Tim Allen Wants 'The Santa Clauses' to Take a Page From the MCU

Tim Allen

Tim Allen is back a Scott Calvin.

The Golden Globe winner reprised the role, which he originated in the 1994 Christmas classic The Santa Clause, for the second season of the Disney+ series, The Santa Clauses. The show also stars his youngest daughter, Elizabeth Allen-Dick, who plays his child on screen.

It was "a catastrophic blessing," Allen told Parade of his daughter joining the holiday franchise. "I mean, it was really by mistake. I really just wanted, as a surprise to her, [to] have her be an elf so that she's in this series. And as the union said, 'If she speaks, it has to go to SAG, and we'd have to audition.'"

Coincidentally, it was for the role of Santa's daughter, Sandra. "From a performance side, it's amazing," the proud dad gushed.

Continue reading for more from Parade's interview with the father-daughter duo, including the advice Elizabeth has gotten from her dad, and why he wants The Santa Clauses to take a page from the MCU.

Elizabeth, what's the best piece of advice your dad has given you?

Elizabeth: The biggest thing for me is that when we would be on set together, it wasn't like him telling me, "Oh, do this, do this, do this." He really let me figure it out by myself, and then if I did need help, I would come to him: "Okay, what do you think is best?" But he really let me figure it out and find what worked for me. I think that was really special.

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Tim, what do you think is the most important thing that you can teach Elizabeth as she continues her acting career?

Tim: A fundamental part of this businesses is we're like the jockey or the race driver. You really aren't much of anything without the writers and the crew and everything. I keep telling her that. You're blessed to be in this situation, however, you constantly must be aware [of] the people that actually do the work are behind the camera, setting everything up and doing that...Just show great respect for where you are.

Watching The Santa Clauses makes me think back to the original movie, where Charlie declares at school that his dad is Santa. Elizabeth, did you ever have a moment like that growing up, where you were like "My dad is Santa...or Buzz"?

Elizabeth: I think so. I knew like he wasn't, you know, the real Santa—

Tim: [Feigns shock]

Elizabeth: [Laughs] In elementary, kids would find out and they would ask questions and stuff, but it was kind of like—I knew where the boundaries were. I was like, I can be proud of him but it's not like I'm gonna use this to [my advantage]. But yeah, I feel like it was a lot in elementary and sometimes even now, when people find out and start freaking out about it, it's really special because it's like, Oh, that's the impact that my dad has on people.

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Tim, you've played so many memorable roles. Is there one in particular that brings you great joy? 

Tim: It's a mix up. The sci-fi guy in me really loves the character I played in Galaxy Quest. The dad in me loves playing Santa Claus, especially now because of the way they've expanded into the family thing. And there's no question for kids, [Buzz Lightyear]. Tom Hanks and I have been to these children's hospitals, and the way kids respond to Woody and Buzz, the voices only. It's been a real special relationship with kind of the internals of children when they hear those two voices. So being Buzz Lightyear is really, it's been a very special relationship.

As mentioned, your character is a father in The Santa Clauses. This season, we see Santa's kids struggling to figure out their roles and places in the North Pole, and it kind of shows that Santa also struggles as a parent. Was that a message you were trying to send this season?

Tim: Some of it, you know, is dramatized. It is timely, as Elizabeth develops into a teenager... We kind of go through the same thing in the communication skills between Mr. and Mrs. Claus and her.

What I really like to throw out there, the special thing we got to, is [that] this is the first time a human has been born at the North Pole, the two kids [Sandra and Cal]. It's a very important part of the mythology of this story that the Santa Claus is really a spiritual being, back to St. Nicholas.

We really see Sandra step into the spotlight with her powers. Where do you see this storyline going?

Tim: I think that's a big mystery...I was amazed how fun it was to watch her, especially as they produce it and they get the effects and everything, where it is a fantasy. I love Game of Thrones, that's my writing style. I love all that. Where can that go? This could be its own story about gnomes and elves and witches, and what are really witches? Are witches bad? I don't know.

You've spoken about wanting to address plot holes from the trilogy. Is there something that you haven't addressed yet that you would like to if there is a third season?

Tim: I don't want to give it away. I will say, I get real sci-fi-ish. My family, we love going to The Rockettes every Christmas. And there's a scene in The Rockettes where the Santa Claus morphs into hundreds of thousands of Santa Clauses at the same time during the show. It's a really fun part of the show. And I kind of want to get into, God forbid me saying this, the Marvel Universe with parallel universes—

Elizabeth: Oh gosh.

Tim: A real quick sentence [that addresses], "How does Santa show up at everybody's house at the same time?" I want to get into that real quickly. It's a much bigger magic than you think. So the kid in me, when I was a kid, I'd go, "How does he show up at everybody's house? That's a lot of, you know, one house at a time?" Well, it might be a little bit more clever than you think.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The second season of The Santa Clauses premiered Nov. 8. New episodes will be released Wednesdays through Dec. 6.

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