Steven Claus is the oldest son of Malcolm and Margaret Claus, the older brother of the main protagonist, Arthur, and the grandson of Grandsanta. He plays the role of the triantagonist in the holiday film Arthur Christmas, and is voiced by Hugh Laurie.
Steve has a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with the rest of his family. Grandsanta, who is firmly rooted in the belief that things were better back in his day, constantly disparages Steve and does not approve of the way that Christmas has changed under Steve's management, foregoing a lot of traditions in favour of efficiency. His father, the current Santa, takes a lot of credit for the smooth running of Christmas Night deliveries, when in actuality Steve is overseeing the entire operation from Mission Control with a highly efficient team of elves.
Although Steve loves his family, it's clear that this constant lack of recognition has damaged his relationship with them. He is egotistical and can be short-tempered, and has attempted to have Grandsanta's beloved antique sleigh destroyed. Grandsanta was able to prevent this by threatening the Elves tasked with removing the sleigh, and hiding it away in the old barn.
Steve is also shown to take some of this frustration at being overlooked out on his younger brother, Arthur, often dismissing him and treating him as an annoyance despite Arthur's admiration of him.
Steve’s approach to Christmas is somewhat non-traditional, and it is suggested that he is behind the much more modern face of Christmas preparations, having developed and implemented an incredibly efficient system of gift delivery which he runs as a highly organised military operation.
At the beginning of the film, Steve is the head of mission control with other elves and is helping Santa [Malcolm Claus], his father to complete the Christmas operation that Steve himself is mainly the brains behind. As Malcolm is a little slow on the study of technology and modern tools used to complete the Christmas deliveries, Steve is the one who helps him through the whole night; although Malcolm Claus takes most of the credit for his success.
As this is Malcolm Claus's seventieth Christmas mission (the traditional number of missions before handing the title of Santa to the next in line), Steve is fully prepared to step into the role of Santa, and fulfill his ambition. He is snubbed at the finish line, however, as Malcolm announces to everyone's surprise that he does not intend to retire.
Later in the film, Steve reaches a breaking point when his father attempts to slide the blame for an error (a missed delivery!) entirely onto Steve's shoulders. Fed up with a constant lack of recognition and reward for his achievements, Steve challenges Malcolm to solve the problem himself without his help, pointing out the necessary equipment (knowing that Malcom is hopeless in the face of technology) and leaving the control room singing Hosannah in Excelsis.
"...Right. Over there is Satellite Tracking, Navigation, Data Analysis - coffee machine's by the door. Goodnight, Santa."
He is later shown in his room circling job ads in the paper.
Although Steve is an extremely talented operations manager, it becomes clear that he lacks the most fundamentally necessary elements of a Santa: he doesn't like kids much, and he prioritizes efficiency over Christmas spirit.
He reluctantly recognizes this, and eventually agrees to hand the title of Santa to Arthur.
"...I'll be the candle."
Trivia[]
- Here are Steve's contact list on his HOHO: Santa Claus, Peter and The S1.
- Even though the whole North Pole Headquarters and the S1 is voiced by computer woman's voice; Steve is the only Claus who has the woman's computer voice in his bedroom. This could be because he uses his bedroom as a control hub so he can work while off the clock
- On the back of Steve's flashcards it shows the contents of each card:
- 1. What a surprise!
- 2. Humbled, moved ect.
- 3. New era.
- 4. Take over Easter
- Steve's appearance is similar to British celebrity Paul Hollywood.
- Reading the job section from the newspaper, Steve was either going to apply at the British railways or working at FedEx.
- At the age of 8, Steve wanted a pool table delivered to him by his father but, because he did not write a letter to Malcom, he never received it. This could be a clue that Steves resentment of his father and his obsession with receiving his recognition could stem from his feeling of being passed over as a child. In this way, he and Arthur Claus are more similar than they imagine.
- It is revealed during the rescue of Santa Claus, Steve has hacked highly secure military database to inform the HOHO's databanks.
- In all of the HOHOs, tablets and the S1 are voiced by Steve. But mostly for the GPS navigation system.
- Steve loves to drink espresso or espresso shots.
- Steve's Santa Claus suit resembles more of a business suit. Its Versace, babe.
- Wears his shoes in bed
Gallery[]
