Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell & ‘The Santa Clauses’ Cast on Where We Find Them, 16 Years Later (VIDEO)
Break out the cookies and the candy canes — Tim Allen‘s jovial Scott Calvin is back in The Santa Clauses. The brand new Disney+ series checks in with everyone’s favorite St. Nick nearly 30 years after first taking on the job of Santa Claus, which means that in addition to Carol Calvin, a.k.a Mrs. Clause (Elizabeth Mitchell), we’ll also be seeing Scott’s grown-up children: Cal “Buddy” Calvin (Austin Kane) and Sandra Calvin (Elizabeth Allen-Dick).
“It blurred a lot of weird lines,” Allen — television’s quintessential dad, who’s had no shortage of children to parent in his many TV roles — tells TV Insider of working with his real-life daughter. “It was another challenge as an actor. There’s no way you can get away with a scene and you’re looking into the eyes of your real daughter.. it is here. That means it was an easy way to be organic.”
“It’s really an honor to be able to join the franchise and work on it this way,” Allen-Dick adds, citing how she recognizes how important the films have become over the years to families who watch it as part of their requisite holiday viewing.
For the veteran Mitchell, returning to Carol “in her middle ages” was an exciting new development to play with. “I loved coming back to Mrs. Clause when she’s more settled into her role,” Mitchell says, before adding with a laugh, “I think her and her book and cocoa is right where she’s been for the last 16 years!”
While Santa may have the best job in the world, even he can’t escape the struggles that every working parent deals with: keeping up with the demands of his job while still being there for his family. As he mulls over retirement, the series introduces new characters like Kal Penn‘s Simon Choksi, a single “tech bro” father who is also dealing with the work-life balance… and for whom a surprise trip to the North Pole changes everything.
“Arc-wise, I hope fans will love what we seem to love about a love of Christmas movies — which is ultimately good triumphing over evil and discovering hope and joy. It’s really his daughter who reminds him about the true meaning of Christmas,” Penn teases of his character.
Check out the full video interview above for more from the cast of The Santa Clauses on what’s to come.
The Santa Clauses, Premieres November 16 with two episodes, Disney+
