The Santa Clausehas evolved into one of the most rewatchable Christmas movies, but it may not have been such a success if Disney hadn’t stepped in and made a key change to the way Scott Calvin gained Santa’s power. The iconic 1994 classic features Tim Allen as a father who, via a twist of fate, becomes the new Santa. The magic of Santa Claus is transferred to him afterthe previous Santa Claus diedafter a fall from his roof on Christmas Eve in the process of delivering presents, but the original script called for something far more macabre.
While theoft-quotedThe Santa Clausewas somewhat more grounded (or as grounded as a show about a man becoming the real Santa Claus can be), the two sequels and the legacy sequel show on Disney+ all veered even more kid-friendly and silly. That would have been all but impossible if the original script had been followed. It would have made Scott Calvin seem almost villainous, and kicked the movie off on an entirely different note.
10 Harsh Realities Of Watching The Santa Clause, 29 Years Later
Almost 30 years after the cult classic The Santa Clause was released, some plot holes and bad decisions made by the characters still confuse people.
Scott Calvin Originally Shot & Killed His Santa Claus Predecessor In The Santa Clause Script
The Transition Of Santa’s Magic Was Much More Morbid
In 2018 onThe Tonight Showwith Jimmy Fallon, Tim Allen revealed that the original script forThe Santa Clausecalled forScott Calvin to actually shoot and kill Santa Claus, perUSA Today.The Santa Clausewas written by two comedians, Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and as a result, the boundaries were evidently pushed in the first pass at the story. As Allen tells it, Scott Calvin believes Santa is actually a burglar, and shoots and kills him before he falls off the roof; in the final version, Scott merely startles Santa, causing him to slip and fall.
The Santa Clausewas originally intended to be released under the Hollywood Pictures production label, which was still part of the greater Disney entity. However, after the movie test screened well for children, the decision was made to release it under the Disney banner.
Fortunately,The Santa Clausewas produced by Disney, which famously has limitations on what kind of content can earn the stamp of the House of Mouse. That was especially prevalent in the 1990s, andthe head of Disney at the time, Jeffrey Katzenberg, but the kibosh on the grisly opening. As Allen told Fallon:
“I’m laughing so hard, but the head of Disney at the time, (Jeffrey) Katzenberg said, ‘Well, we can’t start a movie like that,’ and I said, ‘Why not?’ …and he said, ‘We can’t start a Disney movie with you murdering Santa.' ”
The Santa Clause’s Original Death Twist Wouldn’t Have Been A Mistake
That’s Far Too Dark A Tone To Set For A Kids' Movie
Having its main character murder Santa Claus right off the bat would have been a horrible mistake for any kids' movie, but especially for a Christmas movie that is meant to inspire positivity and belief in magic.WhileThe Santa Clausedoes still technically start with Santa’s death, his death is almost slapstick in nature, and ends with Santa in a silly position sprawled out in the snow. The transition of Santa’s magic is treated as an accidental/coincidental twist of fate that was meant to happen, while the shooting would have muted that element entirely.
1994
$22 million
$470 million
73%
66%
2002
$65 million
$173 million
55%
43%
2006
$12 million
$111 million
17%
39%
That opening might have killed the movie’s success from the get-go, and ifThe Santa Clausedoesn’t become a hit,then the entire franchise likely never happens. Neither the sequels nor the TV show ever measured up to the original as far as critical reception is concerned, but in total the movie franchise grossed nearly $475 million worldwide. The dark original script forThe Santa Clausewould have been a major mistake that fortunately never came to pass.
