These actors will make any doubter believe in Santa. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best modern movie versions of jolly old Saint Nick.
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00:00 "Name? Chris Gregel. Name? Sinterklaas. Name? Pernoel."
00:10 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best modern movie versions of jolly old Saint Nick.
00:17 "I know what you want for Christmas now. I'll see what I can do."
00:22 Number 10. Paul Giamatti - Fred Claus
00:26 As a child in the 1800s, Nick became a saint because he was so good and kind.
00:31 Now as Santa, he's overworked and stressed out, and he still has his obnoxious troublemaking brother Fred to deal with.
00:38 "I want you to review those files, okay? If the kid strikes you as naughty, BAM! Stamp him naughty."
00:46 Paul Giamatti manages to make the character jolly and lovable despite the pressure he's under,
00:51 but he's also not a total pushover, and his cheerful exterior eventually begins to crack.
00:56 "You're gonna run me over! I feel you're gonna run me over!"
00:59 When an efficiency expert tries to shut down operations at the North Pole, that's the final straw.
01:09 Although this movie is full of magical whimsy, its portrayal of Saint Nick is one of the most grounded and humanizing.
01:15 "You gotta excuse the guys, you know? It's the month before Christmas, a very tense time. They get jumpy, you know?"
01:20 Number 9. James Cosmo - The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
01:25 Thanks to a witch's curse, Narnia has had years of winter and no Christmas.
01:30 When the witch begins to lose her power, Father Christmas is once again able to return to the magical land.
01:35 "The hope that you have brought your majesties is finally starting to weaken the witch's power."
01:42 He has gifts for the Pevensey children, the good ones anyway, but these aren't teddy bears or board games.
01:48 "These are tools, not toys. Bear them well and wisely."
01:54 He's preparing the children to do battle against evil.
01:59 This Santa is jolly but somehow solemn at the same time, and his arrival foreshadows a difficult fight to come.
02:05 He only has a few minutes of screen time, but his stately presence is unforgettable.
02:10 "Long live Aslan!"
02:12 Number 8. J.K. Simmons - Klaus. This gorgeously hand-drawn animated film imagines a new origin story for the big guy.
02:20 Klaus is a bitter, lonely woodworker in a remote Norwegian town.
02:24 His shed is filled with toys made long ago for the children he never had.
02:28 He doesn't have a workshop full of elves, and his reindeer don't really fly.
02:32 "I wear them down and you catch them."
02:41 Instead, this unique depiction of Santa, played just right by J.K. Simmons, is ultra-realistic.
02:48 He's a regular man who delivers toys to local children at night with the help of the newly appointed postman.
02:53 The joy and kindness that he inspires begin to transform the dingy town,
02:57 and eventually Klaus himself, until he becomes the jolly gift-giver we know today.
03:02 "They insisted and I didn't want to be rude. I don't know, what do you, it's a lot of red, what do you, is it too much?"
03:10 As he says, a true selfless act always sparks another.
03:14 Number 7. David Harbour - Violent Night
03:17 Santa is a Viking? That's a twist we've never seen before.
03:21 "Are you okay?"
03:22 "I'm good, uh, I was just wrapping something up."
03:26 This Santa is a jaded man who's completely lost his Christmas spirit.
03:30 Then a group of criminals take a family hostage while he's delivering presents,
03:34 and he has to summon his inner warrior to save them.
03:37 "I was a warrior, a raider, a thief."
03:41 It turns out a night of violence was exactly what he needed to put the magic back in Christmas.
03:46 Santa kicks the mercenaries' butts,
03:48 taking care of a whole group at once in a brutal scene set to a heartwarming Christmas soundtrack.
03:53 We can't exactly show it here, but it's intense stuff.
03:56 We didn't know we needed a merciless action hero Santa,
03:59 but thanks to David Harbour's convincingly layered portrayal, we're very glad we got one.
04:04 "Thank you."
04:06 "For what?"
04:08 "For believing in me."
04:10 Number 6. Ed Ivory - The Nightmare Before Christmas
04:13 When you think about it, there is something kind of terrifying about Santa Claus.
04:17 "For the ruler of this Christmas land is a fearsome king with a deep, mighty voice.
04:24 At least that's what I've come to understand."
04:28 Still, Halloween and Christmas were never meant to go together.
04:31 After Jack Skellington arranges for Santa to be kidnapped,
04:34 he learns the hard way that the Jollyman's job is more difficult than it looks.
04:38 It takes a lot of work to fly around the entire world in one night and get the right presents to the right kids,
04:44 and it's definitely not a job for a pumpkin king having a midlife crisis.
04:48 "The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her.
04:53 She's the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum."
04:57 Fortunately, Ed Ivory's Santa knows what he's doing.
05:00 As soon as Jack sets him free from Oogie Boogie's creepy lair,
05:03 he gets to work saving Christmas.
05:05 "Happy Halloween!"
05:08 "Merry Christmas!"
05:11 Number 5. Alec Baldwin - Rise of the Guardians
05:15 This isn't your typical jolly old Santa.
05:17 Nicholas St. North is Russian.
05:19 He has tattoos. He carries a pair of swords.
05:22 "Can it be?"
05:25 "Dingle, make preparations. You're going to have company."
05:30 As the Guardian of Wonder, he spreads joy through his incredible toys,
05:34 which are built by the Yetis, not the elves, who work at the North Pole.
05:38 He's also responsible for protecting children all over the world,
05:41 along with his fellow Guardians, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and eventually Jack Frost.
05:47 "Hey, there he is. Jack Frost!"
05:51 Baldwin's version of the iconic character is brave, tough in a fight, and has an epic sleigh.
05:57 Suffice it to say, he stands out from your standard Santa.
06:00 Of course, that's exactly why he's so memorable.
06:03 We certainly wouldn't want to get on North's naughty list.
06:06 [Santa laughing]
06:11 Number 4. Kurt Russell - The Christmas Chronicles and The Christmas Chronicles 2
06:16 The Kris Kringle in this pair of Netflix original family comedies is a lot cooler than the one you're used to.
06:22 "Santa Claus is coming?" "Don't you tell me that I was Christmas, I'm pretty baby."
06:29 Sure, he delivers presents and eats cookies, but let's just say he's not the type to say "Ho, ho, ho."
06:35 "I don't go ho, ho, ho, that's a myth."
06:37 He's more like a rock star version of Santa, complete with spontaneous musical performances to get the Christmas spirit flowing.
06:44 Although he lives in a village in the North Pole populated by tiny elves, he still feels like a Saint Nick from modern times.
06:50 After all, he's Santa Claus with the charisma of Kurt Russell, and he still gets to be married to Goldie Hawn.
06:56 What more could you want?
06:58 "Well, bye."
07:00 Number 3. Ed Asner - Elf
07:06 For an actor well known for playing grumpy characters, the late Asner pulls off a surprisingly genuine and jolly Santa.
07:13 "Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, ho, ho, ho."
07:22 He only has a few scenes, but he manages to stand out in a movie full of memorable and hilarious characters.
07:28 Asner's Santa comes across as wise and realistic, yet not overly world-weary, and his encouraging words to Buddy the Elf seem totally sincere.
07:37 "Well, there are some things you should know. First off, you see gum on the street, leave it there. It's not free candy."
07:44 Plus, with his white hair, rosy cheeks, and shorter stature, he absolutely looks the part.
07:50 In fact, he's one of the most traditional and classic versions of Santa on our list, which we checked twice.
07:55 No wonder Buddy's so excited to see him.
07:58 "Santa! Oh my God! Santa here? I know him."
08:04 Number 2. Richard Attenborough - Miracle on 34th Street
08:08 This performance is good enough to make anyone who's lost their faith believe in Santa again.
08:13 "Tell me, Mr. Kringle, uh, do you believe that you are Santa Claus?"
08:18 "Would I be here if I didn't?"
08:20 After getting a department store Santa fired for being drunk, the true Kris Kringle is convinced to take his place at the last minute.
08:27 What follows is a magical journey that helps people regain their Christmas spirit.
08:31 "And the state of New York, by a similar demonstration of the collective faith of its people,
08:39 can accept and acknowledge that Santa Claus does exist, and he exists in the person of Kris Kringle."
08:49 Edmund Gwynne was the first person to take on this version of Santa in the original 1947 film,
08:54 and he brought Oscar-winning merriment and sincerity to the part.
08:58 The late Attenborough, for his part, projects such incredible warmth and kindness,
09:02 and seems truly invested in the children's happiness.
09:05 He's so good as Santa, how could you not believe?
09:08 "If you can't believe, if you can't accept anything on faith, then you're doomed for life."
09:19 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:23 David Huddleston - Santa Claus the Movie
09:26 This film is undeniably from the 80s, but its Santa is timeless.
09:30 "You really are Santa Claus, ain't you?"
09:33 "Yes, but I still don't know who you are."
09:36 Anna Kendrick - Noelle
09:38 Who says Santa has to be a man?
09:40 "Sorry, sorry, sorry. Go back to sleep, go back to sleep."
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10:02 Number 1. Tim Allen - The Santa Claus Franchise
10:06 For many kids who grew up in the 90s or aughts, Tim Allen's Scott Calvin is the definitive Santa Claus.
10:12 "What?"
10:13 "I want some ballet slippers."
10:18 The role is thrust on him when the previous passes away following an accident on Scott's roof.
10:23 Although it takes Scott a while to accept that he has indeed become Santa Claus, once he does, it's like he was born for it.
10:30 "Shh."
10:32 "You're father this year."
10:36 "Thank you very much."
10:38 He not only begins to look the part, he finds himself filled with joy and enthusiasm for his new job.
10:43 The original 1994 film was such a hit that it spawned two sequels and a TV series,
10:48 keeping this iconic version of Santa alive for a whole new generation of kids.
10:53 "Once a year, I get to spread joy and magic to people everywhere.
10:58 But I couldn't do it without all of you, especially you two. Joy and magic."
11:02 Which movie Santa puts you in the holiday spirit? Let us know in the comments below.
11:07 "Give me the whip."
11:08 "You are intoxicated, sir."
11:10 "Yeah, and you are a pain in the butt. Now give me that whip."
11:12 "I'll tell you something, you are a disgrace."
11:14 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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11:23 [music]