The Santa Clause begins its lighthearted family Christmas movie with a dark theme -- death. Early in the movie, Scott Calvin startles Santa Claus on the roof of his home. He falls off and disappears, enacting the "Santa Clause" and leaving Scott to fill his shoes. The death seems like an accident, but a theory on Reddit supposes that maybe it was planned and that Santa didn't actually die.
Redditor u/subwoofie theorizes that the original Santa Claus was completely miserable in his job and therefore underperforming, evidenced by the scenes when Laura and Neil reveal that they never received their perfect Christmas presents. Because Santa hated his job, he was loud on purpose when entering the Calvin residence, causing Scott to dash out of his house and give Saint Nick the perfect opportunity to fake his death and pass on his title.
Did Santa Claus Die in The Santa Claus?
Further proof for the theory lies in the way the elves and citizens of the North Pole appear pretty unfazed by the fact that their Santa Claus "died," but they act this way because they know he simply retired. And they were glad to be rid of a Santa that wasn't enthusiastic about his job. Once Scott fully took over and accepted his identity as Saint Nick, happiness at the North Pole rose 86 percent.
The theory itself makes sense, as The Santa Clause is a Disney movie, which is a notoriously family-friendly brand. Kicking off the trilogy with the death of Santa Claus is an uncharacteristically dark move. Backpedaling the first Santa's original fate by explaining it was all orchestrated and that he is happily enjoying retirement would be a great way to comfort any child saddened by watching him supposedly die on screen.
The Santa Clauses Backs up the Retirement Theory
Disney had three movies to confirm Santa's death, but in that time, it never did. In fact, across the films, Scott Calvin worked with his son and the elves to invent new and improved features designed to keep what happened to his predecessor from happening to him, but that doesn't actually prove anything. The last movie installment in the series was 15 years ago, but during the 2022 holiday season, the streaming network released its first season of The Santa Clauses. The Disney+ comedy series finds Scott Calvin's Santa approaching his 65th birthday and seriously considering retirement. It's time for his family to move on so his two youngest children can experience a little normalcy now that they are teenagers.
In order to retire, however, Santa needs to find a suitable replacement to carry on the legacy. This plays right into the Redditor's fan theory that the Santa who fell off Scott Calvin's roof may not have actually died but spent a great deal of time preparing for his retirement. The previous Santa may have even scouted Scott Calvin beforehand, knowing that beneath his rough exterior and corporate greed was a heart filled with Christmas Spirit that simply needed awakening.
It's nice to imagine a world where both Santa Clauses lived happily ever after. Even more intriguing is the notion that there have been multiple Santas over the years -- men who really needed to play that role because it softened their hardened hearts and not just their bellies. Disney confirmed that while The Santa Clauses was meant to be a limited series, in early December 2022, it was picked up for a second season.
The Santa Clause films and The Santa Clauses series are available for streaming on Disney+.