I Believe in Santa Claus is a 1984 French children's film that was dubbed into English and released by New World Pictures in the United States. Its original title is J'ai rencontré le Père Noël ("I Met Father Christmas"), while its original English-language title was Here Comes Santa Claus.
As Christmas approaches, young Simon Porquier is having a difficult time: he's bullied at school, tormented by the sadistic janitor and his parents have been kidnapped by militants in Africa. His only Christmas wish is for his parents to be returned. To be sure that Santa knows his wishes, he and his friend Elodie stow away on a plane to the Finnish city of Rovaniemi, the supposed home of Santa Claus. It's not long before Santa and the Christmas Fairy Mary Ellen are tracking down the parents while the too-curious kids end up prisoners of an ogre...
This film provides examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: Seriously, the janitor physically abuses Simon in front of other students and even his teacher and yet somehow is not immediately fired and brought up on charges.
- Alternate DVD Commentary: Received the RiffTrax treatment in 2015
as one of their Christmas offerings. - And I'm the Queen of Sheba: "And I'm Alexander the Great!" Or, alternatively...Mike: (as militia leader) Yeah, right. And I'm a terrorist in a Christmas movie. Oh, wait...
- Bulungi: Simon's parents are held captive in an unnamed poverty-stricken country in Africa. Even though it's pointed out that Simon could stand to be more specific, Santa and Mary Ellen arrive what's apparently a short walk and a longer drive away from where they are. This part of the film was actually shot in Senegal.
- Christmas Elves: Santa employs six of these from what can be seen, who fit the traditional little-person-with-pointy-ears look.
- Contrived Coincidence: Simon's class just happens to go on a field trip to an airport a few days before Christmas, and just as a plane for Rovaniemi is about to depart at that.
- Forgot About His Powers: Mary Ellen doesn't think to use her magic to send Simon's parents back to France or at least Santa's base once they're free of the militia men. The parents get a ride to the nearest Red Cross outpost and from there apparently fly back to France, arriving back home on Christmas morning.
- Gem-Encrusted: The Christmas Fairy's white gown, particularly the collar, is lined with pearls.
- Identical Stranger: The teacher/fairy and janitor/ogre are played by the same actors and have similar personalities.
- Idiot Ball: The second half is largely dependent on two characters picking this up.
- After explicitly being told not to go into the ogre’s woods, the normally obedient Elodie inexplicably drags Simon into said woods the second the adults are gone to propel the third act conflict.
- Meanwhile, back in Africa, Mary Ellen drops her wand for no good reason — except, apparently, being an idiot — when the plot requires her and Santa to be trapped. Unlike the previous instance, Santa actually calls her out on it!
- I'm a Humanitarian: The ogre is a cannibal who captures all children who wander into his woods, forces them to do all his chores and then eats them.
- Indy Ploy: Mary Ellen can't use magic in the ogre's woods, so to keep the kids from getting eaten, she disguises herself as a maiden, allows the ogre to kidnap her, and she and the kids have to wing it from there while waiting for Santa and the elves to arrive as reinforcements. She buys time by distracting him with an argument about which one he'll eat first, while Simon figures out how to burn the rope holding up a chandelier that's right over the ogre. It crashes atop him and knocks him out cold shortly before Santa and company arrive, whereupon they untie the fairy and the kids and everyone flee to safety.
- Instant Costume Change: Mary Ellen uses her magic to disguise herself as an innocent maiden so the ogre will kidnap her.
- Little Stowaway: Simon and Elodie fly to Finland thanks to a rather credulous flight attendant.
- Magic Wand: The Christmas Fairy has one and without it cannot use magic.
- Mistaken for Spies: The head of the militia believes Santa Claus and Mary Ellen to be these, despite their protests. The kids in the neighborhood are more credulous, however.
- Musical Chores: The Christmas Fairy's duties at Santa's workshop include singing a cheery motivational song to the elves as they work on making toys.
- Non-Actor Vehicle: The teacher and fairy are played by Karen Cheryl, a then-popular French pop singer. She performs several Euro-pop musical numbers.
- Raised by Grandparents: Simon's grandmother is taking care of the boy as the film starts.
- Refuge in Audacity: The teacher has a whole song about "stop all your crying business" to the student whose parents were kidnapped by actual African terrorists.
- Santa Clausmas: Averted at the 11th hour: The final song is about Jesus's birth, sung at a Christmas Mass no less.
- Saving Christmas: The kids at the militia base free Santa Claus, Mary Ellen and Simon's parents with this trope in mind.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: All fairies understand animal language, and Mary Ellen can even talk to monkeys.
- Twisted Christmas: A mild example as some hostage-taking in Africa figures into the plot — not the sort of thing commonly seen in kiddie fantasy films. Plus, the ogre who tries to kill and eat the kids most definitely murdered and devoured a puppy in front of them since it isn't seen again!
- Worf Had the Flu: Santa needs Mary Ellen's help to get to Africa because, as she oh-so-helpfully explains for the audience, Santa's sleigh can only fly on Christmas Eve.Kevin: (as Santa) "Damn teamster rules..."
- Would Hurt a Child: The janitor and his doppelganger, the ogre.
- Your Magic's No Good Here: The Christmas Fairy's powers don't work in the ogre's forest, meaning she and the kids have to deal with the ogre with an Indy Ploy.
