The Magic Dimension

Los Angeles Family November 2002

Tim Allen on Fatherhood, Santa Claus and Yuletide Physics.

When Tim Allen first stepped into Santa’s boots for The Santa Clause—one of 1994’s highest grossing films—it just went to show how a new take on a classic tale can capture our imagination. This month Disney releases Santa Clause 2, introducing a new cast of elves and yet another “clause”: Santa must find a wife.

Allen, starring again as the not-always-so-jolly Santa, says the sequel is “exactly what you want at this time of year.” After an eight-year hiatus from the costume, Allen says he was reminded of the not-so-fun aspect of the role: there’s a lot of make-up, prostheses, and wardrobe under that big red suit!

The Santa Clause was Allen’s first film after years of success on TV’s Home improvement. Since then, his credits include starring roles in Galaxy Quest, Big Trouble, Joe Somebody, Jungle to Jungle, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2. Santa, though, is perhaps his most enduring role, and one he seems well-suited for.

The audience gets a completely new adventure in The Santa Clause 2. Expect to see more of the film focused on the magical North Pole. According to Allen, the set, sound and lighting together make this a “great big movie.” Audiences can look forward to a new reindeer, by the name of Chet, joining the team. There are about 200 children in the film, some playing children and some elves. The elf Bernard returns, but all the other actors who played elves in the first film (including Judy, the elf who finally perfected her hot cocoa recipe after 1200 years) have grown up, making was for a new crop of young actors to portray the North Pole staffers.

Stand-up to Film

Tim Allen started out as a stand up comedian, the “guys with tools” material of which formed the basis for Home Improvement. While he’s known to millions of children for his role as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story films, he says his favorite part of entertaining is doing his comic stage act.

“I love to entertain people, and without exception I make work fun,” he says.

Although his original routine was not family oriented, today much of his work focuses on family entertainment.

“We make and design projects to put a smile in your heart,” he says with a laugh and an acknowledgment that since he loves what he does, audiences seem to love it too.

“It’s a win-win situation,” he says.

Allen’s work in film has been a bit of a mixed bag, with critical and commercial highs (The Santa Clause, Toy Story, Galaxy Quest) offset by some lows (Jungle2Jungle, Joe Somebody). It’s not enough to make him long for his TV days, however.

“It’s a challenge beyond belief to make a comedy everyone can enjoy,” he says of series television. He’d be more likely to go back down the Toy Story road, should the opportunity present itself with a third movie.

So, is Allen the actor more like Buzz or more like Santa? He confesses he’s more like Buzz.

“Santa Clause is such a kind man,” he says. “He never judges and has his heart in the right place.”

Santa is the kind of man, Allen says, we aspire to be like. Very few of us, however, ever achieve Santa’s genuine goodness.

But, you don’t have to be a saint to be a good dad. Despite his busy schedule, Allen is an attentive father to his 12-year-old daughter, Kady. They both like to draw and sing, and they have an art studio in his house where they paint and draw together, as well as a photo lab. Kady loves photography, both digital and film, and the two of them attend a pottery class together.

It may seem a radically different kind of childhood from what Allen experienced, coming from a large family of nine (seven boys two girls), but he says he isn’t really sure how Kady’s childhood differs from his. Even though there were a lot of siblings with whom to share his parents, he knows he received enough attention from them.

His focus is more on Kady’s development, and he says he’s amazed at her grown-up speaking skills and ability to relate well to adults.

Allen’s philosophy is to set goals and branch out with different experiences. That is what he imparts on Kady, saying that if she keeps trying new things, eventually she will find exactly what she likes to do. Although, from listening to the activities they share, such as arts and sports, Kady already knows what she likes.

Allen certainly does a good job of leading by example in the trying-new-things department. Beyond his performing career, he also has his own line of “signature tools” and “signature stuff”, the profits from which he donates, in true Santa fashion, to children’s educational charities. His line of Tim Allen Signature Stuff consists of quality toys, tools and educational gifts to promote interaction between parents and their kids as well as provide fun and interesting activities for both. The website www.timallentools.com has all the information about the “tools” and stuff.”

Allen is also a car enthusiast, and has a company called Tim Allen Design, or TAD for short. He developed this company so he could create vehicle prototypes. “I’m a design freak,” he proudly professes. He has worked on a Cadillac Deville DTSi with a slightly modified exterior than the stock car, and envisions other projects with Cadillac for some hot-rod Caddys.

Along with cars, tools, acting and comedy, Allen is also a best-selling author, having penned I’m Not Really Here I and Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man. He says he’s “always planning on another book,” and keeping copious notes.

It’s difficult to imagine how Allen crams it all in. Like Santa Claus himself, the actor seems to have a unique ability to do a lot in a short space of time. With shades of the philosophical ramblings found in I’m Not Really Here, Allen explains Santa’s ability to deliver all his packages in one night by using an alternate dimension.

“It’s a time continuum,” he says. “There is a negative spin. Molecular particles don’t spin so time stands still in the fourth - or magic- dimension.”

And that, Allen says, is how Santa is able to get so much done in one night. It might also explain how this 49-year-old packs several lifetime’s worth of activity into one trip around: He’s tapped into the Magic Dimension.

Santa Clause 2 opens in theaters everywhere Nov. 1.

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