Much like Santa himself, almost all of the renderings of Mrs. Claus are shown in the same sort of light. A woman conservatively dressed for holiday cheer, she’s the mother of the North Pole and dear wife to Mr. Claus. That tradition is challenged in The Santa Clauses, as the recent addition to the 2022 TV schedule has Elizabeth Mitchell’s incarnation questioning that very piece of her existence.
In the opinion of the actress herself, that’s actually what makes her return to the role she originated in 2002’s The Santa Clause 2 all the more relatable. She told me as much when we talked during the press day for the Disney+ limited series, which premiered its first two episodes this past Wednesday. Digging into the character of Carol again, here’s how Elizabeth Mitchell laid out her approach in this latest installment to CinemaBlend:
I think that Carol actually really quite loves being Mrs. Claus. I think she just thinks there might be more. Right? I think that’s where we start. And I love that idea because I think we do that in our lives periodically. We’re like, ‘I’m great. I’m great. I’m great. No, I’m not. There’s something missing. How do I figure it out? What do I do?’ And it feels very relatable to me, even though it’s a very imaginary circumstance.
Though the trailer for The Santa Clauses sets up a more traditional conflict involving the retirement of Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin, there’s more at work within the six-episodes this limited series is rolling out. We see some of the effects taking shape in that footage, as Elizabeth Mitchell’s holiday symbol starts to wear t-shirts again around the North Pole.
Change comes for everyone in the Claus/Calvin family, as Scott turns back into his regular self upon reentering the everyday world. Even children Cal (Austin Kane) and Sandra (Elizabeth Allen-Dick) get their first taste of life outside of the workshop, but ultimately have to close ranks with the family to save Christmas when things go south.
For the “crotchety” Tim Allen, having more time outside of the intense makeup regimen of The Santa Clauses must have been a relief. In that same respect, seeing Carol puzzle out life outside of what they show on the cookie tins represented a very real angle for a fantastical character. Elizabeth Mitchell continued to ponder that aspect herself, further fleshing out how she saw this opportunity thusly:
She does a lot of challenging. She does a lot of figuring out … trying to make sure everyone that she loves is safe, and okay, and doing the right thing for themselves. And it felt very mom-like to me, it made sense to me. … Why does she have to look matronly? Just because she’s older, it doesn’t mean that she has to all of a sudden decide that she just needs to be, you know, a lump.
The Santa Clause is still considered one of the best movies about Santa Claus to exist in the modern canon of this classic character. Through its comedic retelling of the story we thought we knew, the franchise has cleverly reinvented this tale of holiday magic through a new clause each time out.
Expanding this world for series television provides breathing room for going down new paths in the story of Santa and Mrs. Claus, which seems to be the case when you see how Elizabeth Mitchell is relating to the character. A lot is about to change through The Santa Clauses’ limited series rollout, and you can already start to get a sense of where things are going!
The first two episodes have already debuted, with a new chapter coming every Wednesday until the December 14th finale. If you’re looking to both brush up on the previous three clauses, as well as the latest to be added to the mix, a Disney+ subscription is the only legal library you’ll need to dig into The Santa Clause trilogy.
