"Santa Clause 2" works... But is not perfect.

Although Santa Clause has never been my favorite Christmas franchise, it is undeniable that the original film and each of its sequels perfectly capture the magic of these dates, regardless of the quality of their script.

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The key? A simple premise and multiple audiovisual elements that know how to transmit nostalgia while being timeless, a celebration of the most superficial aspects of these dates without having to leave family and love aside.

On this occasion, Santa discovers that there is one more clause in Santa's contract, which requires him to get a wife to be the new Mrs. Claus, otherwise, he will lose his powers and eventually will not be able to return to the North Pole.

At the same time, to keep morale high, the elves decide to create a clone of Santa that works as a giant toy, which will obviously end in absolute chaos inside the factory.

In this way, we are to see Scot Calvin struggle to find a new wife before Christmas, at the same time as the elves struggle with their new fascist boss who seems hell-bent on giving coal to all the children of the world.

While I'd obviously rather the evil Santa clone subplot not exist (especially since its only role ends up being to slow down the main plot, which is much more interesting in my opinion), both coexist to make The Santa Clause a pleasant experience that organically continues the magic established by the previous film while adding fascinating new elements.

And, while the final result is much messier than its predecessor, it is a solid addition to any Christmas marathon, with a simple and effective message and several funny moments capable of evoking nostalgia with ease. Tim Allen is a great Santa Claus and the supporting cast does a brilliant job most of the time. It's an entertaining, predictable and forgettable film.

Score taken from my Letterboxd account.