Plot
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a 38-year-old divorced father and advertising executive for a toy company in with a young son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd). On Christmas Eve, Charlie comes to spend the night with Scott before going to his mother and stepfather's for Christmas Day. Scott assures Charlie of Santa Claus' existence, despite not believing himself. That night, they are awakened by a clatter on the roof, and when Scott calls out to the trespasser, he falls into the snow on Scott's front yard and vanishes, leaving his clothing behind. Scott and Charlie discover a sleigh with eight reindeer on the roof, and deduce the man was Santa Claus. They find a card in the clothing instructing that if something should happen to Santa, whoever finds the clothes should put them on and get in the sleigh. Charlie convinces Scott to follow these instructions, and the reindeer take Scott around to children's houses to finish Santa's deliveries.
As morning comes, the reindeer return to the North Pole, where elves take the two inside. The head elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz), shows Scott a tiny inscription on the card which says that upon the disappearance of the previous occupant, whoever wears the suit accepts the contract of "the Santa Clause", agreeing to assume the identity of Santa Claus and all the responsibilities that go with it. Bernard tells Scott he will have eleven months to get his affairs in order before he returns at Thanksgiving to assume the role of Santa Claus full-time. Scott goes to bed in Santa's room and awakens at home, dismissing it as a dream. Charlie however is enthusiastic about the adventure and is proud his father is the new Santa.
Over the next year, Scott begins gaining weight, his hair whitens, and he grows a large beard which regrows instantly when shaven. He also subconsciously begins behaving like Santa, craving Christmas-type foods, noting which children misbehave, and wearing red and green clothing. His rapid transformation worries his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and her new husband, psychiatrist Dr. Neil Miller (Judge Reinhold), who are concerned about Charlie as he continues to insist Scott is Santa, and that Scott's behavior is encouraging Charlie's delusions. Scott's visitation rights to Charlie are suspended, and when seeing Charlie on Thanksgiving, Charlie's insistence that Scott is Santa and a reminder of the adventure they shared wins Scott over to accepting his role, and Bernard arrives to take them both to the North Pole. Laura and Neil fear Scott has kidnapped Charlie and call the police, who start a massive investigation.
Scott, Charlie, Bernard and the elves prepare for Christmas as the police look for Charlie, and set up a trap at Laura and Neil's home to capture Scott if he returns. On Christmas Eve Scott makes his deliveries, but is caught and arrested when stopping at Laura and Neil's home. Charlie, still in the sleight on the roof, remains undiscovered. A group of elves rescue Scott and Charlie and return them to Laura and Neil, where the two accept Scott's new identity as Bernard speaks to them and Scott delivers to them the presents they always wanted as children but never got. Scott then takes flight in full view of the police and neighborhood citizens, but returns when Charlie calls him using a magic snow globe and takes him for a ride in the sleigh.
Read more about this topic: The Santa Clause
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