The Santa Clause (1994)

The Santa Clause (1994) Full Recap

Our movie begins in Lakeside, Illinois, where a toy company celebrates Christmas Eve, and someone walks around wearing a Santa Claus costume. The man walks around while handing out gifts, and Mr. Whittle gets everyone’s attention as he’s about to make a big announcement. He tells everyone how they recently had their most successful year in the company’s history and welcomes Scott Calvin and Susan Perry as the people responsible for their success.

The duo thanks everyone, and Scott encourages everyone to have a fun night. The party comes to an end shortly after, and Scott drives home while calling his ex-wife, Laura Miller. He lies about being in traffic and passes by several people celebrating the holidays. Scott eventually gets home, where Laura, her husband Neal, and his son Charlie are waiting for him.

Scott enters the house with Laura and Charlie while Neal waits in his car. Inside, Laura tells Scott that she’s spending Christmas Eve with Neal’s family. He makes fun of Neal’s family, but Charlie is unhappy because there aren’t many presents. Scott cheers him up by saying Santa hasn’t arrived yet, but Charlie mentions how Neal doesn’t believe in Santa.

He believes that Neal might be right because he’s a doctor, but Scot corrects him, saying that Neal is a psychiatrist. Scott talks to Laura about Charlie’s sudden disbelief in Santa and how he isn’t happy that Neal is changing what he believes in. Laura defends her husband, saying that someone else told Charlie that Santa wasn’t real, and Neal stuck with the truth instead of lying. The duo continues arguing, which upsets Charlie, and he asks why they’re always fighting.

Scott encourages Charlie to believe in Santa, saying that Laura and Neal were naughty when growing up and didn’t receive any gifts. He also asks Laura to leave so she doesn’t keep Neal waiting any longer. Before leaving the house, Charlie asks Laura if he has to stay with Scott that night, and she promises to pick him up first thing in the morning. Scott overhears their conversation while going through a cookbook, and Laura leaves the house.

Not long after, he sets up dinner but burns the turkey and puts out the flames using a fire extinguisher. Realizing that dinner is ruined, Scott takes them to eat at a restaurant, and Charlie mentions that Neal is a great cook. Scott doesn’t like Neal very much but tries to cover it up. They eventually arrive at Denny’s, but Charlie isn’t happy eating there.

They enter the restaurant, where they see a lot of businessmen conversing loudly over dinner, and the waitress directs them to a section that has a lot of dads who also ruined their Christmas Eve dinner. Charlie isn’t able to order anything he likes, and Scott tries cheering him up by calling the room nice. After dinner, the duo returns home, and Scott reads a bedtime story to Charlie. He checks if Charlie is asleep before skipping to the end of the story and turns the light off before trying to leave the room.

Charlie, who is wide awake, asks Scott what “arose such a clatter” means. Scott sadly returns to his side and explains that it simply means a big noise came. Charlie also asks how reindeer fly and points out that they don’t have wings. Scott says they use fairy dust, but Charlie says fairy dust only exists in Peter Pan.

He then says that reindeer use their horns to fly and are also weightless. As if the questions couldn’t get any more, Charlie asks how Santa gets down chimneys if he’s as fat as the stories describe, and also wonders how he gets into houses that don’t have chimneys. Exhausted by the unending questions, Scott tells Charlie that they have to believe in Santa without understanding how he does what he does. Charlie asks if he truly believes in Santa, and Scott hesitantly says that he does, indicating that he has doubts about Santa’s existence.

He begs Charlie to go to sleep before he stands up, and Charlie suggests he leave some milk and cookies out in case Santa arrives. Later that night, Charlie hears a strange noise coming from the roof and rushes to wake Scott. Scott doesn’t want to wake up and claims that the wind is causing the noise. Charlie insists that he get up, and Scott hears the sudden noise.

He also believes that someone is on the roof but doesn’t think it's Santa. Charlie puts a jacket on as he rushes outside and startles a man dressed in a Santa costume. The man slides off the roof and, unfortunately, falls to the ground. He doesn’t respond as Scott tries waking him up, and Charlie steps out of the house.

Scott instructs him to go back inside, but he refuses as he’s amazed to see Santa. Unfortunately, the strange man doesn’t survive the fall, but Scott doesn’t believe that he’s Santa. He searches for an ID in the man’s coat but finds a card that instructs the finder to put on the costume if anything happens to him. The card says his reindeer will know what to do if that happens, and they’re shocked to see the word “reindeer” on the card.

The duo takes a few steps back and is baffled as they see Santa’s sleigh and reindeer parked on the roof. The man’s body suddenly disappears, leaving the Santa costume behind, and Charlie begs Scott to do as the card says. Scott asks him to be quiet so he can figure out what is going on. He suddenly bumps into a ladder that just magically appeared, and Charlie rushes up it.

Charlie gets to the reindeer and is amazed by how cool they are. Scott takes the Santa costume and rushes up the ladder to ensure that Charlie doesn’t hurt himself. He accidentally calls one of the reindeer by the wrong name, and it groans, indicating that it understands what he said and is unhappy. Scott apologizes and calls it by the name attached to its side.

Charlie plays with the sleigh, but Scott thinks of any possible reason as to why Santa can’t be behind what’s happening. He gets in the sleigh and tells Charlie it’s time for them to go. After saying the phrase “Let’s Go,” the reindeer think he’s passing instructions to them and begin flying. Scott is terrified by this, but Charlie enjoys his experience.

A bus driver sees the duo flying past and is baffled by what he sees. The reindeer fly around the town and eventually get to a stranger’s roof, where they gently land. Scott wonders what they’ll do next, and Charlie suggests that they fly around and distribute presents since Santa is nowhere to be found. Scott says he can’t do that because he’s in his underwear, and Charlie asks that he put on Santa’s costume.

Refusing to continue in what he calls “stupid,” Scott gets out of the sleigh, but Charlie is sad because he never gets to do what makes him happy. Scott feels sad for upsetting Charlie and reluctantly puts on Santa’s costume. He doesn’t know what he’s meant to do next, and Charlie says that Santa usually has a list of kids who have been either naughty or nice. Scott reaches for the bag of toys at the back of the sleigh.

The bag suddenly begins flying and carries Scott along. It then forces him down the house’s chimney by making him almost elastic. Scott carefully walks around the house and places some toys under a Christmas tree. While doing this, a dog emerges from a different room and begins growling at him.

He tries to escape through the window, but the house’s alarm goes off. The dog begins pursuing him, and Scott narrowly escapes as he gets to the chimney, and the bag of toys pulls him out. They fly away to avoid getting caught, but the reindeer land on a building that’s not far away. Charlie asks Scott to continue, but he says he can’t because the toy bag is empty.

The reindeer, named Comet, growls at Scott, who uses the empty bag as an excuse. The bag is suddenly filled up as he lifts it, and it begins floating gain. Scott panics because that house doesn’t have a chimney, and he squeezes down an air vent. A chimney suddenly appears in the house, and Scott walks out of it.

He moves to the Christmas tree that’s in the living room, and a little girl named Sarah wakes up. She asks Scott why his clothes are oversized and where his beard is, and Scott instructs her to go back to sleep. Sarah then reminds him that he’s supposed to drink the milk she left out, but Scott points out that he’s lactose intolerant before leaving. He and Charlie continue to fly around and drop gifts in different houses.

The night comes to an end, and Scott says they’re done delivering presents. He instructs the reindeer to take them home, but they shockingly take them to the North Pole. Confused by what is happening, Scott complains to the reindeer, but they walk away. An elf emerges out of nowhere and types a code into a strange keypad that appeared from the pole itself.

This sends the sleigh down a platform and into Santa’s toy factory. The factory is full of elves, and Scott asks where all the grown-ups are. He rudely approaches one of the elves, and the elf lets him know that they’re all much older than he is, regardless of their appearance. He and the elf get into an argument, and Bernard, the head elf, emerges.

Scott asks for an explanation of what is going on, and Bernard asks if the previous Santa has disappeared. He smiles as he begins walking, and Scott follows while trying to explain that Santa’s falling was an accident. Charlie catches up to them, and Bernard has a gift for him. Bernard hands Charlie a magical snow globe that’s as old as he is, and Charlie sees Santa flying around once he shakes it.

Bernard asks Charlie to hold on to it, as it might come in handy soon. Scott then asks when he and Charlie can leave, but Bernard asks that he come with him so he can change his clothes. Scott follows Bernard to the main toy factory, and he’s amazed by all the working elves. Bernard confirms that Scott read the card he found in Santa’s costume and says he’s the new Santa.

He says that Scott fell subject to “the Santa Clause,” meaning he agreed to be the next Santa. He then uses a magnifying glass to enhance some writing that’s around the card, which says that he forfeits his identity once he puts on the costume and uses the sleigh. Scott doesn’t want to accept his new job, but Bernard explains that he can’t reject it. He tells Scott that he has eleven months to get his affairs in order and must return to the toy factory during Thanksgiving.

Scott refuses, and Bernard threatens to ship the toys and list of naughty and nice kids to his house. Scott asks what will happen if he chooses to refuse to believe in Santa, and the factory goes silent as everyone stares at him. Bernard leans in and says he’ll break the hearts of millions of children who hold the spirit of Christmas in their hearts. He instructs elf Judy to take Santa to his room, where he’ll change his clothes so the costume can be thoroughly cleaned.

Judy arrives on a kid's train and leads Scott and Charlie to their room. They arrive at the room, and Judy gives Scott pajamas to change into and gets him a cup of hot cocoa. Scott initially rejects the drink, but Judy says she prepared it using her 1,200-year-old recipe. He’s baffled by how good the coco tastes, and Judy notices that he’s distressed.

Scott explains that he’s gone way beyond distressed because he’s literally talking to an elf. He confesses that he stopped believing in Santa a long time ago, and Judy says it’s normal because adults hardly believe in magic. Judy tells him to get some rest and leaves the room. Hearing this, Scott gets in bed with Charlie and falls asleep.

The following morning, Charlie calls out to Scott, who is still asleep, and asks him to come to see all the cool toys he’s got. Scott wakes up in his room and believes that what happened the previous night was a dream. He suddenly realizes that he’s still wearing the pajamas Judy gave him, proving that everything that happened was real. Scott panics as he runs out of the building and searches for the previous Santa’s body in the show.

He also looks at the roof but doesn’t see the sleigh or reindeer. Upon returning inside the house, Charlie asks if he’s alright but rushes to open the door when Laura knocks. Laura wishes him a Merry Christmas and asks if he had a fun time. She commends Scott’s pajamas, and Charlie says he received them from Judy at the North Pole.

He also talks about how they delivered presents around the world and how Santa’s toy factory is amazing. Laura asks Charlie to wait outside while she talks to his father. As he leaves, she asks Scott what he told Charlie, but Scott denies saying anything. He claims to have had a strange dream but suddenly remembers something and goes outside to talk to Charlie.

Outside, Scott asks Charlie the name of the elf who gave him the pajamas, and Charlie says it’s Judy. Scott remembers that the waitress from the restaurant was also named Judy and still believes that the events of the previous night didn’t happen. Neal, who is surprised by Charlie’s sudden belief in Santa, says they’ll talk about it at home. They drive away as Scott tells Charlie that it was all a dream and things like Santa and his factory aren’t real.

Time passes, and schools resume as the festive period comes to an end. Scott accompanies Charlie to his school for “bring your parents to school day,” and things get weird because both Scott and Neal are present. Charlie asks that Scott talk to the class first, and Neal agrees. He introduces Scott to the students and tells everyone that he is Santa Claus.

The students laugh at what he says, and he recounts how he and Scott traveled around the world delivering presents on Christmas Eve. He also shows everyone the snow globe he received from Bernard. Hearing this, Scott tries covering up by saying he works at a toy company that delivers toys around the country, making him similar to Santa. The children in the class begin asking questions about Santa and his factory, and Charlie happily responds.

One kid asks if he can push Scott off the roof when he grows up so he can become Santa. Shortly after this, Scott, Neal, and Laura go to the principal’s office, where she says she’s concerned with how much Charlie believes that Scott is Santa. Scott then gets into an argument with Neal, who asks him several questions about what he did with Charlie on Christmas Eve. Scott tells them that he read Charlie a Christmas story before they went to bed.

He tries to leave the office, but the principal asks him to sit down. She explains that it’s a serious matter and asks that he sit down with Charlie and explain that he isn’t Santa. Hearing this, Scott spends some time with Charlie later, where he tries to convince him that Santa isn’t real and the events of the last Christmas Eve never happened. Charlie shows him the snow globe and tells him he’s in denial of what happened.

They walk down the street while talking, and Charlie laughs as he sees several reindeer following Scott. Later, Laura hears a strange noise coming from Charlie’s room and peeps inside. She’s shocked to see Charlie playing with the furniture while calling them reindeer and pretending to be on a sleigh. After this, Scott arrives the following day while Neal talks to Charlie.

Neal tries to disprove the fact that Santa is real, but Charlie asks if he has seen a million dollars before. Neal says that he hasn’t, and Charlie reminds him that just because he hasn’t seen the money before doesn’t mean it’s not real. Scott takes Charlie on a walk and says they need to talk about Santa Claus. Realizing he can’t deny it anymore, Scott asks Charlie to keep the events of that night a secret.

Charlie is reluctant to do so but accepts when Scott offers to give him five dollars. Months later, Scott wakes up and walks to his bathroom. He’s shocked to see that he has grown a beard overnight and has also gained weight. Scott panics as he doesn’t believe what he sees. He stands on a scale, and it shows that he’s much heavier than the previous day.

Not knowing what to do, Scott is forced to go to work as is, and his coworkers are shocked by his appearance. He lies that he’s suffering from an allergic reaction caused by a bee sting. He says he’ll return to normal eventually. The workers order lunch and are baffled by how much food Scott orders.

They’re even more astonished by the fact that Scott finished all the food he ordered, and one coworker begins his pitch for a new Christmas toy idea. The coworker shows everyone how he intends to use Santa to promote their new toy and says that Santa will travel in a tank, not a sleigh. Scott gets offended by this and says there’s no way Santa is going around without his sleigh. He points out that the idea doesn’t make sense, and the toy they’re trying to sell will easily break, causing people to spend more money on a new one.

He asks that they create basic and inexpensive toys, but this will lead to the company losing money. Shocked by Scott’s sudden behavior, Mr. Whittle asks that they talk outside, and both men leave the room. Scott says he doesn’t know what got over him in the conference room, and Mr.

Whittle asks that he gets his affairs in order as soon as possible. Weeks later, Charlie goes to a hospital where he runs on a treadmill. He has gained more weight, his beard has grown longer than before, and his hair is turning grey. The doctor pays attention to Scott’s vitals and is shocked to find that he’s very healthy.

Scott asks what’s happening to his body, and the doctor claims that Scott’s hormones might be imbalanced. He asks Scott to reduce the amount of sugar he consumes. He then checks Scott’s heart rhythm using a stethoscope and is shocked to hear that it beats as though playing a song. Sometime later, Scott goes to watch Charlie play a game of soccer.

There, a little girl sits beside him and realizes he looks like Santa. She slowly moves to him and suddenly sits on his thighs while saying what she wants for Christmas. Laura and Neal arrive and are shocked to see that the kids have formed a line beside Scott to ask what they want for Christmas. They’re shocked to see how Scott looks, and Laura says she’s scared of what’s happening.

They didn’t expect Scott to go as far as changing his physical appearance just to get Charlie to like him. Laura decides to leave with Charlie and tells Scott to get his act together. At Scott’s house, a delivery man rings his doorbell and informs Scott that he has some packages. Scott signs the document and leaves the door open so the delivery man can move the packages into the house.

Moments later, Scott walks down the stairs and sees hundreds of boxes in his living room. He finds a letter from Bernard that says the boxes contain a list of all the children in the world, and he remembers that it’s almost Christmas again. Shocked by Bernard’s delivery, Scott rushes to speak to the delivery drivers, but they ignore him and drive away. That night, Laura talks to Neal outside and mentions how disappointed she was when she saw Scott.

She feels bad because of what’s happening to Charlie and doesn’t know what else to do. Neal sits beside her and mentions that they have one alternative to helping Charlie. Christmas Eve arrives, and Scott walks down the street. He is suddenly able to tell which kids are nice and which are naughty.

He returns home and tries shaving his beard but watches as it rapidly regrows. Meanwhile, Laura and Neal go to a court, where they intend to revoke Scott’s visitation rights. A judge talks to Charlie alone while Laura asks Neal if they’re doing the right thing. Neal calls Scott delusional and reminds her of how young they were when they stopped believing in Santa.

Laura sits down as she talks about how she was Charlie’s age when she stopped believing. She always wanted a Mystery Date Game and wrote hundreds of letters to Santa. Christmas came, and she received all the gifts she wanted, except for the game she had asked for. Neal also recounts how he wanted an Oscar Mayer wienie whistle for Christmas and stopped believing when he never received it.

Scott arrives at the court just as Charlie and the judge step out of the office. Charlie says he told the judge everything about the Christmas Eve they spent together. The judge sides with Neal and Laura and suspends Scott’s visitation rights until they have a formal hearing. Feeling depressed by this verdict, Scott goes to Laura’s house that night and watches as she has dinner with Neal and Charlie.

He’s unable to stay away from his son and rings the doorbell. Neal answers the door and tries to prevent him from entering the house. He asks Scott if he still believes he’s Santa because of what he's wearing, and Scott says he doesn’t know. Hearing this, Charlie asks Scott to think about all the kids who believe in him, but Scott only cares about his son.

Laura tells Charlie that he’s confused, but Charlie refuses to lose his belief in Santa. He asks Scott to remember their trip to the North Pole and throws the snow globe at him in an attempt to remind him. Scott stares at the magical snow globe and sees the reindeer flying inside. Scott prepares to leave the house, but Charlie insists that he wants to tag along.

He doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but Bernard suddenly appears at the dining table. He doesn’t think Charlie’s presence is such a bad idea, and the trio disappears as Laura returns to the room. She’s shocked to find that her son is missing and reports the case to the police. Meanwhile, Scott and Charlie arrive at the North Pole and prepare to head out to deliver presents.

Bernard informs them that Charlie’s ideas have helped make their work easier, and they’ve also developed even better toys. Charlie also helps in building a new sleigh for Santa. While all this is happening, Laura and Neal are terrified as to what might have happened to Charlie. He suddenly calls them to inform them that he’s alright and at the North Pole with Scott.

The police attempt to trace this call, but it doesn’t last long enough for them to do so. The police then prepare to search for Scott and Charlie and move around the city. They stop anyone who’s dressed in a Santa costume and confirm their identity. Back at the toy factory, Judy shows Scott a new protective suit that’ll protect him from the heat of chimneys.

They head to the new sleigh, and Comet, the reindeer, gives Scott a rope to prevent him from falling off the roof. Scott thanks him, and he and Charlie get into the sleigh and take off. Charlie shows Scott the improvements he made to the sleigh and also mentions that his hat has a microphone and speaker, allowing him to communicate with Judy. They arrive at their first house, and Scott meets Sarah for the second year.

She wakes up as he’s dropping her presents, and he wishes her a Merry Christmas before asking her to go back to sleep. Scott returns to the sleigh, and Charlie suggests that they go to Neal and Laura’s house because he made something for them. Scott agrees, but unknown to them, several police officers are waiting for Scott at the house. The officers surprise Scott, place him under arrest, and take him to the police station.

Neal and Laura remain worried as they have no idea where Charlie is. Surprisingly, Charlie is on their roof and informs Bernard that Scott isn’t responding. Bernard rings a bell that deploys the Effective Liberating Flight Squad, or E.L.F.S for short. The squad flies out of the factory to find and help Scott get out of trouble.

Meanwhile, a detective interrogates Scott and asks what his name is. Scott calls himself every name that has been used to describe Santa. The detective gets fed up and leaves the room. Back at Laura’s house, the E.L.F.S arrives and meets Charlie on the roof. He holds one of the elves, and they fly away.

An officer sees as they’re flying and pours his drink as he’s in disbelief. The elves arrive at the police station and tell the officer stationed at the front desk that they’re looking for Santa. The officer instructs the kids to go home but is shocked when he realizes that Charlie is Laura’s missing child. The elves surround the officer and tie him to his chair.

The Santa Clause (1994) Ending Explained

They enter the holding cells and release Scott from his cell. After this, Scott takes Charlie home, and Laura and Neal are happy to see him. They’re shocked to see Scott wearing the Santa costume, and Scott says he doesn’t have much time to be with them. Charlie wants to pack his things, but Scott stops him.

He asks Charlie to stay with Laura and Neal because he can’t be selfish. Charlie hugs him and says he’ll miss him a lot. Scott sits down and explains that there are a lot of children who are counting on him, and he can’t let them down. Charlie wishes he could be selfish and have Scott all to himself, but Scott says he’s not selfish at all.

He mentions how he believed in him when no one else did and allowed him to become Santa. Charlie cries as he tells Scott he loves him, and Laura feels bad that he’s leaving. She finally sees that Scott is Santa Claus and asks him to wait because she has something for him. Neal doesn’t believe that Scott is Santa but walks toward him and gasps as he sees the truth.

Laura returns with the custody papers and throws them in the fireplace. She asks Scott to come and see Charlie whenever he wants, and Scott wishes her a Merry Christmas. Bernard suddenly emerges as they’re talking and hears that Scott is leaving Charlie behind. He tells Charlie to shake the magical snow globe whenever he wants to see his dad, and Scott will appear.

Still baffled by all that’s happening, Neal tells them that Scott is trying to pull them into his delusion. Meanwhile, several police officers arrive and surround the house. Laura tries convincing them not to arrest Scott, but they refuse and rush into the house. Scott gets on the roof and returns to the sleigh.

The children standing around are amazed by this, and some elves sneak around while watching. Scott tells Charlie goodbye and wishes everyone a Merry Christmas before flying away. Having no other reason not to believe, Neal apologizes to Charlie and suggests that he join him as a psychiatrist. Charlie refuses while looking at the flying reindeer and says he’ll join the family business.

While flying around, Scott throws presents to everyone below him. Neal gets the wienie whistle he wished for as a child, while Laura receives the Mystery Date Game she wished for. Everyone is happy as they receive the gifts they wish for, and Scott flies away. Later that night, Charlie shakes the magic snow globe and waits for Scott to arrive.

He gets annoyed because of the slight delay, and Scott eventually returns. He asks Laura if he and Charlie can go for a quick ride, and she agrees. Laura asks that they don’t fly across any oceans, and the duo happily flies around the city. Scott was a successful toymaker who, ironically, never had time for his son Charlie.

He decides to spend Christmas Eve with Charlie and, unfortunately, finds himself fatally hurting Santa Claus. This accident leads him to take up the mantle of Santa Claus, and Scott is forced to face humiliation from his ex-wife and her new husband, Neal. Everyone finally sees the truth when Christmas arrives, and they believe that Scott is the new Santa Claus.