Disney+ releases the first look at Tim Allen reprising his role from The Santa Clause in the new limited series The Santa Clauses. First released in 1994, The Santa Clause starred Allen as the somewhat grumpy toy salesman Scott Calvin, who accidentally causes Santa to fall from his roof and is forced to take over the job. The Santa Clause was a critical and box-office success, and it spawned two sequels in 2002 and 2006 that earned more mixed reviews. Even so, the whole trilogy—particularly the first movie—has become an annual Christmastime tradition for many households.
The Santa Clause was Allen's first lead role in a film and remains one of his most beloved parts. Because of that, Disney announced earlier this year that Allen will be returning to the holiday franchise for a new Disney+ series. Titled The Santa Clauses, the show will follow Allen's Scott as he searches for a suitable replacement to take over the Santa job. He is getting older and cannot be Santa forever, and he wants his kids to experience life outside the North Pole. The Santa Clauses will also see the return of Elizabeth Mitchell, who played Mrs. Claus in the two sequels. Kal Penn boards the franchise as new character Simon Choksi as well.
Now, Disney+ has released the first image for the Santa Clause limited sequel series. Revealed on social media, the image spotlights the cast of The Santa Clauses, offering fans their first peek at Allen back in character. Mitchell and Penn are alongside him, as are Austin Kane and Elizabeth Allen-Dick—who also happens to be Allen's real-life daughter—as the Claus kids. Also featured in the image are Rupaldi Redd (Grace, Simon's daughter), Devin Bright (Santa's right-hand elf Noel), and Matilda Lawler (Betty, Santa's chief of staff). Check out the Santa Clauses image down below.
While the release date of The Santa Clauses is still unknown, it seems very likely that Disney+ will aim to debut the series around the holidays. The first image of the show documents the progress of The Santa Clauses as well, hinting it is very far along in its production process (if not already complete). It gives fans something concrete to be excited about and an early glimpse at some of the characters' interactions with each other. With Allen and Mitchell returning, the spirit and charm of the original Santa Clause movies could be replicated, and that is great news.
With the recent twist of Allen not reprising his role as Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's Lightyear, it is especially exciting that he is working with Disney on this new series. Revisiting the Christmas classic years later is an interesting development in The Santa Clause franchise; it will be exciting to see how the characters have changed and grown in the years since audiences last saw them. A series like this, if it does well, also opens the door for other holiday favorites to possibly continue their stories as well. In other words, the future is looking bright for anyone looking for some holiday cheer later this year.
Source: Disney+/Twitter