Last Christmas I gave my heart to a girl that had a boyfriend. It didn’t matter to me that she belonged to someone else because we had fun in this affair we’ve had going, but then she ended up giving my heart away to him (after all) and that really fucking sucked. This year, to save me from crying like a little wuss, I decided to give my heart to someone special, then this someone special turned into 2 special someone’s since another girl came along. Yet again, I wasn’t alone this holiday season and to make my holiday even sweeter, I was blessed earlier this year with a Blu-Ray copy of Rene Cardona’s Santa Claus via the right holders. I finally watched it with special someone #2 and it really surprised the fuck out of me. I don’t think special someone #2 even paid attention to the movie, but that’s okay. I just wanted company from someone else’s girlfriend yet again. Wham! would be proud.
In a floating castle in the North Pole, Santa Claus (Jose Elias Moreno) prepares for Christmas. He gathers up some children from the world and they all sing a song from their country. Santa also reads letters from kids and separates the ones from the good kids and the bad kids. He also has a special spot for kids asking for siblings. This year (1959), the devil sends one of minions to ruin Christmas by causing mischief to a couple of kids in Mexico and even sets up quirky traps for the jolly fat man in red. Santa of course isn’t gonna let anyone or anything get in the way of him giving all the kids in the world what they’ve asked for Christmas!
It has been called one of the worst movies ever made by a dumb TV show and butchered up by K. Gordon Murray and often (and confusingly) given credit as the maker of the movie. The movie has been widely-criticized for sure, but when you watch Rene Cardona’s Santa Claus and really give it a chance, you will see that it’s actually not a bad movie at all. Santa Claus is a children’s fantasy movie with aesthetically appealing special effects & sounds. Obviously not realtisic looking or trying to be so serious; but that’s the whole point of it at all. It is a fantasy children’s movie about Santa Claus & the overall Christmas holiday. Why criticize this movie so badly when other older Christmas movies are just like this?
As I mentioned beforehand, the movie has some very aesthetically appealing special effects & sounds. Santa Claus’ castle looks so fun to be inside since it’s so big, colorful & full of various crazy, wacky looking gadgets. The giant mechanical eyeball the sees all is a popular one and it’s definitely eye appealing for sure (stupid pun intended). The eyeball is also attached to a speaker of sorts and all sound comes through a giant pair of rubber lips. Amazing, huh? My favorite scene of the movie is when the little Mexican girl Lupita is having a twisted dream about what she really wants for Christmas: A doll. Lupita is in the center of a giant room where living dolls appear around her and dance. It’s a little creepy scene honestly, but so cool at the same time. Now the most memorable part of the movie is of course the devil’s minion. What is considered a bad costume isn’t very bad at all. It’s wacky looking for sure, but you have to admire the work put into this devil costume. It is an all red outfit and face painted red with plastic horns & large ears added. A great wacky costume for sure. A bit creepy too, but that’s the point as well.
My only criticism of the movie is how uneven it is. The movie seems to want to mainly focus on a couple of kids in dire need of something they need in their life, but the movie seems to forget them at times and focuses on Santa preparing for the holiday. Once we focus on the kids again, we have to remember why they matter so much to begin with, but do we want to care & remember though? Up to you. Me personally, I didn’t give a fudge. I just wanted to see more of Santa Claus in Christmas action.
Rene Cardona & Guillermo Calderon made a colorful/wacky fantasy Christmas movie that will forever be treasured by cult film enthusiasts. While to some it’s a shit for brains movie, for me and others it’s just another weird old movie that’s visually appealing and a must watch during the holiday season. Give it a chance. Bring the kids, too. Don’t listen to talking robots or a blowhard with a podcast saying Santa Claus is shit, because it’s really not. It is an eye-catching movie for sure. A must see to believe.
In a floating castle in the North Pole, Santa Claus (Jose Elias Moreno) prepares for Christmas. He gathers up some children from the world and they all sing a song from their country. Santa also reads letters from kids and separates the ones from the good kids and the bad kids. He also has a special spot for kids asking for siblings. This year (1959), the devil sends one of minions to ruin Christmas by causing mischief to a couple of kids in Mexico and even sets up quirky traps for the jolly fat man in red. Santa of course isn’t gonna let anyone or anything get in the way of him giving all the kids in the world what they’ve asked for Christmas!
It has been called one of the worst movies ever made by a dumb TV show and butchered up by K. Gordon Murray and often (and confusingly) given credit as the maker of the movie. The movie has been widely-criticized for sure, but when you watch Rene Cardona’s Santa Claus and really give it a chance, you will see that it’s actually not a bad movie at all. Santa Claus is a children’s fantasy movie with aesthetically appealing special effects & sounds. Obviously not realtisic looking or trying to be so serious; but that’s the whole point of it at all. It is a fantasy children’s movie about Santa Claus & the overall Christmas holiday. Why criticize this movie so badly when other older Christmas movies are just like this?
As I mentioned beforehand, the movie has some very aesthetically appealing special effects & sounds. Santa Claus’ castle looks so fun to be inside since it’s so big, colorful & full of various crazy, wacky looking gadgets. The giant mechanical eyeball the sees all is a popular one and it’s definitely eye appealing for sure (stupid pun intended). The eyeball is also attached to a speaker of sorts and all sound comes through a giant pair of rubber lips. Amazing, huh? My favorite scene of the movie is when the little Mexican girl Lupita is having a twisted dream about what she really wants for Christmas: A doll. Lupita is in the center of a giant room where living dolls appear around her and dance. It’s a little creepy scene honestly, but so cool at the same time. Now the most memorable part of the movie is of course the devil’s minion. What is considered a bad costume isn’t very bad at all. It’s wacky looking for sure, but you have to admire the work put into this devil costume. It is an all red outfit and face painted red with plastic horns & large ears added. A great wacky costume for sure. A bit creepy too, but that’s the point as well.
My only criticism of the movie is how uneven it is. The movie seems to want to mainly focus on a couple of kids in dire need of something they need in their life, but the movie seems to forget them at times and focuses on Santa preparing for the holiday. Once we focus on the kids again, we have to remember why they matter so much to begin with, but do we want to care & remember though? Up to you. Me personally, I didn’t give a fudge. I just wanted to see more of Santa Claus in Christmas action.
Rene Cardona & Guillermo Calderon made a colorful/wacky fantasy Christmas movie that will forever be treasured by cult film enthusiasts. While to some it’s a shit for brains movie, for me and others it’s just another weird old movie that’s visually appealing and a must watch during the holiday season. Give it a chance. Bring the kids, too. Don’t listen to talking robots or a blowhard with a podcast saying Santa Claus is shit, because it’s really not. It is an eye-catching movie for sure. A must see to believe.
