Christmas Day is fast approaching, and with Santa set to start making his rounds, there's no better way to pass the time than by watching a festive movie. There have been dozens of TV and movie Santas over the decades, but which one is the most believable?
A new study surveyed 5,700 children from around the world, with a pool of 100 respondents in 57 countries, to answer that exact question. According to children, the most believable movie Santa is Richard Attenborough in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street, with 76 per cent of children voting for Kris Kringle.
For those of you may not have seen the film (there's still lots of time to watch it before Christmas Day!) Richard Attenborough played the kindly Kris in the 1994 remake of the original 1947 film, which is also titled Miracle on 34th Street.
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Mara Wilson, who starred in Matilda two years after this film came out, plays six-year-old Susan Walker, who no longer believes in Santa Claus. After she meets a department store Santa, played by Richard Attenborough, who is convinced he is the real thing, her mother Dorey (Elizabeth Perkins) and her mother's boyfriend Bryan (Dylan McDermott) must prove to the world that he is the real Santa.
It's no wonder a Santa who must convince everyone he is the real Santa is also the most believable Santa!
Edward Asner's stint as Santa in the 2003 Christmas comedy Elf is in second place with 64 percent worldwide votes from children, the study by experts at OnBuy.com found. In third place with 58 per cent is Tim Allen, who portrayed Saint Nicholas in The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
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In Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles, Kurt Russell dons the famous red and white Santa suit. He received 51 per cent of votes and landed in fourth place.
The other movie Santas in the top 10 includes James Cosmo in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (47 per cent), Jim Broadbent in Get Santa (36 per cent), Edmund Gwenn in the original Miracle on 34th Street (32 per cent), Paul Giamatti in Fred Claus (29 per cent) and Leslie Nielsen in All I Want For Christmas (18 per cent).
Unfortunately, the least believable movie Santa according to the children polled is David Huddleston in Santa Claus: The Movie. He only convinced 18 per cent of children worldwide.
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Who else feels like watching Miracle on 34th Street right now?!
Featured Image Credit: 20th Century FoxTopics: Christmas, TV and Film, Nostalgia