Disney's A Christmas Carol

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  November 30, 2009

  ironclad1609

  Two years after Beowulf Robert Zemeckis takes motion capture animation a little further once again with the retelling of Charles Dickens' classic tale. Jim Carrey is Scrooge in all stages of his life, and the three ghosts that pay him a visit, as well. Some other actors are easil...( read more)y recognizable, too, although some of their basic features have been changed. That seems a little off and sometimes you wish you could have seen the real Gary Oldman or Colin Firth. Then again, the animation is really pretty, sometimes breathtakingly racy like in the flights over London or the flight from the third ghost. The movie may be a bit too scary for younger children, and sometimes a bit too silly for older fans of the novel, but everyone in between should be decently entertained by this, especially in 3D, which is simply a lot of fun, in its best scenes. It's hard not to smile in the end, when the hard hearted turns into a good human, although you've seen it coming all along.

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  November 26, 2009

  kiriyamakazou

  We can bitch about remakes all we want, but when it comes to classic tales, I say the more the merrier. It's stories like this that really let us appreciate the storyteller. So here we have Zemeckis bringing the story to life through his beloved motion capture, which he, surprisi...( read more)ngly, doesn't utilise all that well. The film would have been just as impressive in live action.
  
  Whenever viewing a story such asthis, you are bound to compare it to your favorite version. For me it has to be Muppet Christmas Carol. A version that is flawless. Though good, Disney's Christmas Carol, leaves a lot to be desired. First of all we have Jim Carrey. His performance isn't bad,but he simply has too much to do. Making himself older and Englisher, leaves his accent sounding like Apu Nahasapeemapetilon at times. Zemeckis is also trying to please everybody. He adds the most random action sequences you can imagine. Despite informing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, that he is willing to go with him, Scrooge is suddenly chased through the streets of London. It adds nothing to the characters or story.
  
  It also fails to grasp at the emotional core of the story. It moves too fast and lingers in the wrong places. It's a very 'bitty' film, which is inherent in the story itself, but other adaptations have managed to bridge the gaps between each section. This film rushes along, and you can hear therace against the rising budget.
  
  However, you can't go wrong with A Christmas Carol, and most of the misgivings I have are due to my preference of other versions. This is still a great introduction to the story, and a fine adaptation.

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  November 20, 2009

  AgentLexi2132

  ''Humbug!''
  
  An animated retelling of Charles Dickens classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
  
  Jim Carrey: Scrooge
  
  ''I'm light as a feather!...''
  
  Disney's...( read more) A Christmas Carol is a solid adaptation of the Charles Dickens' classic, although lacking sometimes in the emotional connection to humanity; inherent in some of other previous versions of this timeless story.
  The plot of the film obviously comprises of the traditional story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the grouchy old miser whom is in turn visited by the Ghosts of his friend Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Present, and Things Yet to Come. Thus all spirits proceed in giving him visions of his life and the consequences of proceeding in his greedy, unemotional way. One path being of financial materialistic glory, the redeeming road comprising of selfless acts; kindness and consideration for others less fortunate.
  The legendary role of Scrooge is played by Jim Carrey (where as he also voices the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and other characters). I was a touched with Carrey giving this character life with his voice alone. With this being an animated film, his portrayal is a very faceted performance from Carrey, and were this a live-action adaptation, he would have truly breathed even more life into the main protagonist, with his inane comedic skills.
  Gary Oldman provides his talented voice to Bob Cratchit, Marley, and Tiny Tim. Bob even looks like Oldman albeit a tad shorter and rounder than the master of change.
  
  A Christmas Carol was directed by Robert Zemeckis, whom here continues to try and refine his favoured medium of production, animated motion capture. Disney's A Christmas Carol is on par, animation wise with his previous projects, The Polar Express and Beowulf, but it still doesn't manage to look as good as live-action would, nor as polished as other CG-animated products; though I will say in it's defense, there were certain shots where the lighting was so well designed that I was fooled momentarily believing some of the characters on screen were real.
  
  Ebenezer Scrooge: What do you want with me?
  Jacob Marley: You will be haunted by three spirits.
  Ebenezer Scrooge: I'd rather not.
  
  I saw this film in 3D, the first time I've ever seen a full feature length film in 3D at the cinema, and I came away impressed with certain aspects, while a touch frustrated with others. A simple dolly shot in 3D has a marvelous look resonating from it's use, simply beautiful and truly enticing me into this world, as well the depth of field in a simple shot where two characters are in frame is astounding, but then whenever a shot of someone's hand flying out toward the audience is shown, that impressiveness previously disappears.
  
  Zemeckis has definitely made a visually intriguing film, a highly original take on this classic story, while also being faithful to the source, and there are many good times to be had within. I think the best way to sum up Disney's A Christmas Carol is that it's style over substance, often taking liberties with the story and skipping vital detailed parts like it's racing through Charles Dickens tale. The film seems to be more interested in being a showcase rollercoaster of impressive visuals rather than one of creating emotional connection with the characters. It's just, whenever a sequence begins to evolve really intriguing emotionally, it pulls away into another crazy storm of fast paced flying.
  
  As a whole, Disney's A Christmas Carol is a jolly experience at the cinema, though it's less of a sentimental, character building piece of story and more of a high octane effects ride, valuing entertainment rather than Dickens story, but there again, isn't that why most go to the films in the first place? I know I certainly expect something deeper, meaningful usually but this being Disney and a family supportive project it succeeds in showing the children and even adults amazement visually.
  
  ''God bless us all...every one!''

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  November 18, 2009

  moonrivers

  Zemeckis adds to his store of holiday films, still hoping for "it's a wonderful life"'s american family favorite status. first there was "the polar express" with it's emphasis on the santa legend, and now (almost as an apology for such pagan posterings) a return to good ol' Chri...( read more)stian and English sensibilities. the art is the story here tho, ever remarkable, as Zemeckis retools the old tale expanding the spectral side of it and, with that, the dreamlike fear of falling (as in from grace). carrey continues to stretch his career spanning Jerry Lewis impersonation in another attempt to tackle the fortress that is the memory of Jimmy Stewart. well worth the visit as this time i believe ol' Robert has done it.

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  November 18, 2009

  gilbertgumphrey

  Note: My apologies to anyone who reads my reviews that it's taken so long to write a new one. I've been extremely busy with schoolwork, but I also kinda gave up writing them, because I know very few people read these and I've already written 200 pages worth of reviews - seems li...( read more)ke kind of a waste. But I'm annoyed watching movies and not being able to write reviews on them, so fuck it, I'm (at least temporarily) back.
  
  A Christmas Carol is probably the creepiest Christmas movie I've ever seen. This is both a positive and a negative attribute. I'll admit that it was one of my most anticipated movies of the year - Polar Express is in my top 15 movies of all time, and I thought (not without merit) that this would be very much like it. It gets the visual wonder, splendor, and trippiness right, but in terms of spreading jolly Christmas cheer, this movie is like a cold lump of coal in your stocking. As I said, it's an absolute treat for the eyes, and you'll probably become more invested, scared, and enthralled than you expect. But you won't feel good. And kids will have the absolute shit freaked out of them.
  
  I've never read the book A Christmas Carol (because who the fuck reads anymore?), and I admittedly haven't seen too many versions. I believe The Muppet Christmas Carol is the one I'm most familiar with, and I remember even that one scaring and disturbing me as a little kid. If that one is creepy, than this version is nightmare inducing. Robert Zemekis knows how to not only ratchet up suspense (such as when the ghost of Bob Marley is about to visit Scrooge), but also to show terrifying images popping out at you in 3D when you least expect it. No longer does Scrooge see the face of Bob on his doorknob - now, he sees a ghostly, demonic apparition, green and hair floating, eyes cold and dark and his mouth screaming out at him. No longer is the Ghost of Christmas Present a jolly red haired Santa - now, he has little demon kids under his robes, and when he dies he laughs manically as his skin dissolves away until he's nothing more than a laughing skeleton. And don't even get me started on the Ghost of Christmas bloody Future! This movie will probably appeal to adults and teens much more than kids (especially because of the numerous action scenes), because I can't imagine too many children finding any aspect of this movie "fun". It's dark, it's freaky, and if you watch it in 3D, you'll probably jump out of your seat.
  
  So far, all I seem to have done is talk about the movie's terror aspects. That's because it was the only thing that, strangely, really impressed me. I didn't like it, but I was stunned at the balls Zemekis and Disney had. Visually, the film is absolutely sumptuous. A lot of people complain about the photo-capture animation Zemekis uses, and how it gives everyone cold, "dead eye" expressions. I won't argue that. What I will say is that it's all worth it, because without this animation, Zemekis wouldn't be able to show off his camera like he does. He actually creates a Brian De Palma animated movie here - the camera swoops, flies, zooms, tracks in and around whole rooms while people are talking. The opening scene of the camera soaring through London has been deservedly high praised, and that's the kind of thing he couldn't have done with live action. Every take in this movie is an amazing long take, because he can, and that's what I love most about this animated style.
  
  The screenplay is probably the film's biggest problem. It drags, and quite simply, it can often get boring. The opening 20 minutes are so slow, with Scrooge being visited with not one, not two, but THREE people, all in the same room right after each other, that I almost passed out. And if pacing is a big issue, so is the dialogue - words are taken right out of the early 20th century text, and to be honest I often didn't know what the hell people were talking about. It sounded almost Shakespearean to me, and that didn't help when it came to recognizing and having sympathy for the characters. But all in all, A Christmas Carol is definitely a movie worth seeing, especially on 3D screens (and most especially baked). Emotionally, it will leave you cold, which is why I think word of mouth will not be anywhere near as good as the wonderful and beautiful Polar Express was. But aesthetically, and as an animated adventure, it continues the tradition of 2009 to be only a disappointing year for live action films, and a revolutionary year for animated ones.

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  November 30, 2009

  maymayasahan

  This was good. Beautiful from start to finish. I liked the story, the direction, the effects, the performance, everything. It was worth-watching. It gave me a breathtaking 1 hour and 36 minutes of viewing experience. I really liked it. I can't find the right words to describe thi...( read more)s beautifully-crafted, dark-themed film. But when I had come to think about it, maybe it is not good enough for the critics. The story was great, the movie itself is. But, it lacks something. I think I was just overwhelmed by the Imax experience. But if you come to think of it, it is a beautiful work of art,but not enough to be called a masterpiece. Still, well done.

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  November 29, 2009

  nildareyes046

  Fantastic! The best Scrooge Yet!

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  November 29, 2009

  starsinhevean

  So worth seeing in imax 3-d

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  November 29, 2009

  stevemahoney5

  I love it. GOOD MOVIE. THUMB UP!!!

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  November 29, 2009

  gwsfong

  TO GIVE IS MORE BLESSED THAN TO RECEIVE. BE A GENEROUS PERSON ESPECIALLY DURING THIS CHRISTMAS SEASONS OF LOVE AND FORGIVENESS. A BLESSED AND PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU !

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View more Disney's A Christmas Carol reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

• 
  November 28, 2009

  amazon9

  Watch at Dalster com all videos working, you do have to fill out a quick survey, but It's well worth the 30 seconds.
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  November 22, 2009

  riccian

  I really wanted to see it
  
  http://www.freedomwall.net/2009/11/christmas-carol.html
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  November 4, 2009

  EreborTabor

  Wait a minute...3D animation, based on a classic beloved story, directed by Robert Zemeckis with Robin Wright Penn as part of the supporting cast. Last time that happened, I was very disappointed. On the upside, Gary Oldman and Bob Hoskins have roles of some sort. Could this movie make up for the let-down knows as BEOWULF? Let's find out.
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  November 4, 2009

  azharikassim

  i hope this is a good movie..coz actor is jim carrey..
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  October 31, 2009

  Rosepetal75

  http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/achristmascarol/
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  September 13, 2009

  mj19moh

  I thiNk it's really great moVie,...... So i will watch thiS,.CaNt waiT,... So exCiteD,.Well let's sEe...........
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  May 14, 2009

  michellerubio

  I am VERY excited about this movie, usually Christmass movies dont call my attention, but with a cast like this! I thought it would be a live action movie,it would have been SO much better!

• Jim Carrey
• Gary Oldman
• Colin Firth
• Robin Wright Penn
• Bob Hoskins
• Jacquie Barnbrook
• Lesley Manville
• Cary Elwes
• Fionnula Flanagan

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

• 
  How the Grinch Stole Christmas (89%)
• 
  How the Grinch Stole Christmas (100%)
• 
  The Muppet Christmas Carol (100%)
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  An All Dogs Christmas Carol (86%)

• DVD Easter Egg:
  How to find it:
  easter eggs hidden
  
  What happens:
  give jim carrey a second chance
• Reference:
  This movie references:
  Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
  Not only is the movie a retelling of the novel, but it directly alludes to the fact that it's a retelling when the first chapter of the Dickens novel is flipped open in the opening scene.

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