Better watch out! The big guy in red is coming to town once again. This time, Scott Calvin -- also known as Santa Claus -- finds out there's an obscure clause in his contract requiring him to take on a wife. He has to leave the North Pole to fulfill his obligations, or else he'll be forced to give up his Yuletide gig.
The scenes in which Fake Santa torments the elves with a toy soldier army are twisted enough to make it worth sticking around through the mawkish courtship.
– Ben Kenigsberg,
Village Voice,
12 Nov 2002
rotten:
The Santa Clause 2 is a barely adequate babysitter for older kids, but I've got to give it thumbs down.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
5 Nov 2002
rotten:
A bloated, prefab sequel that gets stuck in the chimney.
– Robert Denerstein,
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
2 Nov 2002
rotten:
Has less charm than coal in a stocking.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
1 Nov 2002
rotten:
A movie conscious, at every waking moment, of trying to out-do its predecessor.