In 1994, The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen was released. The film is one of Allen's best Christmas movies. The holiday classic revolved around Scott Calvin (Allen), becoming Santa Claus after accidentally killing the original. As the new Santa Claus, Scott found himself in a pickle when his young son, Charlie, told everyone he knew that his dad was Santa. Scott then had to live a double life until he fully accepted his new role as one of the world's most noble treasures.
The Santa Clause did so well in the early '90s that it spiraled into a trilogy. Fans that grew up with the franchise rewatch every holiday season and have learned a few things about the movie and the making of the movie that novice viewers may not be aware of.
This Was A Special Movie For Tim Allen
Tim Allen became a big name in 1991 when Home Improvement hit TV screens. The sitcom put his name on the map, which is when he snagged the role of Scott Calvin in Santa Clause three years later. What many viewers didn't know about the film is that Santa Clause was Allen's first feature film. After the success of The Santa Clause, Allen went on to snag the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's Toy Story. From there, he became one of the most well-known men in Hollywood.
There Are A Few Home Improvement Easter Eggs
In 1994, Tim Allen didn't just have the number one show on TV, The Santa Clause also became the number one movie in box offices. Due to Allen's successful show during the making of The Santa Clause, fans noticed a few Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the movie.
Not only did Tim Allen work with the director (John Pasquin) of The Santa Clause on Home Improvement, but Jimmy Labriola - who played benny on Home Improvement - portrayed the trucker that Charlie and Scott rode alongside in a sleigh. There's also a scene where Bernard was teaching Scott about the ins and outs of being Santa Claus. During the spiel, Scott tried on a tool belt and adjusted it like he's worn it 100 times before — just like his Home Improvement character, Tim Taylor.
Becoming Santa Claus Took A Lot Of Makeup
Before Scott became the one and only Santa Claus, he was a business professional, single dad, and divorcee. He loved his son Charlie but wasn't always the best dad because he spent so much time at work. And speaking of work, Scott was horrified about his work image when he became Santa Claus because of how fast his facial hair grew and how quickly he gained weight. After watching The Santa Clause, fans questioned how professionals transformed Allen into Santa.
To transform Tim Allen into a jolly Santa Claus, Allen told AP Television that he had to sit in a makeup chair for four to five hours. He had to wear 75 pounds of costume that included prosthetics. According to E! Online, Tim Allen was only allowed to wear the fat suit and prosthetics for six hours because of "poor ventilation."
Hi, Mickey!
Scott Calvin wasn't always the best dad to Charlie, but once he became Santa, that all changed. With Scott's dedication to the Santa role, he was able to spend more time with his son, which was best for both of them.
In one scene, Scott and Charlie were in Santa's sleigh, flying near the moon. While novice fans focused on Scott and Charlie's next move in the sky, diehard fans saw the small connection to Disney in the sky. With the movie being produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Mickey Mouse's head shape can be seen in the moon.
They Weren't Exactly In Illinois
Scott and his family were supposed to be in a suburban neighborhood in Illinois, however, fans noted on IMDb a few inaccurate geographical moments that would prove otherwise. Not only were mountains shown just outside of "Chicago," but Alberta, Canada license plates can be seen on a few of the cars.
Due to a few geographical flubs, Phactual noted that production took place around Toronto, Ontario. The reindeer that were used in the movie were even borrowed from the Toronto Zoo. New fans of the movie may believe filming took place in an American suburb but the more Canadian references that were dropped, the more it's obvious that Scott and Charlie don't live near Chicago, Illinois.
A Totally Different Ending
There are multiple reasons why The Santa Clause is the perfect Santa movie. Scott's resistance to Santa's role made the ending of the movie all the better because he eventually grew to love being Santa and adored the children he visited. However, the ending where Scott takes on the role of Santa full time almost didn't happen.
According to Mental Floss, the final script had the first Santa dying due to being startled by Scott and falling off the roof. But in the original script, the first Santa died because Scott shot him. Considering The Santa Clause is a family movie, the writers worried it would be too dark of an introduction.
Tim Allen Wasn't Always Great With His Elves
Tim Allen did a great job as the cynical, grumpy Scott Calvin — especially when the kids were involved. Santa may have loved kids but Scott didn't, which led to some funny quotes throughout The Santa Clause. Interestingly enough, it looks like it wasn't just Scott who didn't love working with children, it was Tim Allen as well.
When Allen was on The Kelly Clarkson Show, he noted how bad he was with the kids on set who all portrayed elves. "I'm not really a big fan of children. I have them. I like mine, kind of. I don't like other people's children. And when we did Santa Clause, it was like cats, they wouldn't leave me alone."
Or The Director
One of the movie's most popular scenes is when Scott does a stress test on a treadmill. After putting on weight in a short amount of time, he went to the doctor to see if there was a deeper issue. Scott's shock at the weight gain and confusion about his life made him one of the funniest characters in The Santa Clause trilogy. Allen's acting was superb.
Although the treadmill scene is a classic, it was a scene that got Allen and director, John Pasquin, into an argument. According to Mental Floss, Allen had to wear a fake belly for the scene and it weighed 50 pounds. The scene was a long one and the weight of the belly made Allen tired and lash out at the director. The site noted, "Allen would spend his time between takes swearing and yelling that he had to get off the set" due to how uncomfortable he was.
...And The Elves Thought He Really Was Santa
Instead of adding animated elves, production chose children and added prosthetics to their ears to make them pointy. It's the elves' presence that makes The Santa Clause an underrated movie because it brings back the notion of Santa surrounding himself with elves and children that believe in him.
The children hired as elves were so young that many of them believed that Tim Allen was the real Santa Claus. According to CBR, because Allen was dressed in Santa's suit, answering to Santa, and portraying Santa, many of the kids believed he actually was Santa. This led Allen to separate himself from the "elves" at times so he didn't shock them.
Eagle-Eyed Fans Saw This
When Scott Calvin attended Charlie's school for Parents Day to talk about his job as a businessman for a toy manufacturer, Charlie interrupted and told the entire class that his dad was Santa Claus. Most of the kids laughed at the thought, but there was one kid who wasn't laughing. In fact, diehard fans know that that same kid had elf ears and believed every word Charlie was saying, proving that Charlie was amongst elves all along. Charlie's school situation changes in The Santa Clause 2 but that's not to say he's not around elves in high school too.