Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing the novelisation of the hit Christmas film Santa Claus: The Movie.

Santa Claus: The Movie was first published in 1985 by Berkley and is 224 pages long.

The Plot

Santa Claus: The Movie is a story in which a man named Claus and his wife Anya find themselves being whisked away to the magical land of the North Pole, along with their two loving reindeer, Donna and Blitzen.

Characters

Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a kindly, magical figure who brings joy to children everywhere. He is depicted as a kind-hearted, compassionate, and wise character who embodies the values of generosity, selflessness, and love. In the novelisation, Santa’s past is explored, and we learn that in the Middle Ages, he used to be a peasant who made toys for the children of his village. Since he and his wife Anya could not have any of their own children, they gave their love to their neighbours. Claus arrives at the North Pole after he, his wife Anya and his reindeer Donna and Blitzen mysteriously fall asleep in the middle of a heavy blizzard.

Patch
Patch is an ambitious and adventurous elf who wants to help Santa create more toys. However, he is also reckless and impulsive, which leads to him leaving the North Pole to work for B.Z., a ruthless toy manufacturer. While Patch initially enjoys the materialistic lifestyle, he ultimately realises the error of his ways and works to redeem himself. His character serves as a reminder of the importance of staying true to your values and not losing sight of what truly matters.

B.Z.
B.Z. is a greedy, selfish toy manufacturer who aims to use the magic of the Christmas season for his own financial gain. He is shown to be calculating, manipulative, and ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals, including convincing Patch to work for him and using his ideas to make new toys. The novelisation portrays B.Z. as a symbol of the dangers of consumerism and the need for a more sustainable and compassionate form of capitalism (if such a thing is possible!).

Joe
Joe is a kind-hearted, resilient young boy who lives in New York City. After the death of his mother, he is left homeless, scavenging food whenever and wherever he can. One Christmas Eve, he is spotted by Santa Claus. After initially not believing Claus to be the real deal, he ends up befriending him and helps him to deliver his presents. Through meeting Joe, Santa Claus gets to find out what the modern world is really like.

Cornelia
Cornelia is a little girl who sees a down-on-his-luck Joe and wants to help. She supplies him with food and, more importantly, friendship. She is instrumental in helping Joe and Santa Claus take down her greedy uncle, B.Z.

Anya
Anya is portrayed as a loving and supportive wife to Claus. She is resourceful, intelligent, and deeply caring. Anya’s character is well-developed in the novelisation, and readers can see her as a vital part of the North Pole family.

Writing Style

Here, Joan D. Vinge has presented Santa Claus: The Movie in novel format and has done a great job of keeping the magic of the story intact.

Her descriptions are evocative, and although I watch the film every year, I experienced a different, more robust world via the way she has chosen to show everything from the North Pole to New York City.

The book follows the film almost precisely, with only a few variations. For example, we get to know what each of the characters is thinking and feeling, whereas, in the film, we only have their dialogue to tell us how they’re feeling.

It is not just the excellent worldbuilding and deeper characterisation that make this book so compelling: the writing is brilliant. The author incredibly weaves detailed descriptions and engaging dialogue with such skill that it is almost mesmerising; I found it difficult to put the book down.

Final Thoughts

Santa Claus: The Movie by Joan D. Vinge is a must-read for anyone looking for an enchanting and heartwarming Christmas story – and don’t be put off by having already watched the film. As I said, I watch it every year but found the book added an extra layer to the story that only adds to the magic.

I highly recommend this festive tale, especially if you love the film.

I’m giving Santa Claus: The Movie a strong 8/10.

Have you read Santa Claus: The Movie? Let me know what you think.

Thank you, as always, for reading my review.

Until next time,

George

© 2023 GLT

Categories: Book Reviews, Reading

Tags: book, Christmas, elf, father christmas, novelisation, Novelization, review, Santa, Santa Claus