The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

Pros: The cast tries to make this appealing
Cons: They are buried by script, direction, and work of Martin Short

Life at the North Pole is full of business for Santa Claus. In The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, the jolly toymaker (Tim Allen) finds himself busier than ever. Mrs. Carol Claus (Elizabeth Mitchell) is about to give birth to the couple's first ...

Pros: some funny bloopers, good lighting, a couple of zingers
Cons: a lump of coal in the comedy department

WHY THE FIRST FILM MATTERED Once upon a time, there was a movie: The Santa Clause. It wasn't the hippest story in tinseltown, but it had one thing going for it: timing. When it was released, back in 1994, manhood itself was hanging by a thread, and ...

Pros: G rating
Cons: Amateur script, non-believable plot elements, cheesy production, much more...

Parents can always count on Hollywood to deliver a few good, solid family-friendly cinematic gems in the weeks before Christmas. The holiday offerings seldom start this ridiculously early, but Disney is evidently hoping the jump start will help them ...

Pros: My son took a nap!
Cons: Too many to list

Saturday afternoon, the kids and I were all set to go see Flushed Away, but when we got to the mall, all the holiday decorations were out and the kids asked to see a Christmas movie instead. The only one that fit the bill was Disney’s The ...

Pros: Great scenery; pleasant characters; mildly entertaining
Cons: Aging cast, Martin Short; vague feeling this film was stuck in idle

So, we have the third installment in the famed Santa Clause series. While some "purists" (are there fanatical fans of this one?) may argue that the first movie in the series is the best, I ...

Pros: There's was something ... it will come to me eventually
Cons: Everything else, but especially Martin Short

The story for The Santa Clause 3 – The Escape Clause is the worst in the trilogy which frankly is not all that surprising for yet another unnecessary Disney sequel. It is painful to watch Walt Disney Pictures gain notoriety and respect for producing ...

Pros: Warm and fuzzy. Short is fun to watch.
Cons: Wasn't as funny as it could have been. Where is the head elf Bernard?

As sad as it is to say, Christmas is indeed becoming more and more commercial. The movie industry is a good example of that. Christmas movies come out every season. While the Santa Clause 3 is indeed another one of these movies, it is worth watching ...

Pros: Cute, family friendly moive.
Cons: Some cheesy moments.

Just this year, in the winter of 2006, the 3rd installment of the Santa Clause line came out. SC3 welcomes back Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Judge Reinhold, and welcomes cast newcomers Martin Short, Spencer Breslin, Alan Arkin, and Ann-Margret. This ...

Pros: Absolutely none.
Cons: Spencer Breslin has to be the worst child actor ever! Don't even rent it.

Avoid this movie. Even my kids hated it. There were no laughs. No feeling good at the end of the movie. Just everyone whispering how bad it was and wondering what Disney was thinking. Exceptionally bad acting by Spencer Breslin (Curtis). He does ...

Pros: Family movie - fun to see reappearing characters again.
Cons: WAY too much chaos. Not a very believable plot (relatively speaking).

My family and I loved the first two Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen and all. We went to the 3rd movie hoping for yet another great movie. Although I think some of these reviews are harsh, I do think that there was something "forced" about the performances - especially with Curtis the elf. It was also a bit "over the top" when it came to the Jack-Frost-created chaos - it was not pleasant to watch it. It was kind of bummer to see Santa stressed out and wishing that he had never been Santa.

The fact that Bernard was not there, and not mentioned, was a bit of a hole. My kids were wondering where he was...and so was I (even though I know he on set of Numb3rs). They should have addressed that.

Overall, we still enjoyed the movie. But, unfortunately, I think it should be the last. They did a great job with #2, but stretched it too far. We'll still watch the first 2 on DVD every year.