Parents' Guide to

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Not better than the original, but still smiley holiday fare.

Movie PG 1994 114 minutes
Miracle on 34th Street (1994) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 6+

Based on 6 parent reviews

CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
December 11, 2018
age 6+
sequel is very good, there is some drinking with a short scene at a bar that shows a bunch of men drinking bottles of beer and talking in drunk voices. there is a short scene where it shows at the fair the drunk Santa's fall a couple times and once it shows his butt in front of a bunch of kids and parents and TV.

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1 person found this helpful.
Nick H.
Nick H. Parent of 5 and 8-year-old
November 27, 2022
age 4+

Curiously depressing, and disappointing

I’ve never been a fan of this (now) ‘American classic’. I wouldn’t be one that shies away from a deep or depressing Christmas film (It’s A Wonderful Life, for example). Mara Wilson is brilliant, but the other parental characters are strangely flat. And I’ve always found Attenboroughs portrayal completely unsympathetic. The mouth open smile is an odd characterisation, and at times pretty creepy. And not in a way that inappropriate, just in a way that a lot of Easter Bunnies can be creepy. If I saw his face gurning up at me from the parade near the beginning as an adult I’d run away. Very unfulfilling film, and just doesn’t hit the mark, for some unfathomable reason.
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What's the Story?

Like the original 1947 version, this film tells the story of a young girl (Mara Wilson) and her mother (Elizabeth Perkins) who do not believe in Santa Claus. When the mother, who works for Cole's department store, hires Kris Kringle (Richard Attenborough) to play Santa Claus in her store, their worlds change dramatically. Kringle insists he is the real Santa Claus and becomes the delight of shoppers when he begins to point them toward other stores that have sales on the gifts they want. This turns into a brilliant marketing scheme, angering the rival chain of stores. The rivals set out to first steal Kringle away from Cole's, and when they fail, they bait him into a fight. He ends up in a mental facility and then before a judge where his psychological stability is to be determined. The hearing ends up being about whether or not Santa Claus exists, which debates the concepts of faith, imagination, magic, generosity and childhood innocence.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (6):

This remake stays pretty true to the original and so contains all the sentimental elements that can be very enjoyable for children and adults. The Kringle character is appealing and the precocious child is funny and sweet. The other adults in the film are less appealing and the remake does little to improve upon the original. This version has a bit of a darker streak, too, delving deeper into the idea of corporate greed than the original.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Santa Claus and other magical figures. What do we believe about these figures and why? Do you think believing in things you can't see or prove is important? What other things do we believe in even though we can't see them?

  • What other tales about Santa Claus do you enjoy? How are they similar?

Movie Details

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