There is nothing I dislike about this movie, it is total charm. I think it proves how much writers Leslie and David Newman learned from Tom Mankiewicz about writing a legend and giving it respect. The first half an hour of this film very much parallels the Krypton/Smallville/Fortress of Solitude initiation scenes from Mankiewicz's Superman, and for me Santa Claus' opening is by far the more effective.

Superman offered the mighty, strong and at times cold Jor-El played by Marlon Brando, Santa Claus offers Burgess Meredith as the Ancient Elf. Not only is Meredith a warmer, more emotional, ego-less character actor, his Ancient Elf's appearance is supportive, comforting and uplifting. He passes the Santa Claus mantle across to the chosen everyman without the abstract imagery required to support Brando's monologue in Superman. Meredith doesn't command attention, he is merely such an interesting, respected and universally renowned human being that the audience chooses to engage with his speech themselves. The following first flight of the sleigh is also stupendously uplifting.

One of the other reasons why Santa Claus The Movie is a personal favourite is down to the music. Te score was written by Henry Mancini, who in my mind is the greatest film composer who ever lived. The Peter Gunn, Pink Panther themes and "Moon River" are up there with the most memorable tunes of all time, and Mancini's position as the most emotional, sensitive and romantic film composer is evident throughout Santa Claus.
The films end tune is also heart warming, accompanying the inventive end credits is Sheena Easton's "It's Christmas", and it also plays during one moment in the film too.
The other soundtrack delight is the appearance of the Kajagoogoo (here named 'Kaja' after re-imaging themsleves after the departure of 'Neverending Story's Limahl) song, "Shouldn't Do That". Heard during a moment set in McDonald's, the tune reminds us of the era when innovation and progress was synonymous with pop music, something that perhaps dates the movie some 15 years on.

Of course, Santa Claus The Movie was made by the Salkinds, so of course I must now talk about the production values of the picture. The sets for this production are some of the finest and certainly most the most baroque of any film ever made. Designed by the distinguished production designer Anthony Pratt, whose work includes the solid medieval landscape of 'Excalibur' and the period decor of the recent 'Band of Brothers', the attention to detail is thorough not only in the lavish North Pole sets, but the Pinewood studios bound recreation of the New York locations. It is hard to accept that 'Superman IV: The Quest For Peace' nearly had the same A-calibre treatment, and could have had the vast New York roof top sets and city streets as seen here had it not been for Cannon's dismissal of the Salkind technical talent.

Praise should also go to the cinematographer, the late Arthur Ibbetson BSC, whose past work for the children's classics 'The Railway Children' 'Whistle Down The Wind' and 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' made him a perfect choice for the films DOP. Particularly impressive is his ability to make the images appear like oil painted Christmas cards. The opening scene in a peseant hut is lit like the finest Rembrandt, as are the wonderful close up portraits of Santa Claus himself, with a backlit beard that glows with the warmth of his internal character. The show-stopper set pieces lensed by Ibbetson are Claus' first visit to the hall of toys, meticulously photographed on an epic widescreen frame, and also the knock-out pull back shot of the Elves making toys.

The special effects for Santa Claus also must get full credit. First I am going to mention the extensive use of mattes and models to make you believe that Pinewood studios really is New York City. Roy Field BSC out did himself here. The level of verisimilitude in this respect is quite mind-blowing, and again, it's sad knowing that this quality could have made Superman IV look epic had Cannon not fired these great artists.

The animated sparkle trail from Santa's sleigh was handpainted by Peter Chiang, now the owner of world leading digital effects firm Double Negative.
Of special note now, up until last year I had not realised just exactly how the reindeer flying scenes were accomplished. I had always assumed that the 007 stage at Pinewood had been covered in black cloth or blue screen with transparent, shatter-proof glass bridges erected around with cameras underneath them. That had been the only credible explanation for how these fully alive reindeer flew over the camera. Last year however I discovered that, amazingly, the sleigh, Santa and all eight reindeers were 1/4 scale mechanical models flown on wires with radio controlled reindeer heads! For blue screen shots, VFX cameraman Paul Wilson BSC used a motion control camera for repeat movements, computer operated by Mark Gardiner.

The full size reindeers were for the most part deer from Norway, while close up, controlled performances were achieved using John Coppinger and Malcolm Stone's state of the art animatronics. Their performances are incredible, and rightly so seeing as they were operated by Brian Henson, son of Jim and president of Jim Henson's Creature Workshop.

Well, I love this film to death, and if you do plan on watching it this Christmas, make sure it's the Anchor Bay widescreen DVD or nothing!

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