Infinite Santa 8000 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Infinite Santa 8000 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 11, 2024

Just in time for the holidays comes a tale about Christmas and family. However, 2013’s “Infinite Santa 8000” also contains “mutants, scum, and robo- people,” taking viewers to a dire future where the Earth is in ruins and all that remains in a way of goodness is a cyborg Santa and his robo-reindeers. Creators Greg Ansin and Michael Neel inhale all sorts of influences from video games and comic books to support “Infinite Santa 8000,” which began life as a web series charting the main character’s battle for survival before being turned into a feature-length endeavor. 100 minutes of all this violence and flat animation is a big ask from Ansin and Neel, but they try to deliver cheap thrills with the effort, getting grungy with this study of survival and guardianship. It gets repetitive quickly, but for certain audiences, there’s fun to be had in this post-apocalyptic tale.

The Earth is in ruins, but Infinite Santa (Duane Bruce) survives, making a home for himself and his robo-reindeer at Santa’s Ranch. Santa is part machine, trying to make it through the days while fighting for food, and he has a young partner in Martha (Tara Henry), a robo-child the jolly old man liberated long ago. Striving to maintain peace and quiet, Santa’s world is crashed by Big Bunny (Michael Neel), who kidnaps Martha, returning her to his boss, Dr. Shackleton (Henry), an evil scientist looking to experiment on innocent creatures. The villain is attempting to acquire a sample of Martha’s essence, questing to build a robot super-army with her DNA. Santa refuses to accept the loss, setting out on a rescue mission to collect Martha and defeat Dr. Shackleton. Standing in the way are waves of enemies and a labyrinth of a lair, pushing Santa to battle to victory using an array of weapons and good cheer to restore what’s left of order across the land.

Earth isn’t in good shape in “Infinite Santa 8000.” It’s a desolate place where only the strong survive, and this includes Infinite Santa, who’s introduced in a gladiatorial arena battling a “kill bot,” looking to defeat his enemy and claim two sacks of meat as a reward. The feature establishes its coarse tone immediately, as scoring efforts largely involve stretches of death metal and visuals detail rough battles where limbs are lost. There’s also a sense of benevolence, as Santa returns to his ranch, caring for his robo-reindeer, including red-nosed Randolph. And there’s Martha, a sweet cyborg who loves Santa’s company, pushing him to share tales from Christmases long ago, when life was a simple question of naughty or nice.

The stillness of this life is shattered by the arrival of Big Bunny, who kidnaps Martha, commencing a sleigh chase that’s largely representative of the “Infinite Santa 8000” viewing experience. The web series aspect is fairly easy to spot, as small quests are set up for Santa every ten minutes, giving him a different adversary to defeat or puzzle of survival to solve. It’s a tight loop of conflict, but there’s a villain to follow, as Dr. Shackleton is trying to collect Martha to help develop a new line of robotic soldiers, often unleashing the hordes on Santa. “Infinite Santa 8000” becomes its most game- like during these sequences, watching the hero in red fight trouble, facing hostile mutants and robots while making his way around the maze-like structure of Dr. Shackleton’s home base.

Infinite Santa 8000 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Infinite Santa" is working within the constraints of a 2013 web series. It's never going to look amazing, but what's here is functional, only really running into issues with mild banding, which carries throughout the entire viewing experience. Color shines brightest here, with Christmas hues most defined, delivering sharp reds and greens. Mutant-y hues and robotic appearances remain intact, providing a cooler look at enemies and lairs. Animation detail isn't a major selling point here, but artistry is appreciable and character details remain open for inspection.

Infinite Santa 8000 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD mix supplies a crisp understanding of dialogue exchanges, with character voices remaining distinct throughout the listening event. Death metal dominates the soundtrack, offering sharp instrumentation, including heavier double bass drumming. Sound effects are appreciable.

Infinite Santa 8000 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Web Series (31:40, HD) presents the original version of "Infinite Santa 8000."

• Commentary features creators Michael Neel and Greg Ansin.

• "Greg Ansin and Michael Neel: Creators" (10:11, HD) is an interview with the filmmakers, who set out to create an "evergreen project" that could find an audience on a yearly basis. Eventually finding their way to the "Infinite Santa 8000" project, the interviewees describe the creative process, highlighting writing and animation achievements, walking through the work involved to create imagery for the picture. Casting is also highlighted, offering information about the actors.

• "Dawn Scaltreto: Artist" (4:15, HD) explores her creative process, turning pencil sketches into characters for the final film, pointing out the details used to add personality to her creations.

• "Nick Flanagan: Artist" (2:59, HD) discusses his contributions to "Infinite Santa 8000," dreaming up ways to develop character appearances.

• "Jeff O'Brien: Artist and Colorist" (3:06, HD) highlights choices made to bring the image to life through carefully chosen hues. O'Brien also shares the challenges of his work.

• "Duane Bruce: The Voice of Santa" (5:18, HD) goes into characterization with the actor, who pulled from holiday cheer and Yosemite Sam to find the sound of Santa. Dramatic challenges are also recalled.

• "Tara Henry: The Voice of Martha and Dr. Shackleton" (4:35, HD) understands the interviewee's creative process as she hunts to define the sound of her characters.

• "Eric Welsh: Sound Post Production" (4:39, HD) provides an appreciation for the work involved when creating the sonic presence of the picture, and the interviewee spotlights a few creative challenges encountered during production.

• "Making the Score" (5:15, HD) visits a studio space, where co-creator Greg Ansin shows off the instruments used to generate music for "Infinite Santa 8000."

• Music Videos 1 (3:19, HD) and 2 (2:24, HD) are provided.

• Streaming Series Trailer (3:59, HD) and Web Series Trailer (1:40, HD) are provided.

• And Trailers (HD) include 1 (1:50), 2 (1:00), and 3 (1:42).

Infinite Santa 8000 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Infinite Santa 8000" eventually wears out its welcome, as too much time with the film starts to reveal its storytelling limitations and animation moves. Imagery is largely recycled due to the low-budget nature of the project, and some creative choices are baffling, including the use of strobe lighting to simulate the movement of fire, which becomes difficult to watch. The idea seems better suited for small bites of mayhem, following Santa's weekly (or monthly) adventures into danger, replicating the movie serial formula. As a longer study of action and confrontation, the viewing experience grows tiring. Neel and Ansin definitely have a vision for their work, attempting to develop numerous threats and all the gristly details that come with robotic horrors and scientific experimentation. For something lacking a major budget and a team of animators, "Infinite Santa 8000" is impressive at times. And there's certainly an audience for it, as it offers Christmas aggression and broad acts of self-preservation, trying to cover holiday cheer with a thick layer of blood and guts.