<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $30--50 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $23.7 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Santa Claus: The Movie (known on - screen as simply Santa Claus) is a 1985 British - American Christmas film starring Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, and David Huddleston in the title role . It is the last major fantasy film produced by the Paris - based father - and - son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind . The film was directed by Jeannot Szwarc and released in North America on November 27, 1985, by TriStar Pictures . The 2005 DVD release was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment, now known as Starz Home Entertainment, under license from the film's current owner, StudioCanal; however, the current, 25th Anniversary home video release (which also now includes Blu - ray) is by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, again under StudioCanal's license . </P> <P> Santa Claus: The Movie is a straightforward attempt to explore the mysteries of Santa Claus with the key objective being to answer some of the basic questions many children have about the Santa mythos, such as how his reindeer fly, how he and his wife made it to the North Pole, and how he ascends chimneys, among other things . </P>

Who played santa in santa claus the movie