Santa Claus: The Movie is more than 30 years old, released back in 1985 and starring Dudley Moore, John Lithgow and David Huddleston. It was a flop at launch but is now one of our favourite films for the festive season.
SC:TM chronicles the origins of Santa Claus and his wife Anya, and explains the mysteries of Father Christmas – such as how reindeer fly – to curious kids. It also sees Santa Claus take on one of his own elves, who is scheming to take over the toy-making. Here’s how to watch Santa Claus: The Movie.
Stream Santa Claus: The Movie in the UK
If you’re looking to stream Santa Claus: The Movie in the UK, you’re in luck. It’s available to watch on Sky’s Now streaming service (previously Now TV).
To access it, you’ll need to sign up for a Cinema membership, where it’s one of over 1000 films available. This costs £7.99 per month, although you can cancel at any time. However, you can also currently bundle it with the Entertainment membership for £11.98 per month for the first four months. That’s a 40% saving, after which it’ll return to its usual £19.98 per month price.
Both these options get you 720p quality on just 1 device at a time, with stereo speakers and occasional ads. For an extra £5 per month, you can watch on up to 3 devices simultaneously at 1080p, with Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and no ads.
Check out the full range of options on the Now website, where there’s a 7-day free trial available to all new customers.
If you already have a Sky TV package that includes Sky Cinema, you’ll already have access. The Polar Express is available to watch via the Sky Go app, available across all your devices.
Stream Santa Claus: The Movie in the US
In the US, the obvious place to watch Santa Claus: The Movie is on NBC’s Peacock+ streaming service.
If you’re happy with 5 minutes of adverts every hour, you can watch the movie completely free of charge. For access to additional content, including live sports and every movie, you’ll need to pay $4.99 per month. No ads and access the full lineup of content, costs $9.99 per month. Both paid plans offer a 7-day free trial for new customers.
Check out the full range of subscriptions on the Peacock+ website.
The movie is also available on AMC+, which can be added as a channel to Prime Video or Roku. It usually costs $8.99 per month, but you can currently get 12 months for $1.99 a month when you pay annually.
Buy Santa Claus: The Movie on DVD/Blu-ray
Santa Claus: The Movie is available from Amazon UK on Blu-ray for £4.75 and £1.90 on DVD. From Amazon US, you can get it for $8.62 on Blu-ray and $3.99 on DVD.
Rent Santa Claus: The Movie on DVD
Santa Claus: The Movie is also available via DVD rental subscription service, Cinema Paradiso – sign up here for a free trial.
Buy or rent Santa Claus: The Movie in digital format
If you’re not in the market for a physical copy of Santa Claus: The Movie, your best alternative is to find it in digital form. That way nothing can get scratched or broken and it’ll also be playable on your mobile devices. It isn’t available to rent online, but in the US it’s available from the likes of Apple TV (iTunes), Amazon and Microsoft (all $3.99).
It’s cheapest to buy at Amazon or Apple TV (both £3.99/$3.99). However, it’s also available from the likes of Google Play Movies and YouTube (both £5.99/$9.99).
Also see: Best Christmas movies ever – the ultimate list of the best Christmas films
Author: Marie Black, Editorial Director
Marie is Editorial Director at Foundry. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she's worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our EMEA and LatAm editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry's transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.