Santa '85 story
On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus accidentally trips a couple's burglar alarm and is arrested by cynical sheriff Horace Smyvie, locked in a prison cell with a trio of drunks dressed like him. With no one believing Santa's claims of who he is, it falls to Bobby Mynes, the 8-year-old son of the couple who had him arrested, to save Christmas by busting Santa out and/or restoring Horace's Christmas spirit. Directed by: Phil Joanou. Story by: Steven Spielberg, Joshua Brand & John Falsey.
13 total · 1 choice · 8 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Claus | choice | The story posits that Santa Claus got arrested and couldn't complete his traditional Christmas Eve job. |
| childhood trauma | major | In 1933, as an orphan, Sheriff Horace Smyvie wrote to Santa asking for a Buck Roger's ray gun for Christmas. Horace's request was overlooked by Santa, in spite of Horace having been a good boy that year. The experience had left Horace a cold-hearted and cynical man in his adult life. |
| Christmas traditions | major | Santa Claus, who had lost touch with the modern world, was hampered in his efforts to complete his round-the-world present delivery run on the night of Christmas Eve 1985. |
| coping with time passing you by | major | Santa was hopelessly behind the times. For example, he was caught off guard by a newfangled invention known as a burglar alarm. |
| cruelty | major | Sheriff Smyvie was hard of heart and showed a marked lack of sympathy for the Santas he'd arrested on the night of Christmas Eve. The story concluded with mean and cynical Sheriff Smyvie's heart being touched when he received a Buck Roger's ray gun from Santa. Filled with the Christmas spirit, he joined a group of carolers and accompanied them as they sang door to door. |
| human characters in contrast | major | Sheriff Smyvie was mean-spirited and cynical by contrast with Santa and Deputy Weatherby who were brimming with Christmas cheer. |
| human childhood | major | Eight year old Bobby Mynes experienced a Christmas Eve to remember when he single-handedly broke Santa out of the local jail. |
| kindness | major | A simple act of kindness by Santa changed Sheriff Smyvie from nasty to nice. |
| law enforcement | major | The local police arrested Santa Claus at gunpoint and locked him up in the drunk tank together with a trio of mall Santas. The story concluded with a mean-spirited sheriff receiving a Christmas present from Santa and turning nice. |
| burglary | minor | Santa was arrested for burgling the Mynes' house. |