Santa Claus: The Movie (1985): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1985, Santa Claus: The Movie is a fantasy, adventure and family film directed by Jeannot Szwarc, running about 108 minutes. “You'd better watch out! This year he REALLY IS coming to town.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In ancient times, a man named Claus, who delivers toys in his small village, fulfils his destiny to become Santa Claus after meeting an expert toy-making elf, Patch, in the North Pole. In the present day, Santa Claus has become overwhelmed by his workload, and the disgruntled Patch flees the workshop to New York City. There, Patch unknowingly threatens the fate of Christmas by taking a job at a failing toy company run by a scheming businessman.

Who’s in it. Santa Claus: The Movie stars Dudley Moore as Patch, John Lithgow as B.Z., David Huddleston as Santa Claus and Burgess Meredith as Ancient Elf, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.3/10, Santa Claus: The Movie has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $23.7M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Kartoon Channel Amazon Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Santa Claus: The Movie page.

If you liked it. Fans of Santa Claus: The Movie tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.