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The Santa Clause poster

Movies that feel likeThe Santa Clause (1994)

On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.

If you loved The Santa Clause, the closest films we have are Babe (1995), Hocus Pocus (1993) and Addams Family Values (1993). All three share The Santa Clause's dreamlike and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Elf (2003).

7 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Hulu Β· Disney Plus

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If The Santa Clause hit the spot, these will too

Babe poster
Babe
1995 Β· dir. Chris Noonan
πŸ… 98%β˜… 6.9fantasy Β· drama Β· comedy

The same mix in both: dream logic, then stillness

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Babe is a little pig who doesn't quite know his place in the world. With a bunch of odd friends, like Ferdinand the duck who thinks he is a rooster and Fly the dog he calls mum, Babe realises that he has the makings to become the greatest sheep pig of all time, and Farmer Hoggett knows it. With the help of the sheep dogs, Babe learns that a pig can be anything that he wants to be.

Hocus Pocus poster
Hocus Pocus
1993 Β· dir. Kenny Ortega
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.9fantasy Β· comedy Β· familyDisney+

Both land wit and play at once

The difference: Trades the stillness of The Santa Clause for an angle of its own

After 300 years of slumber, three sister witches are accidentally resurrected in Salem on Halloween night, and it is up to three kids and their newfound feline friend to put an end to the witches' reign of terror once and for all.

Addams Family Values poster
Addams Family Values
1993 Β· dir. Barry Sonnenfeld
πŸ… 76%β˜… 6.9comedy Β· family Β· fantasyParamount+

Warm where it counts, cozy underneath

Siblings Wednesday and Pugsley Addams will stop at nothing to get rid of Pubert, the new baby boy adored by parents Gomez and Morticia. Things go from bad to worse when the new "black widow" nanny, Debbie Jellinsky, launches her plan to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands.

Nanny McPhee poster
Nanny McPhee
2005 Β· dir. Kirk Jones
πŸ… 74%β˜… 6.6fantasy Β· comedy Β· family

Dreamlike fantasy, and it commits to that

Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline. And when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch, threatens to separate the kids, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee.

Matilda poster
Matilda
1996 Β· dir. Danny DeVito
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7comedy Β· family Β· fantasy

Comedy built on wit, twice over

Matilda Wormwood is an brilliant and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, her parents, Harry and Zinnia, fail to see that fact. As time passes, she finally starts school and has a kind teacher, loyal friends, and a terrifying, sadistic headmistress. As she becomes fed up with the constant cruelty, she discovers she has a special gift that she just might be able to use to outwit the unruly adults around her.

Elf poster
Elf
2003 Β· dir. Jon Favreau
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.1comedy Β· family Β· fantasyRent or buy

The same two preoccupations: elves, and holiday

When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic.

CJ7 poster
CJ7
2008 Β· dir. Stephen Chow
πŸ… 49%β˜… 6.4comedy Β· drama Β· family

The same preoccupation in both: fathers and sons

The difference: Sits closer to science fiction than The Santa Clause does

A poor construction worker, who struggles to keep his son in private school, mistakes an orb he finds in a junkjard for a toy which proves to be much, much more once the young boy starts to play with it.

Doctor Dolittle poster
Doctor Dolittle
1998 Β· dir. Betty Thomas
πŸ… 44%β˜… 5.5comedy Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

Both are built on the same subject: fathers and sons

A successful physician and devoted family man, John Dolittle seems to have the world by the tail, until a long suppressed talent he possessed as a child, the ability to communicate with animals is suddenly reawakened with a vengeance! Now every creature within squawking distance wants the good doctor's advice, unleashing an outrageous chain of events that turns his world upside down!

Just Another Christmas poster
Just Another Christmas
2020 Β· dir. Roberto Santucci
β˜… 6.7comedy Β· drama Β· fantasyNetflix

One thread runs through both: christmas

The difference: 26 years apart, and the 2020s show

After taking a very nasty fall on Christmas Eve, grinchy Jorge blacks out and wakes up one year later, with no memory of the year that has passed. He soon realizes that he’s doomed to keep waking up on Christmas Eve after Christmas Eve, having to deal with the aftermath of what his other self has done the other 364 days of the year.

The Flintstones poster
The Flintstones
1994 Β· dir. Brian Levant
πŸ… 23%β˜… 5.1fantasy Β· comedy Β· familyNetflix

Family with a pulse of play, in both cases

Modern Stone Age family the Flintstones hit the big screen in this live-action version of the classic cartoon. Fred helps Barney adopt a child. Barney sees an opportunity to repay him when Slate Mining tests its employees to find a new executive. But no good deed goes unpunished.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas poster
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2000 Β· dir. Ron Howard
πŸ… 50%β˜… 6.4family Β· comedy Β· fantasyPeacock

Two things both keep coming back to: christmas party and santa claus

The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...

Casper poster
Casper
1995 Β· dir. Brad Silberling
πŸ… 59%β˜… 6.2fantasy Β· comedy Β· familyHuluPeacock

Both lean on warmth more than on drama

Casper is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat. Casper quickly falls in love with Kat, but their budding relationship is complicated not only by his transparent state, but also by his troublemaking apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.

In the mood for more dreamlike?

all dreamlike movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Santa Clause’s defining feeling.