SCREEN IT! ARTISTIC REVIEW: DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL

"DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL"
(2009) (voices of Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman) (PG)
If you've come from our parental review of this film and wish to return to it, simply click on your browser's BACK button.
Otherwise, use the following link to read our complete Parental Review of this film.

QUICK TAKE:
Drama: A miserly, 19th century curmudgeon has his mindset and behavior challenged by a series of ghosts that show him his past, present and future.

PLOT:
It's the 1800s and Ebenezer Scrooge (voice of JIM CARREY) is a miserly curmudgeon who may be rich, but is all alone in his miserable life, be that interacting with his poorly paid clerk, Bob Cratchit (voice of GARY OLDMAN), or being annoyed at his own nephew, Fred (voice of COLIN FIRTH), inviting him over to a holiday dinner. Scrooge is so miserable that he hates any thoughts of Christmas or good will toward his fellow man, and thus only reluctantly gives Bob Christmas Day off.
Back at home by himself on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley (voice of GARY OLDMAN), his former business partner who died seven years ago and has since lived an afterlife of chained torment due to the way he treated people while alive. He warns Scrooge to avoid having the same fate befall him, and informs him that three spirits will visit him that night.
The first, the Ghost of Christmas Past (voice of JIM CARREY), takes Scrooge back into his past where he sees himself as a lonely child, but later as a generally joyous young man, especially when interacting with his fiancée, Belle (voice of ROBIN WRIGHT PENN). The Ghost of Christmas Present (voice of JIM CARREY) then shows Scrooge the current results of his miserly behavior toward others, particularly Bob and his family, including his disabled young son, Tiny Tim (voice of GARY OLDMAN).
That's followed by the far more ominous and hooded Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (voice of JIM CARREY) showing Scrooge his lonely future death. Armed with such knowledge, Scrooge decides to become a changed man before it's too late for him and others.

OUR TAKE: 5.5 out of 10
I have no idea what original story holds the record for the most subsequent adaptations, but if I were a betting person, I'd put my money on "A Christmas Carol" being somewhere up near the top of the list. First published in 1843, it's appeared in various mediums both as fairly faithful retellings as well as more imaginative updates, mostly on the big screen as well as TV.
The movies have been quite numerous, ranging from the hand-drawn animated version from 1997, Bill Murray playing the main character in "Scrooged," the 1970 musical with Albert Finney, the awful "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" from earlier this year and the more kid friendly "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Mickey's Christmas Carol" from years ago that featured Muppets and Walt Disney characters respectively in the various parts.
Accordingly, the dark tone of the original has been muted quite a bit, with many viewers now associating the title with family friendly fare. Considering the latest version is computer-animated, features the rubbery-faced Jim Carrey in multiple roles, and comes with the marketing might of Walt Disney Pictures, that opinion likely isn't going to change much as families head off to the multiplex for this holiday offering.
That is, until they actually sit down and start watching "Disney's A Christmas Carol" and realize that it's mostly gone back to the roots of Dickens' tale. Case in point, after the opening moments of a recent press screening, a woman from somewhere in the audience was overhead loudly asking, "This is supposed to be a kids movie?"
I'm guessing she wasn't familiar with the original version (or was fooled by the marketing that suggests something of a different experience than is delivered), as the film starts off dark (in tone and atmosphere as well as overall visual lighting) and only gets progressively darker from there (at least until the all-too-familiar ending).
Then there's the standard array of four ghosts (although only the first and last are genuinely creepy/spooky/scary), other creepy stuff, and the fact that despite the advances in computer graphics technology, the motion capture process used to turn the movements of real performers into animated characters still renders ones that have a weird, otherworldly aura about them, even if that's not the intention.
If that complaint sounds familiar, it's because it was also leveled against another holiday flick from a few years back, "The Polar Express" where the characters were somewhat real, but had had dead, doll-like eyes. That film was directed by Robert Zemeckis ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Forrest Gump," the "Back to the Future" films) who also helms this latest adaptation of the Dickens classic.
While some of the animated characters are rendered more realistically (most notably Scrooge modeled from Jim Carrey portraying him), some of the secondary and many of the miscellaneous ones still sport that artificial, plastic puppet look. I have no idea if that was purposefully done (to make the main ones stand out more), was a matter of budget concerns or what have you, but the disparate look ends up as a distraction (which wasn't as much of a problem in Zemeckis' action-oriented "Beowulf").
That, coupled with the usual feature of the unsavory protagonist keep one emotionally detached from the proceedings, even with the back story -- courtesy of the Ghost of Christmas Past tour of the protag's younger days -- that shows Scrooge was actually human in his past, or the material that leads to the eventual change of heart and adoption of the Christmas spirit.
Even so, and notwithstanding the problems with some of the character effects, this is a technically impressive offering, from the 3D effects to showcasing various parts of Dickens tale in a never before available gritty and tactile fashion.
Yes, there are some kid-friendly moments (mostly stemming from Carrey in other roles, such as the head-bobbing Christmas Past spirit), but this is otherwise a fairly dark rendering of the tale, and one from which younger kids could potentially have nightmares.
So what we're left with is a mostly technically dazzling pic that only has a faint, emotionally connective heartbeat at times. While it deserves some kudos for going back to the origins, it would have been nice - not to mention better -- had it felt more human rather than just coming off like a thrilling visual ride (which I'm guessing it might ultimately turn into some day at one or more Mouse House properties). "Disney's A Christmas Carol" rates as a 5.5 out of 10.

Reviewed November 2, 2009 / Posted November 6, 2009

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.