Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Santa Clause 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Marry Christmas!

Reviewed by Michael Reuben October 31, 2012

It took eight years and five (seven, if you count the “story by” credit) screenwriters to concoct a sequel to Disney's 1994 hit, The Santa Clause, and then they only wrote half a good story. That's the half in which Tim Allen's Scott Calvin suddenly discovers a second "clause" on the card he took from the coat pocket of the previous Santa, thereby accepting a contract to become Santa Claus. This one requires him to get married, if he wants to continue in the job. The portions of SC2 tracing that plotline had intriguing potential, beginning with the classic romantic comedy element of opposites attracting, then veering off into unknown territory, as the woman who falls for Scott faces a momentous decision. It's an extreme version of the choice faced by anyone contemplating a life partnership: Am I ready to take a leap of faith into something wholly new and unknown?

But SC2 squanders that potential in a few rushed scenes, because its writers' room spent most of their effort dreaming up big, splashy action and effects sequences full of elves, animatronic animals, peripheral characters called the "Legendary Figures" and a fake plastic Santa who, for no obvious reason other than as a pretext for nutty routines, becomes a technocratic fascist and stages a coup at the North Pole. I suspect the writers enjoyed creating a villain with a false smile and fake hair and buffed skin. It was their subversive revenge on the L.A. executive suite, who may not even have noticed the reference. (Or, if it did, they thought, "But that's not me." Yeah, it is.)

SC2 had the twin benefits of a big budget and the charms of Tim Allen (in dual roles) and Elizabeth Mitchell as the yummy but stern principal of now-teenaged Charlie Calvin's school. (The never-married principal and Charlie's extremely available dad fight when they first meet. Need I say more?) These qualities continue to give the film some entertainment value, but it has no staying power, and parts of it just grate. As a reviewer, I had no choice but to sit through Scott Calvin's blind date with SNL's Molly Shannon, but anyone who can do so willingly is made of sterner stuff than me.

SC2 opens promisingly, as the elves under the leadership of Santa (Allen) and head elf Bernard (David Krumholtz) evade the electronic eyes and ears of a military surveillance aircraft. It's a sharply written and edited sequence that effectively showcases the elaborate production design and also demonstrates how well the new Santa has settled into his role during the last eight years.

Then comes the bad news, which Bernard insists be delivered by his assistant, Curtis (Spencer Breslin, brother of Abigail), because Bernard doesn't give bad news. Curtis, who's something of a techno-nerd, has found the other clause, the so-called "Mrs." clause, buried deep inside the contract. No one bothers to explain why it hasn't kicked in during the previous eight years, but now that they know about it, Curtis and Bernard inform Santa that he must get married by Christmas Eve, or he'll cease being Santa. Indeed, the "de-Santa-fication process" happens right in front of them through the magic of CGI, as Santa begins reverting to the former Scott Calvin.

To make matters worse, Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd, less cute as a teen, but still a decent actor) has landed himself on the "naughty" list, after being caught tagging the school gym with an enormous piece of graffiti mocking the principal, Carol Newman (Mitchell). Santa now has two good reasons to re-enter his former life, where ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and her shrink husband, Dr. Neil Miller (Judge Reinhold), know his secret identity and try, with the best of intentions, to help Scott Calvin a/k/a Santa get a date.

Scott Calvin and Principal Newman are the main attraction here. The sparks fly from the moment they meet at a conference to discuss Charlie's misbehavior, with Laura and Dr. Neil largely relegated to the sidelines, where they remain for most of the film. Even Charlie has to take a secondary role, handing off the adorable moppet part to his new half-sister, Lucy (Liliana Mumy, daughter of Bill Mumy of Lost in Space and Babylon 5). After a few disastrous dating attempts, most of which ended up on the cutting room floor, Scott turns his attention to the only interesting woman on the landscape and uses up nearly all his remaining "Santa magic" (as measured by a special watch on his wrist) to win her over. At that point, Scott has to come clean about who he is, and whap! the classic rom-com obstacle drops between him and the principal like a giant icicle.

All of this should have been more than enough for one film, but SC2 keeps cluttering up the story with more. Take the Legendary Figures: Father Time (Peter Boyle), Mother Nature (Aisha Tyler), Cupid (Kevin Pollak), the Easter Bunny (Jay Thomas), the Sandman (Michael Dorn) and the Tooth Fairy (Art LaFleur). Sketch comedy concepts with zero connection to the Santa Claus story line, these characters have a meet with Santa early in the film where each of them gets to deliver a few punchlines, most of them unmemorable. It's all a big setup to the reappearance of one legendary figure late in the film to help solve the other big plot distraction that the writing team has piled on: Toy Santa.

Toy Santa is a duplicate Santa created by Curtis the elf to take Santa's place while he deals with earthbound business as Scott Calvin. (Why do we need a duplicate Santa at the North Pole? Uh, never mind.) Jolly and robotic at first, Toy Santa becomes obsessed with rules and decides that all children are naughty and should receive coal in their stockings. He creates an army of giant toy soldiers (the allusion to March of the Wooden Soldiers should be obvious) to enforce his will on the elves and trades in his red suit for a stylish generalissimo uniform. Toy Santa also imprisons Bernard, and when Scott returns to put things right, takes off with the reindeer, thereby setting the stage for a massive showdown and chase scene involving the entire population of Elfsburg. By the time we get back to the "Mrs." clause, a lot of interesting plot has to be rushed through, and that's really too bad.

The Santa Clause 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Santa Clause 2 was released in the same year as Sweet Home Alabama, another Disney catalog title I recently reviewed, and it too didn't benefit from a digital intermediate, but it looks a lot better on Disney's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray. No doubt part of the improvement is a function of the original cinematography by Adam Greenberg, whose trademark blacks and cyans were essential to the look of James Cameron's two Terminator films and can also be spotted in Eraser and the first Rush Hour. But overall the most likely cause is that SC2 received a superior (and perhaps more recent) scan. In any case, the image is sharp, clear and noiseless, with just a possible touch of grain reduction here and there. However, to the extent any grain reduction has been applied, it appears to have been done lightly with the kind of software tools that don't strip detail. You can see every pattern and strand on Dr. Neil's extensive and questionable sweater collection.

Colors are bright, varied and saturated, especially at the North Pole, where everything is jolly, at least until the Toy Santa begins bringing in huge loads of coal. Then the transfer is good enough to show the impact as coal dust gets everywhere, darkening the realm of the elves until the real Santa returns to restore the reign of cheer, cookies and cocoa.

The Santa Clause 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The elves' workshop is the surround standout of SC2's DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. It's a fully active sonic environment, with the rear channels full of unseen elves talking and working on various projects involving all manner of tools. When the Toy Santa first tours the workshop, he goes running around it and his voice is heard off-camera from all directions. Several flying sequences provide some effective pans, beginning with the opening aircraft surveillance and ending with an old-fashioned stagecoach-style pursuit in mid-air between Toy Santa and the real Santa. The dialogue is always clear, and George Fenton ("Elf George", as director Lembeck calls him on the commentary) hasn't lost his touch for a score that evokes Christmas music without sounding like it belongs in an elevator.

The Santa Clause 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with Director Michael Lembeck: I've listened to a lot of commentaries, and I have no hesitation pronouncing this the least informative I've ever heard—which isn't to say it can't be entertaining. Lembeck is a former actor (he co-starred in The Boys in Company C and was a regular on the Eighties classic, One Day at a Time), and he treats the commentary as an opportunity to perform rather than impart information. For just over 90 minutes, he does a tongue-in-cheek bit about directing the real Santa Claus and his real elves who let him take cameras into their real workshop to make a movie about their adventures. And coordinating schedules for those Legendary Figures? Challenging work, lemme tell ya.
  
  If you find this sort of thing amusing, more power to you. It got old for me after about ten minutes.



• Inside the North Pole with Curtis (SD; 1.33:1; 9:46): A behind-the-scenes featurette hosted by Spencer Breslin a/k/a "Curtis", the Number Two elf, who makes an entertaining tour guide, especially when he gets carted off to the on-set school.



• True Confessions of the Legendary Figures (SD; 1.33:1; 3:28): Interviews with Mother Nature, Father Time, Cupid, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman and the Easter Bunny. They've allegedly been conducted by director Lembeck, but it's fairly obvious that the answers were improv'ed while the actors were in costume and make-up, and the "interviews" were edited together later. Lightweight but amusing.



• Director's Tour of Elfsburg (SD; 1.33:1; 4:15): Lembeck shows the viewer around the main elf village set, accompanied by Elizabeth Mitchell. The gimmick is that he's supposed to be "mediating" between the elves and the toy soldiers, but no diplomatic efforts are shown.



• Deleted Scenes (SD; 1.33:1 & 1.85:1, non-enhanced; 11:49): There are seven scenes, each of them introduced by Lembeck. Many are genuinely good and, but for pacing issues, would have been well worth including. Principal Newman's confrontation with the giant toy soldiers is particularly funny, because it pays off a gag that's been set up in one of her first appearances.



• Gag Reel (SD; 1.85:1, non-enhanced; 4:16): One of the better ones I've seen, mostly thanks to Allen and Mitchell.

The Santa Clause 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

SC2 did solid box office, and it's harmless entertainment, but it doesn't build anything substantial on the foundation laid by the original Santa Clause. It's a sequel for the sake of a sequel (though not as blatantly so as The Escape Clause). Kids should enjoy it, though, and the Blu-ray treatment is superior. To that extent, recommended.