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Santa Claus: Deluxe Collector's 2023 Edition – VCI Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Mexico, 1959
Director: René Cardona
Writers: Adolfo Torres Portillo, René Cardona
Cast: José Elías Moreno, Cesáreo Quezadas 'Pulgarcito', José Luis Aguirre 'Trotsky', Armando Arriola, Lupita Quezadas, Antonio Díaz Conde hijo

Release Date: November 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 32 Seconds (Both Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: G
Sound: LPCM 5.1 English, LPCM Mono English (American K. Gordon Murray Version), LPCM Mono Spanish (Original Mexican Version)
Subtitles: English SDH (American K. Gordon Murray Version), English (Original Mexican Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"It's not enough that Santa must deal with the usual suspects - the good little boys and girls, and the not so good little boys and girls - but this season Lucifer himself is out to ruin Christmas and has sent his chief minion, Pitch, on a mission to Earth to turn all the children of the world against Santa. But wait, there's more! Santa's workshop is located high above the North Pole in a Toyland castle in outer space, where he plays the organ and keeps watch over the children on earth through specialized equipment, while readying his mechanical reindeer for Christmas Eve action. Santa also enlists the aid of Merlin the Wizard, who provides him with magic sleeping powder and a flower that makes one disappear. But wait, there's even more! Santa also receives a magic key that will unlock any door on Earth from Vulcan himself!" – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 2.5/5 (Both Versions)

Santa Claus comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.7 GB

Feature: 17.4 GB (American K. Gordon Murray Version), 15.4 GB (Original Mexican Version)

The transfer for this release looks exactly the same as VCI's 2011 Blu-ray release. Some source damage remains; colors look very good, the image looks crisp, and black levels are serviceable. That said, this transfer applies an aggressive amount of digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3/5 (LPCM 5.1 English, LPCM Mono English). 3.25/5 (LPCM Mono Spanish)

This release comes with three audio options; a LPCM 5.1 mix in English, a LPCM mono mix in English, and a LPCM mono mix in Spanish. The two English language tracks are comparable; there is hiss, crackle, and pops throughout. The Spanish language track is in the best shape of these three audio tracks. And though dialog comes through clear enough to follow, all three audio tracks are limited range-wise. Included are removable English SDH for the English language tracks and removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a photo gallery with music from playing in the background (stills/lobby cards/posters/ads), a radio spot (59 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a TV spot (1 minute 1 second, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a trailer (2 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Santa Claus Conquers the Devil (14 minutes, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), three Santa Claus novelty short subjects: Santa and His Helpers (12 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), Santa’s Magic Kingdom (12 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles) and Santa’s Enchanted Village (12 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with K. Gordon Murray Historian Daniel Griffith.

Other extras include Wonder World K. Gordon Murray documentary teaser (3 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and a classic Castle Films short subject A Howdy Doody Christmas (8 minutes 32 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles).

Summary:

René Cardona, a prolific filmmaker whose career spanned six decades and 146 feature films, directed Santa Claus. He’s known for directing The Living Idol, The Crying Woman (1960), The Panther Women, The Bat Woman, Night of the Bloody Apes, and Santo in the Treasure of Dracula.

A devil named Pitch tries to make Santa’s job harder as he prepares to deliver presents on Christmas.

René Cardona’s Santa Claus is a different kind of Christmas film. When one thinks of Santa Claus, he has traits that are instantly identifiable, and though this film resembles how he’s most known, it mixes things up by adding a devil named Patch and a wizard named Merlin. Also, instead of the North Pole, Santa Claus lives in a home located in the clouds. He uses magic, and his home is filled with unusual gadgets like an electronic eye, talking big lips, and a telescope that lets him peer into a child's room.

The narrative opens with a lengthy introduction where children from around the world sing. Instead of elves, these same children are Santa’s little helpers. Not much happens outside of singing and dancing in the opening setup. Fortunately, things pick up considerably once Santa Claus intervenes with the devil’s corruption of children. That said, though the narrative moves at a leisurely pace, it's overflowing with weirdness that ensures there is rarely a dull moment.

From a production standpoint, Santa Claus is a film working on an anemic budget. The visuals are never flashy, and minimalism best describes the sets. When it comes to the performances, there are really only two characters who have substantial screen time: Santa Claus and the devil named Pitch. José Elías Moreno and José Luis Aguirre 'Trotsky,' the actors who portray these characters, deliver enthusiastic performances. Ultimately, René Cardona’s Santa Claus is a much better film than its reputation, and in the right frame of mind, it is a lot of fun.

Santa Claus gets a fully loaded release from VCI Entertainment that comes with a serviceable audio/video presentation.