Plot: What’s it about?
We all know that Santa Claus has a lot to remember, with all the names of the children, which toys to give which kids, where all the young ones happen to live, and of course, the names of his own reindeer, but what if Saint Nick were struck with amnesia? That is just what happens when Santa (Leslie Neilsen) falls out of his trusty sleigh and takes a knock to the noggin, leaving him unable to remember who he is and what he does. This poses a serious threat to the holidays of course, as his usual rounds will remain undone and as a result, children all over the world will be sad and depressed about the lack of presents. Even the good little boys & girls will be shafted this year, unless a plan is hatched to restore Santa’s memories and get the old coot back on track, as soon as possible. So now the fate of Christmas lies in the hands of a young man who still believes and a skeptical reporter who doesn’t, but is willing to lend a hand. Can these two help Santa regain his mental powers, or is Christmas lost forever?
I admit that some of Disney’s made for television movies have been decent, but most have putrid and Santa Who? is no exception. This total waste of time has minimal good traits and I usually like bad movies, so I looked for any positive elements I could here. As we all know, Leslie Neilsen (The Naked Gun, Mr. Magoo) has slipped in terms of choice in roles, which means he takes whatever he can and he must have needed some cash in this case. Neilsen isn’t even up to his recent low standards here, he seems to sleepwalk through the part, perhaps just to collect the paycheck and be on his merry way, no pun intended. He has some help from the goofy antics of Tommy Davidson (Tv’s In Living Color), but not even close to enough, if you ask me. This movie has poor acting, even worse direction, and if you can believe it, the writing is even more rank than the other elements, this is one pure stink session, without a doubt. I had hoped for a humorous, warm holiday themed film with Santa Who?, but I was left with complete & utter disappointment.
Video: How does it look?
Santa Who? is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. This looks as good as it would on television, but perhaps a little sharper and that’s all we can ask here. The image is clean and bright, with no serious flaws to discuss. The colors look bold and never bleed or the like, while flesh tones remain warm and natural throughout. On the same level is contrast, which supplies rich black hues and no evidence of detail loss in the least. I did see some jagged lines and a couple of compression hiccups, but in the end, a more than solid visual transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic, functional 2.0 surround track is found here and while it won’t dazzle your ears, it handles the material well. The surrounds aren’t used much outside of the musical soundtrack, though a couple of scenes do make good use of the rear channels. The basic elements come through the front channels rather well, like a richer version of a simple television mix, though I’ve never seen this film in broadcast, to know how the two stack up. In any case, this is not a new demo disc by any means, but it is a solid treatment and that’s enough here. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a classic Disney animated short titled The Art of Skiing and of course, it’s better than the feature presentation.
