A Christmas Carol

I just saw Richard Williams' Oscar-winning but made-for-TV version of A Christmas Carol on Google Video. Having seen and heard so many versions over the years, I find this the most beautifully animated version with its illustration-style renderings of London and its people in the 19th century. As compelling as the drawings are though, I find the story at 24 minutes a little too short for my tastes so the transformation of Scrooge at the end is not as complete as I would like it to be. That said, it was nice to hear Alastair Sim once again portray the lead character as he had done in the 1951 version. As the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim have said over and over again, "God bless us everyone."

This short, which won an Academy Award, is the best animated adaptation that I've yet seen and is better than a couple of the live-action versions. Everything is top-notch-animation, voice-casting (particularly Sim reprising his performance as Scrooge), production values. The adaptation is quite true to the tone and spirit of the original work, even with the necessary truncation imposed by the brief length. Good to have it in print. Most recommended.

This little gem is something I saw on ABC, waaaaay back around '71 or '72. I know it aired several times in those days,around Christmases('71-'74)in prime time, and on their experimental but short-lived "Wide World of Entertainment".(At the time, there were two animated versions of this story. One was the CBS version which was an hour and, had traditional open-line art for the animation, including a skull-faced Jacob Marley.) This version miraculously managed to squeeze the entire story into 30 minutes and was out and out scary. The animation looked like an old etching, come to life with lines moving everywhere to indicate shadow and form. London became a creepy, Gormenghast-like city with spires, and arches, all sort of in this weird forced perspective. I remember the gap-mouthed Marley with his jaw dropping down to the middle of his chest as he screamed at Scrooge, and the eerie candle-headed Ghost of Christmas Past whom he forced back into a large cone that one would put candles out with in those days(but smaller). Creepy stuff even for it's time. Worth finding.

This "movie" WAS Christmas at our house when I was a child! I would love to see it again. My children have never seen this version which is the greatest ever! I have watched every version of A Christmas Carol I have ever come across and have always been disappointed. We even went to see it performed live in the theater and, although it was good, it lacked the emotional qualities of this version. I realize that by it being animated, the producers were able to add special effects and stick closer to the dreamlike quality of the original Dickens tale. This movie has been one of my favorites all my life and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Dickens or just a lover of Christmas.

This is the best animated version of the hoary old Dickens tale ever brought to the screen. This is no assembly-line cartoon; this is a Victorian lithograph brought to life. Splendid artwork, dizzying camera angles, magnificent and painstaking animation at its best. There are master craftsmen at work here; no shortcuts or sloppy work. The only criticism I could make of it is that it's too short. I sure wish that Santa had given them an unlimited budget to work with. Probably not suitable for younger children, as some of the images are a little terrifying (the children under the robe of the second spirit send chills up my spine every time I see it). I first saw it on PBS back in 1972, I think, and it has haunted me ever since. I was fortunate enough to find a copy on eBay, and it was as good as I had remembered from 30 years back. It's a rotten shame that it's been neglected by the networks ("A Christmas Story" and "Miracle on 34th Street" are great films, but they flog them to death every Christmas). If you want to get in the Christmas spirit, do yourself a favor and beg, borrow or steal a copy of this film.