Tim Allen's Santa Returns in The Santa Clauses Images
The Santa Clauses is a family affair. Tim Allen — who played toymaker turned toy gifter Santa Claus in 1994's The Santa Clause, 2002's The Santa Clause 2, and 2006's The Santa Clause: The Escape Clause — is comin' to town one last time in the six-episode series streaming November 16 on Disney+. Along with his wife Carol/Mrs. Claus (Elizabeth Mitchell), the Calvin clan of Buddy (Austin Kane) and Sandra (Allen's real-life daughter, Elizabeth Allen-Dick) are preparing for life south of the North Pole. (Eric Lloyd, who played Charlie in the original Santa Clause trilogy, also reprises his role.)
"As I walked on set for the first time in the full regalia, everybody got very quiet, both adults and kids," Allen told EW, which shared new images from The Santa Clauses. "When I show up dressed in the full suit and everything else, there's big smiles on people's faces. Little kids are quiet. I had totally forgotten that. It does feel like Santa's in the room."
Not only is Santa in the room, but so is his Head Elf, Bernard (David Kromholtz), Santa's trusted right-hand elf Noel (Devin Bright), and North Pole Chief of Staff elf Betty (Matilda Lawler).
In the series, Scott Calvin is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can't be Santa forever. He's starting to lose a step in his Santa duties, and more importantly, he's got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children, and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the North Pole.
The Santa Clauses sees the Calvin family prepare to leave the North Pole for the Windy City of Chicago, making for an emotional farewell to Allen's nearly 30-year tenure as Santa.
"I don't want to give too much away, but [Sandra] doesn't want to go," Allen said. "So I tell her, 'Being afraid is okay as long as we can be afraid together.' Even saying the line, I get a little choked up. I looked right at her. One of my photographer buddies was shooting and said it was tear-jerking to watch. I said, 'Well, I'm looking at my kid.' And she literally showed what I learned from Pat Richardson on Home Improvement: Real actors can really emote real emotions. She did it to me there, and I reacted to it, and it was an amazing moment. I'll never forget it."
The Santa Clauses reunites Allen with his Last Man Standing creator Jack Burditt, who will serve as executive producer and showrunner. In addition to starring, Allen is executive producing with Kevin Hench (Last Man Standing), Richard Baker (1994's The Santa Clause), and Rick Messina (2002's The Santa Clause 2, Allen's Jungle 2 Jungle). Jason Winer (Modern Family, Single Parents) wrote, directed, and executive produced the series for Disney's 20th Television. The series premieres November 16 on Disney+.