Confirmed: Disney Replaces Tim Allen as Santa Claus

Actor Tim Allen has officially been replaced in his Disney role as Santa Claus.

Tim Allen has had quite a career in his collaborations with The Walt Disney Company. One of Tim Allen’s most iconic contributions to Disney’s legacy is his portrayal of Buzz Lightyear in the groundbreaking animated film Toy Story (1995). As the voice behind the space ranger action figure, Allen brought to life a character who believed he was a real space hero. This collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Disney marked a turning point in animation history and helped solidify Allen’s status as a Disney icon. His voice acting was met with widespread acclaim, and the success of Toy Story paved the way for a beloved franchise.

The Toy Story franchise continued to thrive, with Tim Allen reprising his role as Buzz Lightyear in subsequent films, including Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019). Just recently, Disney announced that it would be making a Toy Story 5 after the failed Pixar Lightyear (2022) experiment, and it has been reported that Allen will reprise his role for what will likely be the final film in the franchise.

In addition to his animated endeavors, Tim Allen enjoyed a successful run on Disney-owned ABC with the sitcom Home Improvement (1991-1999). Here, he portrayed Tim Taylor, a lovable but accident-prone family man who hosted a home improvement television show. Home Improvement was a ratings success and contributed significantly to Disney’s presence on the small screen.

Beyond animation and sitcoms, Allen is most popularly known for venturing into live-action comedy with the Disney film The Santa Clause (1994), where he played Scott Calvin, a man who inadvertently becomes Santa Claus. The film’s success led to two sequels, The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), as well as Disney+ series, titled The Santa Clauses, establishing Allen as a beloved figure in the holiday film genre.

Ever since The Santa Clause‘s release in 1994, the version that Tim Allen has played has continued to be seen as the “real version” of Santa Claus by so many fans. The trilogy of movies has become “must-watch” films each and every Holiday season, as they played a major impact on the role of Disney and how its fans view the Holiday season.

Now, Disney has announced a major new film in which we’ll see Santa Claus return, but it won’t be Tim Allen. The Naughty Nine, which is set to be released on Disney+ and the Disney Channel, will see Danny Glover take over the role of Santa Claus in a film with an interesting plot.

First reported by Deadline, In The Naughty Nine, mischievous fifth grader Andy (Winslow Fegley) finds himself without a present from Santa on Christmas morning. Realizing he must have landed on the “naughty list” and feeling unfairly maligned, Andy pulls together a team of eight other naughty listers to help him execute an elaborate heist in Santa’s Village at the North Pole to get the presents they feel they deserve. Along the way, the group comes to realize that the very best way off the naughty list is to redirect their unique talents for good ― instead of mischief. You can see the full trailer for the movie below:

Danny Glover has achieved worldwide recognition for his roles in several iconic films, with one of his most notable appearances being as Detective Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon (1987) and its sequels, where his charismatic partnership with Mel Gibson became a hallmark of action-comedy cinema. Glover’s talent and versatility shine through in other memorable works such as The Color Purple (1985), where he delivered a powerful performance alongside an ensemble cast, and in the thought-provoking Predator 2 (1990), showcasing his ability to excel in both drama and action genres.

The Naughty Nine will debut on November 22 at 8 p.m. ET on the Disney Channel and on Thanksgiving Day on the Disney+ streaming platform.

While Tim Allen’s The Santa Clauses Season 2 will also premiere on Disney+ this Holiday season, it is interesting to see Disney begin to move away from its traditional set of movies and established brands, particularly with Santa Claus. Over the course of nearly 30 years, there have been just a handful of times that Disney has presented a Christmas film where Santa Claus was heavily portrayed, and it was not Tim Allen.

This movie marks one of the first times in quite a while that a new figure will play the role of Saint Nicholas in a Disney-branded production. We know that Disney is looking toward the future in a lot of areas– including its Holiday genre– and it very well could be possible that it turns to Danny Glover to become the face and icon of its company model of Santa Claus moving forward, just as it has done with Tim Allen for more than 20 years.

For those who want to see Tim Allen’s version of Santa Claus, the good news is that you’ll have that opportunity as well. The second season of the television show, The Santa Clauses, will premiere on Wednesday, November 8, on Disney+, with new episodes weekly. The new season will have six episodes in total.

What do you think could be the next collaboration between Tim Allen and Disney? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!