On July 26th, 2003, Ilya Salkind contacted me by phone (on my birthday, I might add), and uttered the latter quotation. He, like myself, was firmly devoted to taking those words seriously. We have tried here at KQ Beyond to do our utmost to raise public awareness about the Salkinds' legacy, leaving no stone unturned, no mystery unsolved. And, as always, it's still not enough. The constant thirst for more is, now that I look back on it, something that both Ilya Salkind and I are hopelessly devoted to sharing. As you know, we renamed ourselves KringleQuest.com Beyond because we believe that the news and information that we continue to bring you represents far much more than just Santa Claus: The Movie itself.
Having said that, we must once again ask ourselves where the road will take us next. This site has had its share of fans, detractors, and curious on-lookers. They've all wondered why I should need to take all this on in in the name of a 1985 Christmas movie that barely anybody saw. Barely anybody? Try telling that to Ilya. He knows the many people all over the world who have seen, and embraced, Santa Claus: The Movie --- because they understand its basic overall themes: naive innocence vs. bigtime greed; the constant ability of all human beings to love one another; the simple joy of giving of oneself and giving to others. But in 1985, all the critics ever whined about as far as Santa Claus: The Movie was concerned was the money.
Almost a quarter-century later, we've had time to think, and to reflect, and to change our minds. Now, the message has become the more pressing topic in terms of Santa Claus: The Movie. Post-Superman Returns, more information about the world of the Salkinds continues to resurface on the web, not only through these pages, but also Darmesh's Superman CINEMA and Scott Michael Bosco's Digital Cinema (both no longer active) and Alex Serpa's Superman Online Galleries, to name but a few.
And sadly, it will always be a bittersweet moment for such a resurfacing, because every March 8th, we will continue to observe the anniversary of the passing of Alexander Salkind. As I have done elsewhere on these pages, I have wondered what Alexander himself might have thought about the Internet, with its predatorial sites, its controversial blogs, its eclectic mini-movies, and the blurring of what television actually is. Still, it would be a great interest to share the Salkinds' legacy with the world all over again, and bring it alive for a new generation, one who never understood these things before --- and had to be told by others.
I admit at this juncture that I'm rambling on by now, but when Ilya Salkind calls you up on your birthday, how can else can you react but in a positive way? Believe me, hearing from this wonderful man was an experience I am going to cherish for the rest of my life. And even as I say that, I am reminded of how Rod Serling used to describe both sci-fi and fantasy: "....science fiction [is] the improbable made possible; fantasy, the impossible made probable." Then Rod wondered what would happen if you put sci-fi and fantasy together.
Well, if you're Ilya Salkind, it's a universe called The Ilya Salkind Company. True, some of the names and faces have changed, but the basic premise of the Company remains the same: to produce film and TV projects for audiences of all ages to embrace throughout the world ... and a few places the 28 Known Galaxies haven't even heard of! In my book, that's magic right there ..... and if that magic is worth covering and/or revealing to the world, we will be there to capture it for you. That's a promise. Because we don't take no for an answer ---- and we do our darndest to make everything possible!
So, it's not exactly making you believe a man, much less a reindeer, can fly ---- but there you go.