Retroist Podcast Episode 332 (Santa Claus the Movie)

The hype around Santa Claus the Movie put it at the top of my must-see list in 1985. My family were big Dudley Moore fans and McDonald’s was pushing it with a Happy Meal tie-in. So we drove a few towns over to see it the weekend it opened. It was a great movie-going experience with a very well-decorated theater and an appearance by Santa Claus. I was convinced this was going to be a huge hit, but unfortunately it wasn’t in the United States (the people in the UK were more impressed).

I start the episode talking about when my family went to see the movie and how disruptive Santa’s appearance was there. How could you expect a kid to concentrate on on anything when Santa was around? Then I move on the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, its reception and much more.

There is a lot of Christmas movies and specials you can watch, but I wanted to talk about Santa Claus the Movie because it is often overlooked. In the United States it doesn’t get a lot of replays. No 24 hour marathon. Nothing. It might not be, A Christmas Store, but I think as a holiday film its charming and deserves to be remembered.