The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause: Bevies of Beauties All Under Four Feet Tall and a Baby Claus

"What's wholesome?" Asia and Courtney asked at the same time. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is indeed wholesome. A bevy of beauties all under four feet tall who are dressed as elves and are as busy as bakers--indeed, some of them are bakers--deck the Big Screen with smiles and cheer. Wholesome is the look in their eyes: happy and relaxed.

Tim Allen and Martin Short bring out the best in each other in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, directed by Michael Lembeck (Santa Clause 2 and "Friends" and "Veronica's Closet"). Allen and Short are like peanut butter and chocolate, like toffee and almonds, like apples and cinnamon. The Santa Clause 3 is far and away superior to Tim Allen's earlier effort, The Shaggy Dog, which was an important movie to see, but not all that well done (especially not the directing and casting).

TheSanta Clause 3 is also far better than The Santa Clause 2. Though The Santa Claude 3 is the perfect follow-up to The Santa Clause 2, the former has a trendily edgy conflict and dilemma (the son gone a bit hostile to school authority two weeks before Christmas when Santa has his hands full with production problems), while the latter, The Santa Clause 3, has a more endearing, though no less valid, conflict and dilemma. It is this advantageous (might I add wise) change in tone that permits The Santa Clause 3 to be a refreshing, soul-enriching, wholesome delight. And Tim Allen and Martin Short are delicious together as the slightly error-prone hero and definitely havoc-prone villain.

The North Pole bursts into activity as Santa Claus (Tim Allen) wheels a very pregnant Mrs. Claus (Elizabeth Mitchell), who is laying on top of a toy trolley, to the emergency entrance of the Infirmary with the whole village running along behind, all expectantly expecting the delivery of a Baby Claus. This establishes the core of the dilemma that faces Santa this Christmas: two deliveries are due at about the same time. Those two deliveries being, of course, Baby Claus and Santa's presents to children around the world. And neither delivery can be kept waiting when the time is due.

In the midst of the opening hub-bub of The Santa Clause 3, Mother Nature calls an emergency meeting (though not in the Infirmary) of the Council of Legendary Figures. We've met them before, and it's nice to have them back: Mother Nature, Father Time, Sand Man, Tooth Fairy, Cupid, Easter Bunny...and this time, Jack Frost (Martin Short)...and he isn't happy. And...he is bound and chillingly determined to give Santa a conflict he won't forget.

Of all the good things about The Santa Clause 3, which include the return of the gorgeous set (Richard Holland)--love the windows--which looks even more glistening than before; the cinematographic techniques (Robbie Greenberg), like when Santa first realizes the import of his dilemma and the camera produces a visual echo-like effect; and the enchanting appearance of Ann Margaret as Sylvia Newman--in all this--the children are indisputably the very best part of The Santa Clause 3, even upstaging Mr. Allen and Mr. Short. So many children and all so happy-eyed and smiling with peaceful little faces (and I hope they all are, in reality, as content as they appearer to be). And, I am happy, myself, that the happy effect was not spoiled by the inclusion of Billy Crystalesque lines of sarcastic witticisms to be spoken by the children's characters.

There was only one such line that I noticed--and it, in and of itself, was too much (Billy Crystalisms are very funny...when coming from Billy Crystal...). Only one bit of acting strikes a false note and that was the Head Elf Curtis (Spencer Breslin), whom we met in The Santa Clause 2 and who has grown up and become the Number 1 Elf. He seems to be overacting a bit, doesn't he? Then again, I have heard that Elves are particularly high strung and given to over-excitability, so maybe Curtis is only feeling the pressure of the Christmas rush: Let this be a lesson to all of us.

When I spoke with Asia, her friend Courtney and her mom Laura after the movie, Courtney, whom Asia kindly let speak first, said The Santa Clause 3 is "interesting" and that she would want her own Mom and her other friends to see it, too. She also had many questions inspired by The Santa Clause 3, like is it true? and where was the petting zoo? and why was Jack Frost blue? Very good "Google it!" questions. I asked Asia's mom Laura if she thought The Santa Clause 3 was a laugh-out-loud or a smile-all-the-time movie and she said, "I laughed out loud...The Santa Clause 3 by saying that she "liked it a lot" and it was "interesting and funny" and that she'd want "a lot of other people to see it, too."

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is all about the children and the last shot shows a close-up little Baby Claus sporting a spontaneous expression that reveals him--and, by extension, all his fellow peers--to be wise beyond his years. And after all, it is one of the little children, Lucy, being played again by lovely Liliana Mumy, who--with her big, relaxed blue eyes--is instrumental in helping Santa out of his dilemma Do you want to see Santa 3? The 4:10? Or the 9:45?

Because of the acting in some of the secondary roles (little things add up), The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause rates 4 Glisteningly Colorful and Wonderful Stars. Do see it.