much of the drama surrounding Jack Frost doesn’t feel as fresh as the concept for the first two films.
I also feel like Wendy Crewson & Judge Reinhold’s roles aren’t even worth being in the film for. I enjoy Liliana Mumy’s character but as to why she is there is a little contrived. I guess it’s mainly because Eric Lloyd would have been way too old to still be cast as a child and they needed a child central to the story otherwise it would have just been a family film with no children in it which is just a bit weird.
So, whilst I feel like The Santa Clause 3 does get undeserved flak because it is enjoyable, it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to the first two films. It’s a film I’m unlikely to ever return to, but thankfully it doesn’t end the series on a total downer. That being said, I feel we are long overdue a new Santa Clause film, and with Disney Plus original films being a thing I feel like Disney could totally make a fourth film on a lower budget to test the waters for a revival.
That’s not to say The Santa Clause 3 is totally bad. There’s a lot to like, particularly the drama surrounding the in-laws, and I do like the final act where we see a version of the North Pole had Calvin never been Santa. But much of the drama surrounding Jack Frost doesn’t feel as fresh as the concept for the first two films.
I also feel like Wendy Crewson & Judge Reinhold’s roles aren’t even worth being in the film for. I enjoy Liliana Mumy’s character but as to why she is there is a little contrived. I guess it’s mainly because Eric Lloyd would have been way too old to still be cast as a child and they needed a child central to the story otherwise it would have just been a family film with no children in it which is just a bit weird.
So, whilst I feel like The Santa Clause 3 does get undeserved flak because it is enjoyable, it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to the first two films. It’s a film I’m unlikely to ever return to, but thankfully it doesn’t end the series on a total downer. That being said, I feel we are long overdue a new Santa Clause film, and with Disney Plus original films being a thing I feel like Disney could totally make a fourth film on a lower budget to test the waters for a revival.