Search - Santa Claus: The Movie [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1985 DVD Release: 08/20/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 48 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Fantasy, Children's/Family, Children's Fantasy, Family-Oriented Adventure, Holiday Film See Also: Santa Claus: The Movie [Fullscreen], Santa Claus: The Movie [20th Anniversary Edition], Santa Claus: The Movie [Widescreen]

After introducing how Santa and Mrs. Claus came to the North Pole and began their work delivering toys at Christmas time, this routine children's film segues into a story about an evil corporate magnate (John Lithgow). One of Santa's elves (Dudley Moore) goes to work for the nasty tycoon and invents a wild array of far-out toys. Then there is a little boy who does not believe in Santa Claus and a girl who finds out about the toymaker's plans to defraud his company. Santa's reindeer are a little under the weather, not to mention Santa himself. This labyrinth of subplots quickly draws attention away from the story, wherever it is. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

David Huddleston - Santa Claus
Dudley Moore - Patch
John Lithgow - B.Z.
Judy Cornwell - Anya Claus
Christian Fitzpatrick - Joe

Santa Claus comes to life in producer Alexander Salkind's lavish production of Santa Claus: The Movie. Starring Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, and David Huddleston as the famed jolly fat man, Santa Claus: The Movie is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and looks only slightly above average. Unfortunately, the picture suffers from an excessive amount of grain and dirt. This fact is especially obvious during special effects sequences (of which there are many). The colors are usually bright, though show some signs of fading. The black levels show many instances of gray and are not exceptionally solid. Overall, this is an average transfer by Anchor Bay. A new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix is much better than the video portions of this disc. All speakers are engaged during many effects scenes, and composer Henry Mancini's peppy score comes in bright and bouncy. Anchor Bay has also included a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track in English that is less impressive than the 5.1 remix. =Santa Claus: The Movie includes enough supplemental material that it feels like Christmas all over again. First up on the disc is a commentary track by director Jeannot Szwarc and special projects consultant Scott Michael Bosco. This is a fairly bland commentary with the director being asked questions and trying to recount stories about the production of the film. Also included on the disc is a featurette entitled "Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie," a 50-minute documentary about the production of the film. This includes interviews with the stars as well as Santa Claus himself. Finally there are U.S. and foreign theatrical trailers, as well as a few talent biographies for the cast and crew. For holiday movie buffs, this edition of Santa Claus: The Movie should make them happier than an eight-year-old on Christmas morning. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide