Disney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ a classic retelling of Dickens
story
– with 3D effects
Charles Dickens first came up with the story of a miserly old
man being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, all with hopes
that he would change his greedy ways just in time for Christmas
Day, back in 1843. And ever since, others have been adapting the
story, often for TV and the big screen.
Disney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ a classic retelling of Dickens story – with 3D effects
Charles Dickens first came up with the story of a miserly old man being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, all with hopes that he would change his greedy ways just in time for Christmas Day, back in 1843. And ever since, others have been adapting the story, often for TV and the big screen.
Dozens of movies have been made based upon the story – some follow Dickens’ to a T, and others interpret the basic concept loosely. Here is a round up of movies inspired by the classic Christmas tale.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
The latest version of Dickens’ tale to be released is Disney’s “A Christmas Carol,” which is a classic retelling of the story – except for the 3-D effects. The movie is animated, but some viewers may find the distinct resemblance the characters have to the voice actors a bit distracting. For instance, Colin Firth plays Scrooge’s nephew Fred and it was a bit odd to see an animated character who looked so much like Firth moving around on screen.
Jim Carrey voiced Scrooge as well as the ghosts of Christmas, but his English accent was not very good compared to the other voice actors, many who actually are British. The main reason to see the film is not the story telling, since its one that has been seen and heard many times before, but for the visual effects. As a 3-D movie, some scenes feel a little bit like a Disney ride such as Star Tours, as the camera view flies through the air above the buildings of Victorian-era London. Many of the scenes, in fact, take viewers flying through the air with Scrooge as he is whisked to Christmases past and present.
The one downfall of most 3-D movies is that the experience makes movie viewers hyperaware that they are watching a movie. This was one of those 3-D movies where I never quite got lost in it – I was, in fact, especially aware of the heavy 3-D glasses across the bridge of my nose.
The movie does have some dark scenes that may be scary for small children, so those with kids under the age of 6 may prefer to seek out another Disney classic for little ones.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
This Disney retelling puts Disney characters in all of Dickens’ roles and it is available on DVD. It will also likely be played a bunch of times on the Disney channel as the holiday season starts.
In this 1983 cartoon, the miserly old man takes the shape of Scrooge McDuck (voiced by Alan Young). Mickey Mouse, of course, is the sweet and hard-working Bob Cratchit (voiced by Wayne Allwine). Other Disney characters to play parts include Goofy as Jacob Marley, Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Daisy as Belle and Donald Duck as nephew Fred. This animated story sticks pretty close to Dickens story, even though it has all those Disney characters in it.
Scrooged
My personal favorite take on “A Christmas Carol” is 1988’s “Scrooged,” starring Bill Murray. The comedy takes Dickens’ tale and updates it for the 1980s when it was released.
Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a cynical TV executive who expects all his employees to work on Christmas producing a holiday special. Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodard) is a single mom who really wants to spend the special day with her kids, but Frank won’t allow it.
The Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen) reminds Frank of what a miserable childhood he had, which led to his cynical and selfish behavior. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) shows him what Grace is missing out on by working on the holiday. As in other remakes of the story, the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him the lonely death that lies ahead of him if he doesn’t change his ways.
Though it is the same story, the updated telling and the comedy thrown in make the movie so funny it’s worth a watch during the holiday season.
The Family Man
Though some may agree this film is really a remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” I would agree that the selfish, money obsessed main character is straight out of Dickens. Nicolas Cage takes on the role of Jack Campbell in this 2000 movie that was released around the holidays about a wealthy investment broker who is so obsessed with his career he has little else in his life. That changes when he meets Cash (Don Cheadle), who seems to be an angel of sorts. He is given – or forced into – a chance to see how life could have been if he had taken a different path.
This movie doesn’t have any ghosts showing Jack the way, but instead he wakes up in a different life that allows him to see how things could have been. Jack wakes up one morning married to his college sweetheart Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni), with two children, a minivan and a house in the suburbs. He is out of sorts, at first, as the new life is so foreign to him. But eventually he starts to grow into his role as father and husband.
The movie is predictable, but it is a nice reminder for the holidays that a life filled with family and friends can be more meaningful than one filled with money.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
This film directed by Mark Waters takes the classic Dickens tale, but puts a romantic comedy twist on it. Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is a fashion photographer and a ladies man who seems unable to commit. When he arrives home for his younger brother’s wedding, he is visited by three ghosts – the ghost of girlfriends past, present and future.
As with Scrooge, Connor is forced to reevaluate his life, especially his relationship with former best friend Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner). Even with a classic story as its basis, the movie is mediocre, at best.
But with all the remakes and adaptations through the years, there are bound to be some good and some bad. And there is likely to be something for everyone in the mix.
