Disney+ is making the holiday season a touch more magical with its second installment of The Santa Clauses, the series spin-off of the classic The Santa Clause series. With Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Austin Kane, Elizabeth Allen-Dick, and more familiar faces returning, Season 2 of The Santa Clauses is even more enchanting than the first thanks to a deeper dive into Santa lore and further exploration of the Claus children’s powers.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The Santa Clauses Recap
Making a series spin-off of a movie is challenging, especially when that movie has been beloved by audiences for nearly 30 years and spawned two classic sequels. Not everyone who watched Season 1 of The Santa Clauses was taken with the series, particularly critics, but Season 2 is worth returning for. The first six episodes had Santa contemplating retirement but ultimately taking back his position as Father Christmas after his tech-savvy successor made Christmas a daily occasion. In Season 2, the writers have honed in on the best part of the series: the magic.
At the end of Season 1, we learned that Cal (Kane) and Sandra (Allen-Dick) had magical powers thanks to their upbringing at the North Pole. This season, both children are learning more about their powers as their father wants to turn Christmas into a family business, hoping that Cal will succeed him as Santa and that Sandra will take care of the animals in a position whose title is still up for debate among the family.
Magic Makes the Series
Where the magic is really to be had in Season 2 is back in the real world where a Christmas theme park owner named Kris Kringle (Gabriel Iglesias) is joined by the most menacing of past Santas, Magnus Antas aka Mad Santa (Eric Stonestreet), who’s prepared to take over as Santa Claus once again. The penultimate episode of Season 1 showcased past Santas, making for what was by far the most entertaining episode of the season. Learning even more about the history of Santa within The Santa Clause world is fresh and exciting for any longtime fans of the films, and is proving to be the best part of the series.
Marta Timofeeva and Eric Stonestreet in ‘The Santa Clauses’
Meanwhile, secondary storylines are aplenty with Mrs. Claus (Mitchell) taking over the E.L.F.S., Betty (Matilda Lawler) traveling to the real world for her Kribble Krabble, and Cal’s girlfriend Riley (Ruby Jay) visiting the North Pole much to Santa’s dismay. Between the magical additions and more focus on Santa lore, Season 2 of The Santa Clauses is shaping up to be an enchanting advent of the Christmas season.
The Santa Clauses is streaming now on Disney+.
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