TechnoFILE is copyright and a registered trademark © ® of
Pandemonium Productions.
All rights reserved.
E-mail us Here!
Santa Clause 2

The Santa Clause 2 on DVD

Say what you will about the Walt Disney Corporation, they sure can crank out great DVD’s that are state-of-the-art treats for home theater fans.

The Santa Clause 2 continues this tradition. It’s a THX-certified version of the sequel to Tim Allen’s big hit of a couple of years before, and whether you like the movie or not (and we liked it), your eyes and ears are in for a treat. Alas, they’ve released the DVD in separate widescreen and Pan&Scan versions, a practice we really hate.

Allen plays Scott Calvin, who for the past eight years has been performing the duties of Santa Claus thanks to the events of the first rather delightful Santa Clause movie. But this time we discover that the original Santa Clause that got him where he is has a second clause (the inevitable fine print) called the Missus Clause. This requires him to marry, or else he’ll “de-Santafy” - returning to his previous shape and state, and basically ending Christmas as we know it - or at least as the secular world knows it.

What to do? The de-Santifacation process has already begun, with Scott losing weight rapidly (this reviewer should be so lucky!) and his beard beginning to disappear and return to his former hair color. But it’s nearly Christmas and he has far too much work to just take off and leave the North Pole (a location that's delightfully imagined here). Even worse, his son Charlie has become an unhappy kid (for reasons we discover later) and has ended up on the “naughty” list.

Fortunately, Santa has plenty of elves. One is a pretty good manager, and another is a creative genius - or at least he thinks he is. The latter has designed a kind of toy cloning machine and he uses that to create a plastic duplicate Santa to mind the store while Scott’s off pursuing romance and straightening out his son (Eric Lloyd).

Alas, while this Santa-compatible starts out trying to do the right things, his pursuit of the letter of the rulebook leads him to delusions of grandeur and, with the help of the toy cloner, he creates an army of gigantic toy soldiers to enforce what becomes a police state at the North Pole and threatens to turn Christmas from a time of joy where children get toys to a time of woe where children get lumps of coal.

Scott, meanwhile, finds the de-Santafication process continuing, and his attempts at finding love are harder than he thought - until he finds love in an unlikely place. But his new love (Elizabeth Mitchell) is also his son’s nemesis, and this causes even more angst at home.

Naturally, it all ends happily, but not before we’re treated to an entertaining, imaginative and warm tale that’s suitable for any age. We were pleasantly surprised: sequels often suck, and a movie listing five screenwriters could have ended up being a mishmash, but fortunately that didn’t happen. It isn't as good as the original, but it's good enough.

Allen is a pretty good actor and he carries the movie well with both his characterizations. The makeup effects, especially for the plastic Santa, are terrific and the de-Santafying process is quite convincing. The supporting cast is also very good. Wendy Crewson and Judge Reinhold are both back as Scott’s ex and her new husband, but neither have a lot to do (though Reinhold’s “shrink” is a good whetstone for sharpening Scott’s wit). Mitchell is very good as her icy demeanor melts over the course of the movie, and the kids and/or elves are also quite engaging. And watch for Michael “Whorf” Dorn in cameo.

The production values and special effects are top notch as well, including some nice animatronic effects and CG work. And, best of all, none of it overpowers the charming story.

As mentioned at the top, the DVD is also terrific. The THX-certified audio and video is absolutely wonderful. Video on our review copy was, fortunately, presented in anamorphic widescreen (16x9 TV compatible) and the picture is superb. Colors are bright and deep and the image is razor sharp. Note, though, a Pan&Scan version is available separately, but we recommend only watching it if you’re renting; collectors should get the widescreen version in anticipation of their next TV, which will undoubtedly be 16x9.

Audio, which is offered in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, is also excellent. We noticed a little bit of distortion from the center front channel occasionally, but nothing really bad. The bass is terrific, as are the other frequency ranges, and all five channels are used very well.

Then, of course, there are the extras. First up is a running commentary with director Michael Lembec, as well as seven deleted scenes. There’s also a pretty amusing gag reel of bloopers and fluffs, a “making of” featurette, and a set of interviews with the other legendary figures who show up in the movie (such as the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny).

Director Lembeck also takes you on a tour of Elfsburg and there’s a game called “Operation Toy Box: Save Santa.” And there are some DVD ROM features as well.

In all, an enjoyable family holiday feature, given a wonderful DVD treatment.

The Santa Clause 2, from Walt Disney Home Video
104 min. anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1, 16x9 TV compatible)/Pan&Scan (SOLD SEPARATELY), Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
Starring Tim Allen,Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Elizabeth Mitchell,
Produced by Robert F. Newmyer, Brian Reilly, Jeffrey Silver,
Written by Don Rhymer and Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and Ed Decter & John J. Strauss, Directed by Michael Lembeck

 

Tell us at TechnoFile what YOU think

Google
 
Web www.technofile.com
 

Home

Audio/Video

Automotive

Blu-rays

Computers

Gadgets

Games

Letters

Miscellaneous

Search

Welcome

Support TechnoFile
via Paypal

TechnoFILE's E-letter
We're pleased to offer
our FREE private,
subscription-based
private E-mail service.
It's the "no brainer"
way to keep informed.

Our Privacy Policy