Film / The Santa Clause 2

All spoilers for The Santa Clause will be left unmarked.

What's Christmas fun without some Reindeer Games?

The Santa Clause 2 is the 2002 sequel to The Santa Clause. It is directed by Michael Lembeck and written by Don Rhymer, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Ed Decter and John J. Strauss.

Eight years after becoming Santa Claus, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) discovers that the fine print in the magical contract that gave him his Christmas powers requires him to find a wife, and he has only until next Christmas to find a Mrs. Claus. He gets a watch with a magical indicator on it that tells him how much Christmas magic he has left; if it runs out, he can't get back to the North Pole. In order to keep the elves in the dark about the problem, a toy Santa is created to take his place. When it goes wrong, the elves try to keep a lid on it so Scott can find a lady. Despite a bumpy start, he falls for Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), the hard-nosed principal of Charlie's school.

The film also stars Judge Reinhold as Neil Miller, Wendy Crewson as Laura Miller, David Krumholtz as Bernard, Eric Lloyd as Charlie Calvin, Spencer Breslin as Curtis and Liliana Mumy as Lucy Miller.

The Santa Clause 2 provides examples of:

• Accidental Misnaming: The toy Santa doesn't get Bernard's name right.
  • Also a Call-Back to how Scott kept screwing up Bernard's name in the first movie.
• Actor Allusion:
  • While fighting the toy Santa in mid-air, the real Santa is told "You are a sad, strange little man."
  • While discussing Two for the Road with Carol Scott slips into a very Tim Taylor-esque speech about how the car was the real star of the movie.
• A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Even magical Christmas elves can't always get it right, and here they make a toy Santa that ends up becoming a tyrant.
• Amicable Exes: After the events of the first film, Scott is now on friendly terms with Laura and Neil, with the three working together to parent Charlie.
• Artistic License – Animal Care: Scott is not the least bit concerned about Comet eating massive amounts of chocolate, despite chocolate being toxic to many animals. Possibly justified, Comet is a magical reindeer.
• Ascended Extra: Bernard was only in a few scenes in the first movie but becomes a main character here.
• Audible Gleam: Charlie sacrifices a tooth to summon the Tooth Fairy so he can get Carol to the North Pole. When Santa's powers return, so does Charlie's tooth, with a visible sparkle that you can also hear.
• Awesome McCoolname: The Tooth Fairy wants a better name, so Scott jokingly calls him "the Molarnator".
• Bad Santa: The toy Santa turns out to be a total tyrant with no real interest in bringing joy to the world.
• Big Bad: Toy Santa becomes one.
• Big Damn Heroes: Charlie and the Tooth Fairy when they fly to the north pole and free Scott, Curtis and all the other captured elves.
• Brought Down to Normal: After Scott hears of the Mrs. Clause and learns he has to get married by Christmas Eve, he undergoes a "De-Santafication" process where he gradually turns back into his former self.
• Call-Back:
  • Once again at the end Scott pull up his sleigh in the air in front of the Miller's home.
  • Charlie repeats Judy's line from the first film. "Seeing is isn't believing, Believing is seeing"
• Cassandra Truth: Scott confesses to Carol that he really is Santa Claus. She becomes angry with him, thinking he's mocking her hesitant confession about how much she loves Christmas. Charlie later attempts to vouch for his father, doing his first good deed since the previous Christmas in that film, only for her to think the same for him.
• Company Cross References: During Scott and Robo-Santa's fight, the latter shouts, as an Actor Allusion, "You're a sad, strange little man!".
• Continuity Nod: The Snowglobe Charlie got from Bernard reappears in his bedroom. It also serves as a Chekhov's Gun to convince Carol that Scott was telling the truth.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: Toy Santa gets shrunk down to normal toy size after being defeated and is put into a toy store. He ends up enjoying his new status, gleefully trying to teach other toys how to dance.
• Darkest Hour: It's brief, but after Scott and Curtis are captured by Toy Santa and his soldiers and the latter is on his way to ruin Christmas the former both lament everything they did wrong in this movie and give up on hope.
• Deadpan Snarker:
  • Scott returns to being snarky and having a dry sense of humor the more he loses his Santa persona. Focus on the deadpan part as well.
  • Carol Newman is just as snarky, even cynical, as seen in her first encouters with Scott.
  • Curtis has his moments, too, such as when he admits to Bernard that he made his first mistake in 900 years.
• Defcon 5: The opening of the second film shows that the North Pole has the "ELFCON" system, which tracks the threat of the workshop being discovered by the outside world. It's surprisingly done correctly, with the number lowering from 5 to 1 as a plane passes closer and closer to the workshop and the threat of discovery rises.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Carol. Turns out she was an ice queen because being warm-hearted had gotten her hurt in the past.
• Demoted to Extra: Neal and Laura play a considerably smaller role than they do in the first and third films. Aside from allowing Scott to crash at their place while he looks for a wife, they don’t do too much else in this film.
• Disappeared Dad: Scott slips out of his son's life because of the workload involved in caring for all the children of the world.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Toy Santa is unfamiliar with the concept of a proportion of any kind — as far as he's concerned, if a kid does anything naughty at all, all year, they count as naughty. Curtis and Bernard try to convince him this view is too harsh, but he doesn't listen.
• Distant Sequel: The film takes place eight years after the events of The Santa Clause, by which point Scott Calvin has become Santa Claus.
• DIY Dentistry: Having lost his magic, Scott needs a way to get back to the North Pole to stop Toy Santa's takeover. He and Curtis attempt to pull out one of his teeth to prompt a visit from the Tooth Fairy with both the "tie string to the doorknob" and "tie string to a toaster" tricks. Neither work on his adult teeth; thankfully, Lucy is an actual child who just naturally loses her tooth in time.
• Everyone Knew Already: In the beginning, Lucy is the only one in the Miller family who is not in on Scott's secret, but she openly suspects he's Santa Claus just from all the obvious clues. They eventually confirm it to her at the end.
• Exact Words: Toy Santa. Besides following all rules of his manual to a T he also literally only takes a look at said manual when Curtis wants him to take a look at it (when he meant that Toy Santa should read it). This even gets lampshaded by him.
• First Girl Wins: Principal Newman is the first woman Scott encounters after returning from the Pole and is the one he ends up marrying.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the beginning, Scott/Santa remarks that his pants feel looser before he finds out about the whole Mrs. Clause/Desantafication ordeal.
  • In the beginning, Curtis plays with a toy Santa. Later he creates a life-size toy Santa to take over the workshop for Scott.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: The plot is that Scott/Santa has to find a "Mrs. Claus" in one month or lose his powers. Though Carol willingly marries Scott, the absurdity of their rushed union is often pointed out in the third movie and TV series.
• Genre Shift: This installment is more or less a romantic comedy, thanks to the premise alone.
• Gilligan Cut: When told he has to convince the other elves that the Toy Santa is the real one, Bernard insists "I'm not gonna lie to all the elves!" Cut to Bernard telling him how much better "Santa" looks now to the other elves.
• Hold Your Hippogriffs: When the tooth fairy thinks he's caught, he grunts "bicuspids!"
• Homemade Sweater from Hell: A de-Santafied Scott is forced to wear one of Neal's sweaters on his first date because it's the only thing that fits him; the prospective woman Scott dates turns out to be a Christmas freak with an even more hideous sweater.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: While infiltrating the north pole Scott explains to Curtis that their enemy expects them to go through the main hall so they take a door around it to surprise the enemy. Cue him opening the door, revealing Toy Santa's soldiers were already waiting for them on the other side.
• I Shall Taunt You: During the climax when Scott tries to climb towards Toy Santa's sleight mid-air the latter isn't impressed and insults and makes fun of Scott.
• Jump Cut: From Career Day in Charlie's class to the ensuing parent conference with his principal.
• Keeping Secrets Sucks: The reason for Charlie acting out (and getting on the naughty list) is due to the stress of not being able to tell anyone the truth about what his dad really does, even though he considers it the greatest job in the world.
• Large Ham: Robot Santa in is much hammier than regular Santa.
• Lawful Stupid: In the end, this is what Toy Santa is. He follows the regulations of the manual for Santa Claus, no matter what or how logical it is to the point that because everyone behaves badly once in a while, everyone deserves coal as Christmas presents. Justified because Toy Santa is a robot programmed into reading and following all the regualtions of said manual.
• Let There Be Snow: A variation. Their Chicago suburb is covered in ice, but Scott uses some of his dwindling Christmas magic to create a localized cloud of gentle snowfall while he's courting Carol.
• "Mission: Impossible" Cable Drop: Charlie drops through a skylight in the school gym with a harness and rope, so he can paint graffiti on the wall.
• Mistaken for Santa: Zigzagged — Scott Calvin is Santa Claus, but his girlfriend Carol thinks he is just an ordinary man, so she thinks this trope is in play when random kids come up to him and tell him what they want for Christmas.
• Mrs. Claus: The film is about Scott having to get a wife; apparently, having a Mrs. Clause is required for a Santa to keep his magic.
• Never Trust a Trailer: The home video trailers of the film make it look like Comet would speak (when Scott was revealing to Carol that he's Santa), but this never happens in the movie.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Curtis neglects to tell Santa about the Mrs. Clause until it's almost too late, nearly causes the Pole to be discovered by playing with a dancing Santa during a lockdown, and creates a Toy Santa that almost ruins Christmas because Curtis kept encouraging him to follow the rules.
• Not Me This Time: A variation: when Bernard reveals that Charlie's on the naughty list, Santa/Scott initially thinks that he's referring to Charlie Sheen and remarks that he thought he straightened out. Abby then reveals that they weren't referring to Sheen, but to his son, Charlie Calvin.
• "Oh, Crap!" Smile: At one point Scott tries to date a woman Laura knows who wants to become a singer. When she suddently stands up in the middle of the restaurant and starts loudly singing, everyone's attention goes towards them with a very uncomfortable Scott who tries to cover up his disbelief with a smile, complete with Stunned Silence from his part.
• Only Sane Man: Bernard is the only person in the know who thinks toy Santa is a bad idea. Scott realizes how unconvincing it looks but tells Bernard to convince the other elves it's him anyway, and when he does he sounds so sure of himself. Unfortunately, he admits that maybe Curtis was right that it was a good idea right before toy Santa goes completely bonkers.
• Parent with New Paramour: Scott has to get married to fulfill the conditions of the Mrs. Clause. He falls in love with Carol... who also happens to be Charlie's hated principal. When Charlie first finds out they're dating, he's devastated, but later decides that his father's happiness is more important and tries to convince Carol to believe in Scott.
• Product Placement:
  • The film features it in the sequence where Scott delivers to the school staff all their favorite toys from childhood, including Toss Across and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.
  • When Carol tells Scott that it would be difficult for the Secret Santa to find said toys, he sarcastically name-drops eBay.
  • The family is shown about to eat McDonald's when discussing the Mrs. Clause.
  • Comet gorges himself on a variety of Nestlé chocolate bars.
• Protector Behind Bars: Curtis has to go warn Santa that Toy Santa has gone off the deep end in Bernard's place because Bernard has been placed under house arrest. Scott is incredulous about this news.
• Putting on the Reich: Once Toy Santa is determined to deliver coal for all children on Christmas Eve he changes his outfit for a black leather uniform not unlike one of a certain army group that operated in Germany during WW2. Also, he likes to goose-step with his giant toy soldiers.
• Race Against the Clock:
  • Scott has to get married before midnight on Christmas Eve or he'll stop being Santa forever.
  • On another note, during the climax Scott has to stop Toy Santa from the leaving the north pole with his sleigh full of coal before Christmas can be ruined.
• Read the Fine Print: The "Mrs. Clause" is so well hidden that Scott needs a gigantic magnifying glass to see it.
• Remember the New Guy?: A whole bunch of them, the Council of Legendary Figures, who are introduced show up for a meeting as if we've always known them. Granted they are all well-known public domain characters.
• Robot Me: Curtis creates a toy Santa who is meant to replace Scott as long as he needs to find a wife. It backfires.
• Rotten Robotic Replacement: When Scott is temporarily cast away from the North Pole until he can find a woman to be his wife, a toy Santa is created to take his place. This fake Santa lacked Scott's compassion and boundaries, proclaiming a kid naughty for not doing anything bad at all and placing Head Elf Bernard under house arrest.
• Saving Christmas: First, Scott has to find a wife to avoid losing his Christmas magic and role as Santa. And than he has to stop the reign of the toy Santa to make sure Christmas can happen as usual.
• Say My Name: When Curtis lies to Lucy the reason he has pointy ears is because he doesn't eat his green vegetables, and asks if she eats hers, Lucy bawls, "UNCLE SCOOOOOTT!!!!!"
• Second-Act Breakup: After getting his Relationship Upgrade with Carol, Scott ruins it by hastily revealing that he's Santa Clause which Carol interprets as him getting cold feet and mocking her.
• Second Year Protagonist: Charlie's being fifteen years old makes it easier to set up the scenario of his getting into trouble in high school and on the naughty list; he's used to his school, he knows his way around it, and because he hasn't just filed a college application, there's plenty of time for him to be set right again.

• Shout-Out:
  • In the second film — a Robo-Santa who views everyone as naughty and intends to punish them accordingly?
  • Lucy has a Kim Possible picture in her room.
  • Scott's confrontation with Toy Santa results in Toy Santa exclaiming "You are a sad, strange little man." Doubles as an Actor Allusion.
• Shown Their Work: Lucy is almost seven, the age at which experts believe children gain the ability to tell right from wrong, and, by extension, the ability to keep a secret.
• Silent Running Mode: To avoid being detected by a passing plane, Santa has the elves shut everything down at the North Pole. Curtis almost ruins it, however, by listening to a musical dancing doll.
• Snark-to-Snark Combat: Scott's first encounter with Carol results in both of them snarking at each other.
• Something Only They Would Say: Scott needs the Tooth Fairy's help to get back to the North Pole. Unfortunately, Scott has completely "desantafied" by this point and the Tooth Fairy doesn't recognize him in his regular form. Scott convinces him by rattling off the details of their last council meeting, including Scott's suggestion of "The Molarnator" as Tooth Fairy's new title.
• Spotting the Thread: Toy Santa would look just like Santa... if his face and hair weren't obviously made of inorganic material. Bernard tries to cover this by saying Santa had some work done and is sensitive about it.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Carol had her heart broken before, so Scott really has to work at making a connection with her and winning her affection.
• Surprise Santa Encounter: Lucy finds out that Uncle Scott really is Santa Claus and gets in on being a Secret-Keeper.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Abby replaces Judy as the female advisor who likes to brew hot cocoa.
• Teacher/Parent Romance: Scott ends up with Carol, his son's stern principal. While Charly isn't exactly happy about it first, he ends up accepting it.
• Temporary Bulk Change: Comet eats so much chocolate that he becomes too fat to fly. The Tooth Fairy takes Scott to the North Pole to defeat the Toy Santa, and Chet takes Comet's place when they deliver the toys.
• Tempting Fate: Bernard remains unconvinced that Toy Santa can be an effective replacement for Scott, much to Curtis's annoyance. Eventually, Curtis convinces him to admit nothing would go wrong... immediately before Toy Santa goes off the rails.
• The Tooth Hurts: Left without any means to fly back to the North Pole on their own, everyone tries to pull one of Scott's teeth so that the Tooth Fairy will show up and they can ask him for a ride. Scott winds up repeatedly hurting himself without any teeth to show for it. Thankfully, Lucy just happens to lose a tooth before going to bed.
• Two-Timer Date: Scott has to spend most of December looking after Charlie and trying to find a wife. The problem is that that's exactly when he has to be at the North Pole doing his Santa duties. They create Toy Santa to get around this.
• Tyrant Takes the Helm: Toy Santa becomes a Literal Genie dictatorial monster who nearly ruins Christmas when he decides no children are good enough to get presents so they should all get coal.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Curtis neglects to notify Santa of the "Mrs. Clause" until Scott has all four weeks to seek out a new wife if he wants to keep his job. He does eventually fess up to having let pride blind him on that one. And that's to say nothing of his creation of the Toy Santa...
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Scott has become close friends with Neal and Laura in the eight-year time gap. However, Scott still likes to make fun of Neal but in a playful manner, rather than vicious.
• Wedding Deadline: Santa has to be officially married before Christmas Eve turns Christmas Day at midnight or he'll lose his powers and there will be no Santa.