All 3 ‘The Santa Clause’ Movies in Order
‘The Santa Clause’ franchise began in 1994, when the first Tim Allen-led movie came out. Now, almost 30 years later, the franchise is still alive and ongoing due to a Disney+ original series being streamed for two seasons already. So far, there have been three ‘The Santa Clause’ movies – but will there be more? What’s the best order to watch them? If you want to find that out, you’re in the right place.
‘The Santa Clause’ movies in order by release date
‘The Santa Clause’ franchise began in 1994 with the movie of the same name. It starred Tim Allen in the lead role of Scott Calvin, a man who inadvertently became Santa Claus due to him accidentally causing the previous Santa to fall off of his roof on Christmas Eve. The second film took eight years to come out, and the third an additional four years.
If you’re looking to dive right into these cult-classic films this Christmas season, here are all ‘The Santa Clause’ movies in order by release date:
- The Santa Clause (1994)
- The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
- The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
As I’ve mentioned in the introduction, there’s another addition to the franchise available right now involving the very same Santa Claus (Scott Calvin), portrayed by Tim Allen once again. The show, titled ‘The Santa Clauses,’ has two seasons and is streaming on Disney+.
Over the next few subheadings, I’ll explain in detail how all of these movies – and the TV show – are connected, what the best way to watch them is, and check to see if any more ‘The Santa Clause’ movies will happen in the future. I have to warn you, though, potential minor spoilers are possible over the rest of the article.
Are ‘The Santa Clause’ movies connected? What’s the best way to watch them?
All three movies in ‘The Santa Clause’ franchise are connected to each other and work as sequels. They revolve around the same group of characters – mainly, the Calvin family – and allow us to see how Scott’s life transformed from being a divorced father working corporate to being Santa Claus – the guy bringing joy to all the kids around the world.
So, how are these movies connected? Let’s start from the beginning.
In the first film, Scott Calvin slowly becomes Santa Claus after the previous Santa falls off of his roof. This basically presents the premise for the entire franchise. You see, in this particular universe, Santa Clause isn’t thousands of years old – he is replaced, over and over again, unlike his elves on the North Pole, who are, in fact, blessed with a very long lifespan.
The first film was actually the best one in terms of critical acclaim, reviews, and financial success, which is why the sequel was even made about eight years after the first film premiered. In that second film, we get to follow Scott Calvin yet again – only this time, he is already Santa for eight years.
Scott finds out that not only does he have to find a Ms. Claus by midnight on Christmas Eve – he has to be married by then, or all Christmas magic will disappear. Moving on to the third film, four years later – the lowest-rated and worst critically acclaimed in the entire franchise – Scott has a family and they all live in the North Pole.
He invites his in-laws for a visit, and has to deal with Jack Frost – portrayed by Martin Short – trying to take over the North Pole with a devious scheme.
That leads us to the new Disney+ series – again, it follows Scott Calvin’s story chronologically. He’s over 65 years old and has been Santa for nearly 30 years. He starts slowing down a bit and realizes he needs to find a new Santa who’ll take over once he can’t do the job anymore. I won’t spoil what happens, but there’s enough here for two six-episode seasons.
What’s the best way to watch ‘The Santa Clause’ movies?
Finally, what’s the best way to watch this entire franchise? It’s simple – just follow the release order, and you’re good to go! If I’m being honest, watching ‘The Santa Clause’ in any other order would be wrong because the release order follows the story chronologically.
It would likely be less important if each movie (and TV show season) followed Scott Calvin on a year-to-year basis. Not a lot can happen in a one-year sample size, but in this franchise, we’re getting jumps in the story that are as big as the gaps between each sequel.
For instance, the first and second movies came out in 1994 and 2002, respectively – an eight-year gap – and the storylines happen eight years apart as well. The same goes for the second and third movies – a four-year gap – and the TV show – Calvin has been Santa for 28 years.
It’s only logical to follow the franchise by release date because that way, you get to see how Scott’s life as Santa Claus progressed as it was meant to be seen.
‘The Santa Clause’ movies in chronological order
The chronological order of ‘The Santa Clause’ movies – including ‘The Santa Clauses’ TV series – is the same as the release order. If you want to watch all of the entries of the franchise in the correct order, here’s what the list looks like:
- The Santa Clause (1994)
- The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
- The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
- The Santa Clauses (2022-2023)
The second season of ‘The Santa Clauses’ is wrapping up on December 6, 2023, and likely won’t be renewed for a third season, as the story is slowly but surely coming to a close.
Where to watch ‘The Santa Clause’ movies?
Those who have a Disney+ subscription will be happy to know that the entire ‘The Santa Clause’ franchise is available for streaming on Disney+. That includes all three movies and ‘The Santa Clauses’ TV series.
If you don’t have a Disney+ subscription, though, you can always buy/rent the movies on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play, YouTube, or Spectrum on Demand.
Will there be more ‘The Santa Clause’ movies?
Currently, there are no announcements or evident plans about making a fourth movie in ‘The Santa Clause’ franchise. After all, ‘The Santa Clauses’ TV series had two full seasons of action, and Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin is looking to pass on the torch to a new Santa Claus.
This means that it’s almost certain there won’t be any more movies with Scott Calvin as the lead. However, you never know – perhaps we’ll get a fourth movie somewhere in the future, with the new Santa Claus at the forefront this time.
After all, the franchise has been ongoing for three decades, with major gaps between each entry, so you can never really count out the possibility of more, even if it isn’t currently planned.
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