When it comes to celebrating Christmas, the story of Santa Claus is central to the excitement for many people, especially for kids. Because Santa is such a big part of the celebration of the holiday, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of versions of Santa on Christmas movies that have been made throughout the years. While Santa is supposed to be a figure that represents being good and caring, some of the movie versions of this figure are less than jolly.
Here are some of the most Grinch-like Santa from the movies ranked to the most grumpy of them all.
TIM ALLEN IN THE SANTA CLAUSE
Tim Allen’s character in The Santa Clause starts out as a normal businessman named Scott Calvin. He’s a divorced dad who struggles to give his son enough attention, and he’s kind of self-centered. So, when he accidentally signs himself up to be Santa Claus, he’s not thrilled about it at first. This Santa is a bit grumpy at moments, especially during his transformation, but he ends up embracing the role and being a rather kind and earnest Santa figure.
NOELLE’S DAD IN NOELLE
The Noelle movie that was released this year on Disney+ is one of the most recent Christmas movies to come out. While it might not be as much of a classic, it could become a movie that many people watch around the season.
While Noelle’s dad, who is Santa Claus, isn’t in the movie very much. He’s on this list for being Grinch-like because of the weird sexist rule that only boys can be Santa. It’s pretty messed up that Santa encourages his daughter to spread Christmas joy and play a support role and that he never saw anything weird about this rule.
THE FAKE SANTA IN HOME ALONE
Of all the movie Santas out there, there are a lot of fake Santas that characters encounter at places like malls as well as real-deal Santas. In Home Alone, Kevin goes to visit a fake Santa to ask him for his family back. This Santa is not on the clock anymore, and it’s clear he’s kind of just a gruff guy. While he doesn’t seem the jolliest, he isn’t a bad person either. He listens to Kevin and says he will send the message along to the real Mr. Claus.
JACK SKELLINGTON AS SANTA
One movie that’s perfect for both Halloween and Christmas is The Nightmare Before Christmas. In this movie, Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown learns about Christmas and tries to bring it back to his home. Of course, this doesn’t work out very well. While Skellington means well, he isn’t meant to be Santa and doesn’t really understand what he’s doing. So, while he’s definitely a sympathetic character, he’s not the greatest Santa out there, and it’s great to see him embrace who he is in Halloweentown.
SANTA FROM THE POLAR EXPRESS
In The Polar Express, the Santa Claus figure isn’t featured too much. He is given some scenes, and he is the one who gives the main character the first gift of the season which turns out to be a jingle bell. This Santa is pretty mysterious, so it’s hard to get a good read on him. He might have some magic about him, but it’s also rather strange that each year he lets a group of kids go on a dangerous adventure to the North Pole.
BILLY BOB THORNTON IN BAD SANTA
In many ways, this version of Santa could be considered the worst and most Scrooge-like of them all, but because this is more of a parody movie for adults than a real Christmas movie, he was put in the middle of this list.
While this fake Santa character does a lot of awful things, even though he has somewhat of a softer and redeemable side. But, he also does a lot of crude things.
THE FAKE SANTA IN A CHRISTMAS STORY
For many young kids, the Santas at malls are often really scary. While most people who dress up as Santa are kind people, to a little kid this experience can be a little scary. The Kris Kringle from A Christmas Story is definitely one of the scariest fake Santas from any holiday movie. He’s really rude and not patient at all, and he literally shoves Ralphie down the slide with his boot. He’s definitely not someone who captures the jolly spirit that Santa should have.
ED ASNER IN ELF
Ed Asner plays Old Saint Nick in Elf, and he’s not necessarily horrible at the role. However, there’s just something about this character that isn’t very inviting. It might be because Asner tends to play gruffer roles, but the warmth of Santa doesn't’ really come through. Also, the fact that he just lets Buddy go by himself to New York City is kind of messed up.
It’s clear that Buddy doesn’t have the experience or maturity to handle this, and Santa just sends him on his way with some random pieces of advice.
THE SANTA FROM THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
Some of the Christmas movies that people still watch year after year have been out for decades. These claymation movies from the 60s and before are well-loved by many because of the nostalgic value. However, many of the Santas from these movies are super depressing. In The Year Without a Santa Claus, St. Nick is depressed most of the movie, and he seems to have a pretty low opinion of children. This doesn’t really seem like how Santa should be.
SANTA FROM RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
Of all of the Kris Kringle’s from movies, the most Grinch-like of them all is the one from Rudolph. While this might be one of the most popular and classic Christmas movies ever, the Santa in it is just the worst. He’s angry and judgemental, and he treats the elves and Rudolph really horribly. He’s not a nice person, and he seems to hate his job. Everything about him is miserable, and he’s so far from kind or jolly.