Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Les Mayfield

Writers (WGA):

Valentine Davies (story)
George Seaton (1947 screenplay)

Release Date:

18 November 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Experience the Miracle.

Plot:

A little girl discovers dreams do come true if you really believe. Six-year-old Susan has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle - Santa Claus...

Plot Keywords:

Santa Claus | Christmas | Mother | Remake | Holiday

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Attenborough	...	Kris Kringle
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Dorey Walker
Dylan McDermott	...	Bryan Bedford
J.T. Walsh	...	Ed Collins
James Remar	...	Jack Duff
Jane Leeves	...	Alberta Leonard
Simon Jones	...	Donald Shellhammer
William Windom	...	C.F. Cole
Mara Wilson	...	Susan Walker
Robert Prosky	...	Judge Henry Harper
Kathrine Narducci	...	Mother
Mary McCormack	...	Myrna Foy
Alvin Greenman	...	The Doorman
Allison Janney	...	Woman in Christmas Shop
Greg Noonan	...	Cmdr. Coulson

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Germany:o.Al. (f) | South Korea:All | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Hughes Entertainment

Trivia:

Susan's middle name is Elizabeth. Mara Wilson's middle name is also Elizabeth.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Bryan is giving his final statement, Susan is seen sitting away from her mother in one shot and cuddled up next to her seconds later.

Quotes:

C.F. Cole: We invite you to ask yourself this one simple question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Best Ever Christmas Films (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

Why bother?

I've seen this movie on numerous occasions and although it's pleasant it's just not as good as the 1947 original, which is timeless. Maureen O'Hara and John Payne were superb in the lead roles. Richard Attenborough, for my money just wasn't quite Santa-like enough in the remake. Maybe more beard? I don't understand why anyone thought that a remake was a good idea. It's hard to do better than an original which is almost perfect already. The only thing I would say is that young Mara Wilson turned in a better performance than Natalie Wood. Dylan McDermott is also cute and was right for the role in this movie, but to be honest the performance was different but no better than John Payne's in the original. The money spent on making this film could have been better spent on something more original. They were onto a loser from the first.