The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (or simply The Santa Clause 3) is the third installment of Disney's The Santa Clause trilogy, once again starring Tim Allen as Scott Calvin/Santa Claus, with Martin Short as Jack Frost. Both had previously worked together in the 1997 Disney comedy film, Jungle 2 Jungle. Eric Lloyd returned in a smaller role as Scott's son, Charlie, as did many of the supporting actors from the first two films, reprising their previous roles. However, David Krumholtz, who previously played Bernard the Head Elf, did not reappear due to contractual issues, so his assistant Curtis (Spencer Breslin) has been promoted to Bernard's former position. Principal photography was completed in February 2006.
Synopsis
The story is a flashback told by Mrs. Claus/Carol Newman to a class of elves who asked how hard her life was after moving to the North Pole.
Scott and Carol have been happily married for a while now, but Scott/Santa Claus is having difficulties managing Christmas this year. Carol is expecting their first child, due on Christmas Eve, and is afraid that he will be making his deliveries while she is making hers. To keep her company, Scott invites his in-laws, Bud and Sylvia Newman, to the North Pole, along with his ex-wife Laura, her husband Neil, and their daughter Lucy. Meanwhile, he is summoned to a meeting of the Council of Legendary Figures, consisting of Mother Nature, Father Time, the Easter Bunny, Cupid, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman. They show him a cardboard cutout of Jack Frost, just as he arrives. Besides Father Time reminding him that he heralds the season and not a holiday, Mother Nature accuses Jack of attempting to upstage Santa by freezing a volcano in Hawaii, making it snow in the Amazon, and making it cold in Mexico, which sent the geese back up north for the winter. The other Legendary Figures agree that a punishment needs to be invoked against him, with the idea to suspend him being the best option to teach him a lesson. Jack manages to convince them to put him into community service at the North Pole instead. When Scott brings up the part with Bud and Sylvia during an argument with him, the Easter Bunny recommends the "Escape Clause" as an option, which he declines. When Jack asks what it is, Father Time tells him that he would know more about it if he attended the meetings more often. Scott reluctantly agrees to Jack's suggestion for community service, but with a warning to him if he does anything wrong on his watch. He helps to disguise the North Pole as a Canadian toy factory for Bud and Sylvia's arrival. Scott manages to get them there with the Sandman's help.
However, Jack, who wants Santa's power and influence, uses his powers to create technical problems with some of the equipment. The shop flies into chaos and many gifts are destroyed, and Scott is faced with the possibility that there will not be enough toys for all the children in time for Christmas.
Jack talks to Curtis the Head Elf about the Hall of Snow Globes and discovers that Scott's can be used to activate the Escape Clause, the most powerful clause of all. If the current Santa holds his snow globe and says, "I wish I had never become Santa at all," he can return to the point where he became Santa and prevent the event from occurring. Scott takes a quick break to show Lucy the Hall of Snow Globes, and gives her a magical one that shows her hugging a snowman, which turns pink because her hugs are so filled with love and warmth. As they leave, Jack sneaks in and steals Scott's, freezing Laura and Neil when they catch him, and threatening to do the same to Lucy if she tells Scott, before locking her in a storage closet. After further sabotage attempts, including Scott trying to finish decorating the Christmas tree, Jack manages to enrage Bud and Sylvia, and gives Scott a gift as he talks about his frustrations away from everyone else. Unaware of what he is doing, Scott is persuaded into uttering the Escape Clause while opening it and taking out his snow globe, just as Jack intended. He and Jack are transported back in time to his front yard, where, twelve years earlier, he caused Santa to fall off the roof and donned his suit to become the new Santa. Jack reaches it before the past Scott can, making sure of it by knocking the present Scott out with a shovel, and puts it on to become Santa.
Scott returns to the present, in which, thanks to Jack altering the past, he has been the CEO of his old company for the last twelve years and works even on Christmas Eve. He drives over to Laura's house, where she treats him unhappily. Charlie isn't happy to see him either and leaves to go out with his friend despite Laura telling him not to since it's Christmas Eve. Scott frantically asks her where Carol is and she says she "left town years ago because there weren't enough local kids to terrorize or something." He then asks her where Neil and Lucy are, knowing they'll understand the situation. She tells him she and Neil got divorced, and that he and Lucy are at the North Pole. She gives him a magazine that shows it is now a tourist attraction where wealthy parents take their kids and pay for them to be on the nice list. Knowing Jack is behind this, Scott assures her that he'll fix everything.
Scott returns to the North Pole, where the elves are miserable and Christmas has become highly merchandised. He also finds Lucy and Neil, although they too are not happy to see him, He asks Neil what happened between him and Laura, and he tells him that he doesn't know because, since he was never around, Neil tried and failed to fill his role to Charlie as his father. Scott confronts Jack with what he has done and claims his vision of Christmas isn't what it is about, but he reminds him that he wished he had never become Santa.
Scott convinces Lucy to sneak into the Hall of Snow Globes and bring Jack's to him. He interrupts a musical performance by Jack, when she tosses it to him. Jack mocks that Scott will never convince him to invoke the Escape Clause, but Scott plays a recording of him saying, "I wish I had never become Santa at all," when he said it to him earlier. To Jack's horror and fury, they are whisked back to the past again, where Scott holds Jack down while his past self finds the suit and puts it on, restoring the original timeline, much to Jack's frustration as his alternate timeline is erased and he is stripped of Santa's powers, screaming in anguish as things are restored to normal.
Back in the present, Scott reunites with Carol, even though no time has passed since he left, and he promises to make her life better. Jack, meanwhile, contemplates why his plan backfired so spectacularly. Scott then shows Bud and Sylvia the truth about his workshop, where despite Jack's sabotage, gifts are being manufactured and will be ready on time for his deliveries. To his surprise, Charlie arrives and helps out the elves, as do the other members of the Council of Legendary Figures.
Just as things seem to be going perfectly, Curtis and Lucy appear, and Neil and Laura are wheeled in, frozen solid. Jack is also dragged in by the "elficers", and when ordered by Scott to undo his spell on them, he refuses; by unfreezing them, he would have to "unfreeze himself". When Scott asks for Mother Nature to help him out, she reminds him that the abilities of a Legendary Figure won't work on others. Jack believes he still won; however, Scott has an idea. He tells Lucy to give Jack one of her heartwarming hugs; her tight one, full of love and warmth, breaks him down, changing his clothes and hair from icy to normal and breaks the spell around Neil and Laura. Everyone, including the defrosted and reformed Jack, celebrates with a hug, and Carol suddenly announces that her baby is coming. She gives birth to a boy just before midnight and names him Buddy Claus, right before Santa has to leave to deliver his gifts.
The film ends back at the school as Carol finishes her story, and Scott presents Buddy to the class.
Music
The score was composed by George S. Clinton, who won the 2007 BMI Film Music Award.
Songs
| Title | Performed by |
|---|---|
| "White Christmas" "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" |
Andy Williams |
| "Santa Drives a Hot Rod" | The Brian Setzer Orchestra |
| "O Canada" | Otto Jensen and Julien Desabrasis |
| "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" | The Kids Picks Singers |
| "The Christmas Song" | Martin Short and Ann-Margret |
| "We Wish You a Merry Christmas Tree" | Pam DeCosmo and John Ginger |
| "Come Meet Santa" "Theme from New York, New York" |
Martin Short |
| "Greatest Time of Year" | Aly & AJ |
| "I'm the Real Santa" | The Refreshments |
| Handel's "Hallelujah" | The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square |
Broadcast history
The film appeared on ABC Family on December 1, 2009, as part of the 25 Days of Christmas, and has aired there annually since. In Canada, it first appeared on CBC Television on December 13, 2009. In the UK, it was shown on the BBC for the first time on Christmas Eve 2009. In New Zealand, it was also aired on TV 2 on Christmas Eve 2009.[1] In Singapore, it was shown for the first time on MediaCorp Channel 5 on December 26, 2009.
Availability
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on November 20, 2007, and in the United Kingdom on November 12th.
November 20, 2007
September 10, 2019
November 20, 2007
2011
Reception
The film received negative reviews from critics, earning a 17% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Eric D. Snider said that Allen did the role "the first time with enthusiasm, the second time with affection and the third time for a paycheck."[2] Kyle Smith wrote "We're getting a turkey and a ham for the holidays. [...] Santa is so dumb he should be demoted to cleaning up after Geoffrey the Giraffe at Toys 'R' Us." Manohla Dargis dismissed the film as "squeaky clean, but you might die of boredom." Nathaniel Bell wrote it off as "holiday filler, stuffed with unearned emotion and trite sentimentality." In the UK, Mark Kermode described it on BBC Radio Five Live as "the cinematic equivalent of tertiary syphilis".
While the first two films were box-office successes during their opening weekends, this one was beaten by Borat for the #1 spot. By February 7, 2007, it made $84,500,122 in the US and a worldwide gross of $110,768,122.[3] (The first film made $189,833,357 worldwide at the box-office while the second film made $172,855,065.)
Notes
- The ticker sign reads "378 years without an accident", when in the first film, Scott became Santa Claus because the previous one fell off his roof, which should be considered an accident. However, the sign could only be referring to the North Pole workshop.
- The revelation of the Escape Clause contradicts the first film's statement that being Santa Claus is a lifetime commitment. Scott even tried to get out of the responsibility in the first film, but the clause wouldn't allow him.
Cast
| Actor/actress(es) | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Tim Allen | Santa Claus/Scott Calvin |
| Elizabeth Mitchell | Mrs. Claus/Carol Newman Calvin |
| Eric Lloyd | Charlie Calvin |
| Judge Reinhold | Neil Miller |
| Wendy Crewson | Laura Miller |
| Spencer Breslin | Curtis |
| Liliana Mumy | Lucy Miller |
| Martin Short | Jack Frost |
| Ann-Margret | Sylvia Newman |
| Alan Arkin | Bud Newman |
| Abigail Breslin | Trish |
| Art LaFleur | Tooth Fairy |
| Aisha Tyler | Mother Nature |
| Kevin Pollak | Cupid |
| Jay Thomas | Easter Bunny |
| Michael Dorn | Sandman |
| Peter Boyle | Father Time |
| Sammi Hanratty Ridge Canipe Kate Emerick Andrew Vo |
Elves |
| Madeline Carroll | Cocoa |
| Charlie Stewart | Dr. Hismus |
| Alec & Eric Plotkin | Engineer Elves |
| Chantel Valdivieso Darian Bryant |
Worker Elves |
| Zach Mills | Carpenter Elf |
| Tom Hornof | Security Guard |
| John Ross Bowie | Rory |
| Tim Dougherty | Masonry Elf |
| Cameron Monaghan Ryan Heinke |
Traffic Cops |
| Elizabeth Small | Baker Elf |
| Tony Bustamante | Fireman Elf |
| Brittany Bhagia Emily Blair Alana Brady Jordan Felix Kristen Fukuto Eshe Gibbs Alexis House-Gonsalves Alexandria Kessinger Caitlin Moravek Kindra Reyling Brittney Rippeon Courtney Soren |
Elfette Dancers |
| Uncredited | |
| Arika Gluck Grant Measures |
Elves |
| Olivia Everhard Chase Wilmot |
Classroom elf |
| Samantha Feld Zachary Gray |
Workshop elf |
| Andrew Ferguson Lilly Petruzzi |
Baker elves |
| Zachary Gray | Workshop elf |
| Tabitha Grayston | Canadian elf |
| Christopher Haskell | Parent |
| Julio Leal | Young father |
| Taylor Masamitsu (voice) | Additional voices |
| Deborah Ouellette | North Pole mother |
| Enn Reitel (voice) | Unknown |
| Cameron Scher | Wrapping elf |
| Ariana Serrano | Additional extra |
| Andrea Sweeney-Blanco Kara Stribling |
Tourists |
| Adam Thompson | Trailer |
References
External links
Disney Wiki: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause at the Internet Movie Database
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause at the Movie Database
- REDIRECT Template:Rotten Tomatoes
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause at RetroJunk.com
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