Movie Review: Disney’s A Christmas Carol

This movie was released about a month ago, and we saw it about three weeks ago, so I’m sorry I’m just getting a review up now.  I am so unaccustomed of late to actually going to the theater to see movies that I think I forgot I saw it and then forgot to review it here for you.  But, since we’re still in the Christmas season and some of you may actually be looking for a Christmas flick to see with your families, I thought it would still be applicable for review, so here we go….

Brief synopsis (w/ no spoilers….I promise!):  I hardly think it’s necessary to summarize A Christmas Carol.  We all know the story, right?  Well, Disney didn’t compromise the original much.  The clever dialogue and traditional story are all there.  Of course, there were a few theatrical changes, mostly to add some oomph for the 3-D version, I think, but they don’t interfere with the spirit (no pun intended) of Mr. Dicken’s original message. 

Why we went to see it:  I don’t know what it is about this story exactly, but I simply can’t resist any version of A Christmas Carol.  When I heard that Jim Carrey was going to be Scrooge, I thought about skipping this one though.  He’s sort of hit-or-miss for me.  After I realized this was animated, and he was just voicing the character, that made it more palatable.  I was trying to find a movie to go see for Big D’s 40th birthday celebration that would be good for the whole family, and this was the only one that fit the bill that particular weekend.

Why you might want to see it:  Despite the fact that you have probably seen ten different versions of this classic story, this is a good rendition.  We opted not to see the 3-D version, but I can imagine that it might have been worth it too.  First of all, the animation is amazing.  You almost forget that the people are not real until they do double back flips in the dancing scene or go flying out over London hanging onto a ghostly friend.  The voice acting is all good too.  I already mentioned Jim Carrey, but other notable voices belong to Colin Firth (just how can you go wrong with Mr. Darcy himself???), Robin Wright Penn and Gary Oldman.

Why you might not want to see it:  I guess if you’ve never been fond of this story in the first place, this version doesn’t do enough differently to endear you to it.  Despite all of its bells and whistles, it is still just A Christmas Carol.  Some sensitive youngsters might be scared.  The Marley scene in the beginning was one of the creepier ones I’ve seen.

Will you die if you don’t see it?:  No, definitely not.  However, there are a few scenes from this one that will just look and feel better on the big screen.

A good substitute:  Your favorite version of this story will definitely suffice.  My favorite is still The Muppet’s Christmas Carol…and yes, I’m serious.  It maintains the integrity of the original story with some zany, offbeat humor, and Michael Caine justs kills as Scrooge.  I also like the George C. Scott version, which, of course, is more traditional.

Overall, if you’re planning on seeing a Christmas movie in the theaters this season, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this one!