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In the first "Santa Clause," released in 1994, Tim Allen played a toy executive who suddenly finds himself filling in permanently for the big guy in red after a mortal fall from a rooftop on Christmas Eve. The concept was new in spite of some familiarity, the actor was willing to do whatever it took to make it work, and while the movie was a bit slow in places, it got the job done. ***

And now we have "The Santa Clause 2," the film I consider to be the first since the splendid 1994 remake of "Miracle on 34th Street" to put the twinkle back in Santa's eye, and boy, does it sparkle! Sure, the film has "family" written all over it, but this year has seen some extremely high-quality bonding-time flicks ("Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" and "Ice Age" come to mind), and this one is no exception. In fact, the sheer playful joy of the material, in addition to the awe-inspiring wonderment of the film's appearance, not only take it a step above its predecessor, but earn it a place along the likes of some of the best holiday treasures around. ***

Once again, Allen reprises one of his more memorable roles as Santa Claus, A.K.A. Scott Calvin, who now resides at the North Pole, where he oversees the elves' production of vast amounts of toys and goodies while simultaneously thwarting unsuspecting aircraft from detecting their presence beneath the ice. If you think the initial reveal of Santa's workshop in the original was a wow, you haven't seen anything yet. The production designers for the film have really outdone themselves, upping the ante in bringing Santa's workshop to life through a visceral array of striking colors and intricately-detailed sets and costumes that are bright, bubbly, and always working to enhance the atmosphere of fun. ***

The wrench in the works this time around concerns the Mrs. Clause, requiring that Santa must find a wife before the next Christmas Eve arrives; otherwise, he can no longer be Santa, no presents will be delivered, and Christmas will disappear forever. Luckily enough, his son Charlie (reprised by Eric Lloyd) has come into some trouble with his school principal, Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell of "Frequency"), providing Santa/Scott a reason to return to his hometown, pay a visit to his ex-wife Laura and her psych husband Neil (also played by returning participants Wendy Crewson and Judge Reinhold), and try to locate a suitable candidate for his life partner. ***

For the most part, the first half hour or so raises skepticism, as it tends to be a bit draggy and lacking in laughs. But once Santa/Scott's search for a wife is coupled with a subplot involving a Toy Santa that begins wreaking havoc at the North Pole as a result of a sugar high from "3 gallons of cocoa," the comedy picks up at a surprisingly alarming rate. For some reason I found myself laughing more at this film than the previous one, and I can't exactly pinpoint why. But why bother rehashing the past, when there's so much to talk about with this movie? ***

The crowning achievement of this installment is Allen himself, who dons the big red suit, the long white beard, the rosy cheeks and the dapper charisma of Santa Claus as if he were the big guy himself. This is a far cry from the annals of movies like "Big Trouble;" whereas that movie requires a straight face, this affords him the opportunity to just have fun with his surroundings, and everything he comes into contact with just shines. His camaraderie of elves and their daily habits of making toys and fumbling with new ideas provides a whole new light on the many imaginations of Santa's famed workshop, and the result is simply amazing. ***

Much of this initial joy spills over into the rest of the picture, which is as heartwarming and amusing as any holiday film could be. The budding romance between Santa and Carol may be run-of-the-mill, but it takes actors like Allen and Mitchell to pull it off, and their chemistry is convincing and likeable. A scene which takes place at a school faculty Christmas party is simply bursting with uplifting joy, and the film's climax involving a war between toy soldiers and the elves is full of energy and plain, old-fashioned movie magic. And how about those reindeer, huh? ***

When you look back on it, "The Santa Clause 2" doesn't break new ground, doesn't define a generation or spark a new wave of moviemaking, but since when does it need to? This is the sort of movie you smile at and remember with that same smile still grazing your face, and perhaps one of the best Christmas gifts to hit the silver screen in years.

The 1.85:1 anamorphic image for "The Santa Clause 2" is one of Disney's better days in terms of live-action transfers. Seeing the film on the big screen was a marvel of color splashes and enchanting special effects, all of which are captured very nicely here. Saturation is exquisite, with no bleeding or smearing, with accurate fleshtones and rich, solid blacks. Reds and blues are also extremely well-done. Contrast is excellent throughout, and shadow detail is flawless and in top form. Clarity does its best to bring out every detail of set and costume design, with sharp edges that have a few halos here and there, but are otherwise crisp and well-rendered. The source print is clean, and no film grain is present, making this one very well-done transfer. ***

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is an even more exciting experience, with lots of creativity and aggressive moments that will have you smiling. The first thing I want to comment on is imaging, which this track is just ripe with, and from which it benefits immensely. Be it Santa's sleigh flying from one corner of the soundfield to the next, or the toy Santa walking a complete circle throughout the toy shop, this has got to be one of the better, more cleaner examples of directionalization I've heard in a long time. The sound effects are aggressive and full of oomph from the .1 LFE, while the score is majestic throughout, and dialogue perfectly natural and balanced in the mix. Excellent!