An Analysis of Santa Clause 2
by: Samantha Schrader

This year’s holiday season has arrived with a spectacular new film for the entire family. Michael Lembrock directed Santa Clause 2, a Christmas sequel to Santa Clause. Tim Allan plays Scott Calvin/Santa Clause, who is faced with a truckload of problems on and off the job. Charlie, his son, has gotten himself onto the “Naughty and Nice” list. As if that was not enough, Santa is informed by Curtis and Bernard, two of his elves, that he must find a wife in twenty-eight days or suffer the consequences of losing his job. What follows is a chaotic burst of events, including the cloning of Santa and a desperate love fest with Charlie’s principal, Carol Newman (played by Elizabeth Mitchell). Santa Clause 2 displays a delicious use of symbols, which show the different views of the characters regarding Christmas; colors, which display mischief, lust, irony, and bad temper; and mise en scene, which shows boredom, tension, and love.
My first movie element is the symbols. The symbols contained in Santa Clause 2 seem to all be associated with the characters’ view on Christmas. The elves throughout Santa’s workshop wear multiple colors for their wide array of personalities. A scene outside of the workshop shows a “tinsel football” game between Santa and some male elves. Santa’s husky torso is clad in a white shirt with a large “25” clad to the front. This greatly coincides with the date of Christmas (December 25). When the romance between Santa and Principal Newman begins to bloom, the viewers become aware that Newman’s first name is Carol. Again, the story’s attributes join in with the Christmas holiday. When Santa and Principal Newman attend a Christmas party with her staff, old-time music plays in the background. This is rather convenient for the attendants’ generation. When Santa meets Principal Newman in a doorway, a sprig of mistletoe magically appears above them. Regarding each of their happiness with each other, the mistletoe seems to provide the ideal opportunity for a salutation of the lips. To attempt to solve his problems, Santa lets one of his elves, Curtis, clone him. Curtis’s plans go horribly wrong, and Santa’s clone turns evil. In this picture, Santa’s clone wears a suitable military-like uniform, much resembling that of Hitler. The evil clone also creates a number of humungous toy soldiers to show his abuse of power. Coal showers toward the elves to symbolize the naughty deeds of children around the world. Throughout the production, Charlie clothes himself in dark colors when he’s angry to show his lack of cheer.
The second movie element is color. Santa Clause 2’s colors grab the viewer’s attention immediately. The first scene that Charlie is involved in finds him vandalizing his high school. Charlie wears an exuberant red to onset his mischievous attitude, as well as his familial ties to Santa Clause. Irony is clearly displayed when Bernard cloaks himself in a dark wardrobe throughout the film. This is rather odd, considering Bernard’s position as “head elf”. Santa plunges himself into the unpredictable when he tries his luck on a date. As it turns out, she is a wild woman of country-western music. Her vibrant red coat shows her lusty, Christmas-obsessed sense of character that gives even Santa a brand new challenge. When Principal Newman and Santa first meet, she seems to hold the title for best female Scrooge. During this period of time, Principal Newman is found to be wearing a dreary black dress and jewelry to onset her grumpy nature.
The last strong element is mise en scene. The mise en scene in Santa Clause 2 contributes to the feeling in each plot. At the faculty Christmas party that Santa and Principal Newman attend, nobody is dancing, giving gifts, or even smiling. In fact, the party’s guests are barely even socializing. This becomes apparent when everyone is pictured yawning, leaning on tables, and is far apart from each other. In Santa’s office, there are two hand puppets toward one corner of the room. They seem to work by themselves, commenting on and displaying the emotions of the participants held in Santa’s conversations. For instance, when the elves tell Santa Clause that he must find a wife, the puppets cover their eyes and hide to display the worry in the room. During the beginning of the restaurant scene with Santa and his date, the two seem to sit close together. Once Santa’s date makes a fool out of both of them in front of all the restaurant’s occupants, they sit visibly apart from each other to display the new-found tension between them. Santa ushers Principal Newman to her faculty Christmas party in an enchanting sleigh pulled by reindeer. The warmth of hearts on this special outing is apparent, with the snug seating arrangement and the picturesque tunnel of lighted trees behind them. The magic is topped off with a dusting of snow for only the passion-bound couple to experience.
By now, it should be apparent that Santa Clause 2 is a heart-warming movie for all ages to experience. Various effects help to incorporate Christmas and its many events. The viewer will be guided through Santa Clause’s everyday experiences. The symbols show the characters’ array of Christmas feelings; color shows the characters’ moods and intentions; and mise en scene depicts the love, happiness, and hate of the situations the characters find themselves involved in. There are so many emotions to roll into this holiday season. Whatever mood the viewer pursues, Santa Clause 2 is the ultimate transition to sheer Christmas bliss. The viewer will never forget the lessons of love, happiness, and cheer taught by this endearing movie!