It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas ! Time to dust off our favorite holiday classics, break out the eggnog, and make things merry and bright!
To help usher in the season, I’ve sat down and compiled these 10+ behind the scenes secrets about The Santa Clause fans didn’t know.
Director John Pasquin had second thoughts.
John was growing tired of making family content and was eager to venture into more ‘ grown-up ‘ features and films.
He originally turned Tim Allen down when he was approached to direct, but eventually came around.
Tim Allen wasn’t the only actor being considered for the role of Santa Claus.
Among the handful of others: Tom Hanks , Tom Selleck, and Mel Gibson were all at one time being considered for the part.
Ironically, all of these men have played Santa Claus at one point in their careers.
*The Santa Clause* was Tim Allen’s first feature film!
Before the release of The Santa Clause , Tim was largely known for his standup comedy, as well as his hit series Home Improvement .
The movie exploded at the box office, raking in more than $189 million on a budget of only $22 million.
1994 was a big year for Tim Allen.
The Santa Clause was a smashing success, rising quickly to the #1 spot.
For that week, Tim Allen had the #1 movie at the box office , the #1 show on television ( Home Improvement ), as well as the #1 book on the shelves — “Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man.”
Tim Allen doesn’t think that he should be Santa Claus.
According to Tim, he isn’t the biggest fan of kids. Which seems like it would be a pretty big prerequisite for wearing the big red coat.
I wonder how Tim’s own kids feel about this statement?
Eric Lloyd had to wear false teeth in the movie.
Eric plays Charlie in The Santa Clause . He was only 8-years-old at the time the film was shot.
Very early while filming, he fell and knocked out his two bottom teeth. An orthodontist had to make fake ones for him to wear.
This was the first film that Tim Allen and John Pasquin worked on together.
John and Tim first began working together on the set of Home Improvement .
After the success of The Santa Clause , John would go on to direct Tim in Jungle 2 Jungle , Joe Somebody , as well as the highly underrated series Last Man Standing .
The film inadvertently aired a real phone sex 800 number.
When Laura drops Charlie off at Scott’s house on Christmas eve, she gives him a contact list where she can be reached in case of emergencies. Scott replies “1-800-SPANK ME — I know that number.”
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This was a working sex-line; Disney has since removed the scene from subsequent Blu-Ray releases.
If you look carefully you’ll be able to spot multiple *Home Improvement* Easter Eggs.
Watch as Scott and Charlie pull the sleigh up alongside a trucker. That’s Jimmy Labriola, who played Benny in Home Improvement .
There’s also a scene where Scott attempts to try on one of the elves’ tool belts but then decides against it.
Tim Allen often became incredibly frustrated with the kids on set.
In the early stages of production, Tim would sometimes lose his temper and yell at his young co-stars.
He was reminded by the director that many of the kids on set actually believed he was Santa, and that Tim needed to curb his attitude towards them.
*The Santa Clause* wasn’t shot in Illinois at all.
The film takes place in the greater Chicago area, yet the film was shot entirely in Toronto, Canada !
Production does a good job of hiding this, but if you look carefully enough you’ll be able to spot some ‘True North’ signs that we aren’t in Chicago.
Only two original snow globes from *The Santa Clause* still exist.
Eric Lloyd owns one and Tim Allen owns the other. Eric said during a Reddit AMA, that the prop team didn’t fill the globes with the proper treating chemicals, and within a few years the globe turned brown!
Tim Allen’s Santa makeup was incredibly uncomfortable.
Tim has stated that there’s no sugar-coating how much he hated applying and taking off the facial prosthetics. It required on average 3.5 hours to apply, and then another solid 1.5 hours to safely remove.
The original concept for *The Santa Clause* was a lot darker.
Tim Allen explained during an interview with Jimmy Fallon, that in the original draft of the script, Scott Calvin was supposed to shoot and kill Santa Clause after mistaking him for a burglar.
Tim Allen’s criminal past was almost the reason why he didn’t get the job.
Tim was arrested in the late ’70s for felony possession of cocaine; he had over 650 grams on his person at the time.
Disney has a very strict policy regarding actors with criminal records, so an exception was made for Tim Allen.
