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Director Michael Lembeck’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), is the third movie in this holiday trilogy starring Tim Allen. It’s been 12 years since Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) became Santa Claus, and this year, things are complicated: Mrs. Claus (Elizabeth Mitchell) is due to have their first child on Christmas Eve.
Then an envious Jack Frost (Martin Short) triggers the most powerful Clause of all, sending everyone back in time and changing the course of the future. Now Jack Frost is Santa, Scott is a lonely CEO, and “Frostmas” is just a moneymaking commercial stunt. Scott realizes he must fight back to save his family and the spirit of Christmas. Can he restore his life as Santa Clause—and Christmas as we know it?
Watch The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause online to find out how Santa thaws Jack Frost, and read on in this The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause streaming guide to find out about the actors, what the critics had to say and more.
Here’s how to stream The Santa Clause 3 right now:
How to Stream ‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ – Exclusively on Disney+
The Santa Clause 3 is one of the many Disney Christmas movies on Disney+ at launch.
You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Disney+ HERE, which will allow you to stream The Santa Clause 3 and hundreds of other movies and shows on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. If you extend past the free trial, the service costs $6.99/month. You may also opt for this discount bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/month.
- 1. Sign up for Disney+ here
- 2. Go to Disneyplus.com or download the Disney+ app on your device
- 3. Log in using your information
- 4. Search for “The Santa Clause 3”
- 5. Tap on The Santa Clause 3
- 6. Tap the Play Button
- 7. Enjoy!
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‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’: Overview
Release Date: November 3, 2006
Creators: Executive Producers James Miller and William W. Wilson III; Producers Robert F. Newmyer, Brian Reilly and Jeffrey Silver; and Writers Ed Decter and John J. Strauss
Director: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Tim Allen, Martin Short, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, Judge Reinhold
Rating: G
Synopsis: The future of Christmas is at stake when an envious Jack Frost triggers the most powerful Clause of all, sending everyone back in time. Now Scott Calvin, aka Santa Claus, must restore the future to save Christmas and his family.
How Long Is ‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’?
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is a 97-minute family Christmas comedy.
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Plot
It’s been 12 years since Scott Calvin became Santa Claus, and Christmas is throwing him a curve ball this year: his wife, Carol—Mrs. Claus, a teacher in the North Pole—is due to have their first child on Christmas Eve. To make sure she’s not alone, Scott invites her parents, Bud and Sylvia Newman, to keep her company—along with his ex-wife, Laura, her husband, Neil, and their daughter, Lucy. Scott is summoned to the Council of Legendary Figures—including Mother Nature, Father Time, the Easter Bunny, Cupid, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman—and when Jack Frost arrives, they accuse him of trying to upstage Santa during the Christmas season because he is envious that Santa has a special holiday. The Legendary Figures agree Jack should be punished. They sentence him to community service helping Scott—who his in-laws believe is a toy maker—and the elves disguise the North Pole as Canada. There, Jack creates havoc in the toy shop, and Scott worries that there may not be enough toys for all the children on Christmas. Things get even messier when Jack learns from Head Elf Curtis about the most powerful clause of all: the Escape Clause. If Scott holds his snow globe from the Hall of Snow Globes and says, “I wish I had never become Santa at all,” he will go back in time to the moment he became Santa so he can change the course of the future. Jack sneaks into the Hall of Snow Globes and steals Scott’s, freezing Laura and Neil, who catch him. Later, Jack gives Scott a gift and tricks him into saying the Escape Clause as he opens the snow globe. They are both transported back to 12 years earlier, when Santa fell off Scott’s roof and Scott put on his suit and became the new Santa. This time, Jack reaches the suit first, and Scott is sent back to the present day, where his life is entirely different; he is an unhappy CEO who never married, and, thanks to Jack Frost, the North Pole has become a tourist resort where wealthy parents can pay to get their kids on the nice list for “Frostmas.” After finding Neil and Lucy (Neil and Laura are divorced in the new future), Scott confronts Jack and has to face that he was the one who wished not to be Santa anymore. Scott convinces Lucy to sneak in and get Jack Frost’s snow globe from the Hall of Snow Globes. As Jack performs a musical number, Lucy throws him his snow globe, and Scott plays a recording of Jack saying the Escape Clause earlier. They both go back to the past, where Scott manages to put on the suit and restore his life in the present as Santa. He reunites with his wife and shows her parents the true nature of his workshop, where the elves are back to making gifts that will be ready in time for Christmas. His son Charlie surprises him when he shows up to help. All seems well until Lucy and Curtis appear with the frozen Neil and Laura, Jack Frost in tow in the custody of the “Elficers.” He refuses to remove his spell on them—to unfreeze them would mean unfreezing himself, he says. When Mother Nature is unable to help, Scott asks Lucy to give Jack a hug. Her hug melts him, Neil and Laura, and everyone celebrates. Just then, Carol says she is in labor, and when her baby boy is born she names him Buddy.
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Cast
The Santa Clause 3 includes several actors from the original cast of The Santa Clause (1994) and The Santa Clause 2 (2002). Here are a few of the main players.
Tim Allen as Santa Claus / Scott Calvin
Scott Calvin is struggling this year: not only is he Santa Claus, but his first child is due to be born on Christmas Eve—and Jack Frost is out to take over the holiday. Allen was first known for his family television sitcom Home Improvement (1991-1999). He starred in The Santa Clause in 1994 and its 2002 sequel, The Santa Clause 2. He is also beloved as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in four Toy Story movies (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019) and multiple spinoffs. His other credits include the movies The Shaggy Dog (2006) and Wild Hogs (2007) and the television series Last Man Standing (2011-2019). He and Martin Short also co-starred in the 1997 movie Jungle 2 Jungle.
Martin Short as Jack Frost
An envious Jack Frost manages to trick Scott Calvin and go back in time to become Santa Claus himself, changing the course of the future and turning Christmas into the highly commercialized “Frostmas.” Short’s more than four-decade acting career includes voicing the public television children’s series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010-2018) and Huy in the 1998 movie The Prince of Egypt, playing his comedic character Jiminy Glick in the television series Primetime Glick (2001-2003), nearly two dozen appearances on Saturday Night Live (1984-2018) and the role of Wilbur Turnblad in the 2016 TV movie Hairspray Live! He and Tim Allen also co-starred in the 1997 movie Jungle 2 Jungle.
Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. Claus / Carol Newman-Calvin
Mrs. Claus is a teacher at the North Pole and expecting her first child on Christmas Eve. Mitchell is well known as Dr. Juliet Burke in the popular television series Lost (2006-2010). She played Carol / Mrs. Claus in The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and had roles in the television series Once Upon a Time (2014), Crossing Lines (2015), V (2009-2011), Revolution (2012-2014) and ER (2000-2001).
Eric Lloyd as Charlie Calvin
Charlie is Scott’s grown son with his ex-wife, Laura. Charlie makes a surprise appearance at the North Pole after Jack Frost wreaks havoc on Christmas. Lloyd has played Charlie in both The Santa Clause (1994) and The Santa Clause 2 (2002). He was cast as Little John Warner in the television series Jesse (1998-2000) and also voiced Blanky in The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998).
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Songs and Soundtrack
The Santa Clause 3 soundtrack features musical Christmas classics like Irving Berlin’s and Andy Williams’ “White Christmas,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Martin Short performs “Come Meet Santa” and “North Pole, North Pole” and is joined by Ann-Margret as character Sylvia Newman for Mel Torme and Robert Wells’ “The Christmas Song.” The Refreshments perform “I’m the Real Santa,” The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square provides “The Hallelujah Chorus Theme Song” and The Brian Setzer Orchestra performs “Santa Drives a Hot Rod.”
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ at the Box Office
The Santa Clause 3 was released in 3,458 theaters nationwide on November 3, 2006, and earned $84.5 million in revenue, ranking at number 24 for Top 2006 Movies at the Domestic Box Office. Worldwide the movie earned $107.5 million. In comparison, its predecessor, The Santa Clause, earned more than $144.8 million domestically and a total $189.8 million worldwide in 1994, coming in at number 4 for Top 1994 Movies at the Domestic Box Office. The Santa Clause 2 (2002) brought in $139.2 million in U.S. theaters and $172.8 million worldwide, ranking at number 16 for that year. Since its video release in November 2007, The Santa Clause 3 has earned more than $77 million in domestic video sales.
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Reviews – What the Critics Said
The Santa Clause 3 was a disappointment to critics and audiences alike, with only a 17% approval rating based on 66 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and an audience score of only 39%. “Playing Jack Frost as an evil cross between Liza Minnelli and Liberace, Martin Short is a welcome presence, but this tired series continues drawing from its bag of bland gags and dumb slapstick,” according to the site’s description of the film. Entertainment Weekly said “this Styrofoam snowman of a sequel overdoses on its own candy-cane-colored sugary cheer” and ReelViews assessed the movie as “perfect entertainment for five-year olds and sheer torture for the unlucky parent(s) accompanying them.” The film was roundly criticized in the year’s awards, nominated for five Razzie Awards, including for Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment. On the other hand, “if you’re just looking for a lighthearted movie to share with your kids, this is a great way to kick off the holiday season,” according to Common Sense Media.
Where ‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Fits in the Disney Movie Pantheon
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is the third movie after the original The Santa Clause (1994) and The Santa Clause 2 (2002). Both predecessors were significantly more successful at the box office. Just over 5,000 voters on Ranker are split, with 51% giving the movie a positive rating and 49% negative. The Santa Clause 3 ranks as number 55 of 112 on Ranker’s list of The Best Christmas Movies of All Time, with more than 387,000 votes.
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Trailer
‘The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause’ Trivia: 5 Fast Facts
The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause was the last installment in this Christmas trilogy and wasn’t received as well as its predecessors. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Don’t expect to see Head Elf Bernard in this one.
If you’ve seen The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2, you may wonder where head elf Bernard is in this sequel. Actor David Krumholtz, who played Bernard, was filming Numb3rs (2005-2010) at the time of the production of The Santa Clause 3, so Santa had to find a new head elf.
2. The Santa Claus 3 was the last film including Peter Boyle to be released before his 2006 death.
Boyle played Scott’s supervisor, Mr. Whittle, in The Santa Clause (1994) and then appeared in both The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3 as Father Time. Boyle is well-known as Frank Barone in the television comedy Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005) and played roles in That Darn Cat (1997), Doctor Doolittle (1998) and Monster’s Ball (2001).
3. Martin Short treats audiences to a rousing musical parody.
His musical number, “North Pole, North Pole,” is Jack Frost’s commercial take on Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” used to promote his pricey North Pole resort after he becomes Santa Claus.
4. If you like Tim Allen and Martin Short together, there’s another movie you should check out.
The pair starred together in Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), by the director of the original The Santa Clause (1994) John Pasquin.
5. Kids still tell Tim Allen what they want for Christmas.
It’s been 25 years since Tim Allen first donned the red suit for The Santa Clause (1994), and after two sequels and all that time, some kids still try to enlist his help getting what they want for Christmas, he told ABC News in 2017.