What if the definitive Santa Claus origin story cost $50 million, involved corporate sabotage, exploding candy canes, and John Lithgow turning Christmas into a hostile takeover?

This week on Rewind or Die, we revisit Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) — the ambitious, baffling, and strangely sincere holiday epic that tried to turn Santa into a full-blown blockbuster myth.

We break down how the producers of Superman: The Movie traded capes for candy canes, why this film feels like six movies duct-taped together, and how a Santa origin story somehow became a Reagan-era corporate thriller. From Dudley Moore’s elf tech startup to Lithgow’s all-time villain performance, from the North Pole’s questionable HR policies to the candy-powered final chase, nothing is spared.