The Year Without a Santa Claus is a live-action remake of the Rankin/Bass television special of the same name. The film premiered on NBC on December 11, 2006.
Synopsis
This remake follows the same basic concept as the original Rankin/Bass special: Santa Claus, disillusioned by children's lack of belief in him and in the spirit of giving, decides not to deliver toys this Christmas Eve, despite the arguments by Mrs. Claus and two of his helper-elves, Jingle and Jangle. They decide to provide Santa with some proof that children still believe and that they still deserve toys from Santa, so the elves visit the United States in search of Christmas spirit.
At first, they face only setbacks, both in South Town, which is celebrating its annual Winter Festival, and in their dealings with the jealous, competitive Miser Brothers, who refuse to compromise long enough to permit a Christmas snow in the southern town. Finally, Santa's faith in children is renewed with the help of a boy named Iggy Thistlewhite.
Differences from the original special
The most obvious differences are in the setting, which is moved to the 21st century present day, and the music, which is all but gone. Only the iconic "Miser" songs are retained (though they are mixed together, and instead of being sung when the Misers are approached, the song is sung during their feud).
The remake also includes two subplots which did not appear in the Rankin/Bass version: The commercial coup of Santa's toy-making operation by the ambitious elf Sparky, who wants a more modern and lucrative approach; and the family troubles of Iggy. His father (who is also the mayor in this remake) is too busy to focus on his family, even at Christmas. Mayor Thistlewhite is a foil both for Santa, in his journey to rediscover the Christmas spirit, and for Sparky, in his efforts to sell out the town's historic district to an out-of-town commercial enterprise. In addition, the movie attempts to give more depth to the relationship between Mrs. Claus and Santa. Another difference is that it is Santa who sees the Miser Brothers about having it snow in South Town instead of Mrs. Claus. Like in the original, the brothers refuse to cooperate, but change their minds when Santa threatens to go to their mother.
A number of pop-culture references pepper the script, including a glimpse of the original special on Jingle's portable TV. Faced with the prospect of losing his job because of Santa's retirement, Jingle muses that he could go to work for his cousin, who is a dentist; this is a reference to Hermey from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The script also works in a reference to A Christmas Story: When a disgruntled marksman tells Santa he wanted a gun last Christmas, Santa flatly remarks, "You would've shot your eye out, kid!" Then he comically mimics the marksman having (hypothetically) done just that.
Songs
Cast
Actor/acteess | Character |
---|---|
John Goodman | Santa Claus |
Chris Kattan | Sparky |
Ethan Suplee | Jangle |
Dylan Minnette | Iggy Thistlewhite |
Eddie Griffin | Jangle Bells |
Delta Burke | Mrs. Claus |
Harvey Fierstein | Heat Miser |
Marcus Lyle Brown | Officer Jefferson |
Michael McKean | Snow Miser |
Aaron Beelner | Ring Announcer |
Jody Thompson | Clop |
Andrea Powell | Julie Kadlubowski-Sanchez |
Matthew Carroll | Dog catcher |
Carol Kane | Mother Nature |
Jack Watkins | Boothe |
Todd Terry | Wilkes |
Jack LaLanne | Hercules |
Eric Gipson | Power Elf #1 |
Carson Kressley | Elf Costumer |
Tina Parker | Artemis |
Mitchel Baker | unknown |
Hunter Ballard | School Boy |
David Blackwell | Dr. Broadbeam |
Dodie Brown | Festival booth owner |
Mellinda Craig | Wife of Officer Varmit |
Meagan Crews | Izzy's friend |
Namaiya Cunningham | Toddler at festival |
John F. Daniel | Christmas Festival Worker |
Brooke Devenney | Craft booth worker in festival |
Laine Dubroc | Festival Goer |
Fred E. Ellis | Drunk santa |
Dustin Estis | North Pole Elf |
Dorcas Everette | unknown |
Odessa Sykes | Reporter |
Travis Fontenot | Festival Goer |
Chris Freihofer | Sparky's Attorney |
Lara Grice | Rachel Thistlewhite |
Holli Hicks | Elf |
Mya Holloway | Toddler in snow at festival |
Parker Holloway | Boy with clown at festival |
Rebecca Holloway | Mom at arcade - Token Town |
Denver Houghton | Child in Gift Wrapping Booth |
Pamela Houghton | Gift wrap booth owner |
Deborah R. Jones | Journalist |
Lori Knighton | Festival visitor |
Daniel Lachman | Southtown citizen |
Amber Dawn Landrum | Blonde Jingle Jangle Girl |
Chelsea Lewis | Girl at festival |
Daniel Magill | Elf |
Jay Martin | Christmas Festival Kid |
Mike Martindale | Festival/Restaurant Patron |
John McConnell | Dog catcher |
Steven Miramontz | Pinstripe Elf |
Noelle Monteleone | Gleam |
Rebecca Newman | Festival shopper |
Desi Page | Student |
Desiree Page | Student |
Ashley-Anne Parker | Token Town Employee Festival patron |
Laura Schlessinger | unknown |
Raleigh L. Shelton II | Teddy bear buyer |
Kayla Shoemaker | Girl at festival |
Billy Slaughter | Nerd elf |
Alexis Smith | Festival goer |
Nicholas Smith | Gift wrapper |
Robert C. Treveiler | Mayor Thistlewhite |
Lana Underwood | Female tv reporter |
Taylor Vosbury | Girl student |
Tracey Walter | Abominable snowman |
Maya Waterman | Medusa |
Amanda Weisner | Heat Miser boxing fan |
Brent Weisner | Snow Miser boxing fan |
Cheryl Wicker | Elf |
Austin Barton (uncredited) | Boy in Gift Wrap Booth |
Barry Barton (uncredited) | Gift Wrap Booth Owner |
Rendell Bryce (uncredited) | Townsman |
Andrei Constantinescu (uncredited) | Snow Miser Fan |
Tyler Krieg (uncredited) | Extra |
Cynthia Riser (uncredited) | Reporter |
External links
The Year without a Santa Claus (2006 film)