The first half of this film, set hundreds of years ago, shows how the old man who eventually became Santa Claus was given immortality and chosen to deliver toys to all the children of the world. The second half moves into the modern era, in which Patch (Dudley Moore), the head elf, strikes out on his own and falls in with an evil toy manufacturer (John Lithgow) who wants to corner the market and eliminate Santa Claus.
This long plot summary really gets to the heart of the problem: this is two movies disguised as one. As much as I like seeing John Lithgow as a bad guy, it just never makes complete sense. We either have the story of Santa (as the title suggests) or we have Santa versus a corrupt and naughty toy maker. We cannot have both, and yet we do.
That being said... no recommendation. This is not a lost Christmas classic by any means.
This long plot summary really gets to the heart of the problem: this is two movies disguised as one. As much as I like seeing John Lithgow as a bad guy, it just never makes complete sense. We either have the story of Santa (as the title suggests) or we have Santa versus a corrupt and naughty toy maker. We cannot have both, and yet we do.
That being said... no recommendation. This is not a lost Christmas classic by any means.