Holiday Streams: The Santa Clause is the film on unconditional love you need this festival season

John Pasquin's The Santa Clause is one of those films which are tailor-made for kids to revel in the spirit of Christmas. Having said that, it isn't an exclusive kids film; the movie, like other popular Christmas-themed flicks, is a blend of adorable family moments which help us soak in the merriment.

Released in 1994, the crux of the film revolves around father-son bonding, the myth behind Santa Claus and the huge fan following he enjoys among millions of children. Interestingly, the 'Clause' in the title refers to an interesting contract which its protagonist enters into during an unanticipated situation.  

The film begins with Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), a toy company executive, heading home to celebrate Christmas eve with his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd). After spending time with Laura Miller (Wendy Crewson), his ex-wife and her husband Dr Neal Miller (Judge Reinhold), he sets out to spend some quality time with Charlie.

Little did the father-son duo know that they would be having the most bizarre, yet exciting Christmas festival of all time. They come across a Santa Claus who falls off the roof, after which Scott is forced to take up the role of Santa. He, along with Charlie, travels to North Pole and meet several elves in a never-before-seen fantasy land.

The next day, even as Scott finds it hard to fathom the outlandish journey he undertook with Charlie, he realizes that his son has become over obsessed with the far-fetched trip and that he has started believing him to be the real Santa. Upon knowing this, Laura and Neal express their concern for the father-son duo and ask Charlie to come out of the imaginary world. 

However, the situation becomes worse when Scott starts imagining himself to be Santa Claus and sports a look which resembles the legendary character. 

What makes The Santa Clause a memorable film for millennials is the fascinating manner in which the element of fantasy has been infused into the movie and making it look believable. The idea of a father turning to be Santa for real for his son's happiness makes the film an appealing one to all sections of the audience.

The movie, which had two sequels later, opened to encouraging response, thanks to Tim Allen's flawless performance as the doting dad and the convincingly aged Santa coupled with the innocence of Eric Lloyd. Though the special effects might appear gaudy in today's times, the manner in which the makers pulled off some of the scenes with the limited technology in the 90s deserve praise. 

The movie's plot holds relevance even today as it underlines the strenuous effort a single parent puts in to make his kid happy. What more could instill hope in us during a festival time than a story that touches upon the unconditional love and bonding between a parent and child?

The respect the protagonist gives to his ex-wife and her husband, and how he treats them as family is inspiring, to say the least. This is one of those feel-good movies which you can enjoy with your dear ones while having a gala time reveling in the Christmas spirit.     

The Santa Clause is streaming on YouTube.