A radical animated retelling of the holiday classic that starts with a Victorian performance of the Charles Dickens tale before diving into the imagination of one of the children in the audi... Read allA radical animated retelling of the holiday classic that starts with a Victorian performance of the Charles Dickens tale before diving into the imagination of one of the children in the audience, taking the story to a darker fantasy realm.A radical animated retelling of the holiday classic that starts with a Victorian performance of the Charles Dickens tale before diving into the imagination of one of the children in the audience, taking the story to a darker fantasy realm.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
Simon Russell Beale
- Scrooge
- (voice)
- (as Simon Russell-Beale)
Tom Stourton
- Fred
- (voice)
- …
Martin Freeman
- Bob Cratchit
- (voice)
Amerjit Deu
- Charity Worker
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Featured reviews
Pretentious and Boring
So much potential and very different but fell flat. Lovely visuals but a storytelling narrative and tone to send you to sleep and Scrooge's voice wasn't much better - lacked intonation. Weird mixture of storytelling, theatre and dance where characters do not actually speak their words and only 'dance' which consisted simply of them constantly flailing their arms about and spinning around - not creative modern dance at all. How to ruin a Classic! Pretentious and boring.
Faithful and Original Reworking of Dickens
Firstly, I am disgusted by the negative reviews here...This adaptation is not boring. It uses Dickens' words to construct an original version of the timeless classic. It is unlike every other version, so if you are looking for yet another ridiculous update by a Hollywood actor, do not look here. What the bad reviews show is that no one reads anymore, and, when given a literary adaptation, they are challenged and lost.
If you enjoy literature and not Jim Carrey and Will Ferrel movies, this is the movie for you. It takes the high road and does not disappoint. Anyone else should dive into the sewer of Christmas dreck that is available.
If you enjoy literature and not Jim Carrey and Will Ferrel movies, this is the movie for you. It takes the high road and does not disappoint. Anyone else should dive into the sewer of Christmas dreck that is available.
Ruinous drivel
Charles dickens classic tale is ultimately the greatest Christmas story ever told but this is absolute dross
I give it 2 stars purely on the premise as it's a good idea in principle but it just doesn't work. Characters with no dialogue, a switching between animation and real time actors. There's also a bizarre dance thing happening which I have no explanation of and nothing new in that department. It just ruins the classic tale. For a better version see Albert finney, Patrick Stewart, alistair sim or George c Scott's version. All much better takes and far closer to the story. As for this just avoid at all costs.
I give it 2 stars purely on the premise as it's a good idea in principle but it just doesn't work. Characters with no dialogue, a switching between animation and real time actors. There's also a bizarre dance thing happening which I have no explanation of and nothing new in that department. It just ruins the classic tale. For a better version see Albert finney, Patrick Stewart, alistair sim or George c Scott's version. All much better takes and far closer to the story. As for this just avoid at all costs.
Nice, if it's your cup of tea
Personally, I forced myself to watch, or should I say, experience this retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. None of the actors speak. They just dance. In opera, the story is sung by the players. Here, the players are mute, their roles conveyed through their very expressive movements - via contemporary dance - their "voices" coming from "behind the curtain" when needed, together with that of the narrator who controls this retelling.
Actually, this production would have been better on a stage. It would have made more sense, and would have had a more appreciative audience. As a movie, it soon became boring. One already knows the story so no need to hang on to find out what happens in the end.
I do like contemporary dance. I love the way it can convey emotion. However, those who want to experience this at its best, should look elsewhere. And choose one or more of the other A Christmas Carol movies to soothe that seasonal itch.
Actually, this production would have been better on a stage. It would have made more sense, and would have had a more appreciative audience. As a movie, it soon became boring. One already knows the story so no need to hang on to find out what happens in the end.
I do like contemporary dance. I love the way it can convey emotion. However, those who want to experience this at its best, should look elsewhere. And choose one or more of the other A Christmas Carol movies to soothe that seasonal itch.
Counterpoint
Some rough reviews on here, and if you are looking for Jim Carrey's version, this will assuredly not check the boxes for you. This is the most faithful adaptation, dialogue wise, that I've seen, and I've seen most film and tv versions. True to the book almost entirely, it is more demanding in that respect.
Creatively, the dance paired with overlayed dialogue is an extremely compelling way to keep the story fresh. There have been many similar versions over the years, and a few wildly divisive ones (the 2019 FX version, for example), so a reset that stays true to the source material is a nice change of pace.
Lastly, Andy Serkis version of Marley is the creepiest I've seen. The fluid movements of the dancer and his vocal representation really nailed the horrific nature of the role in a way that I imagine Dickens wanted to convey.
Creatively, the dance paired with overlayed dialogue is an extremely compelling way to keep the story fresh. There have been many similar versions over the years, and a few wildly divisive ones (the 2019 FX version, for example), so a reset that stays true to the source material is a nice change of pace.
Lastly, Andy Serkis version of Marley is the creepiest I've seen. The fluid movements of the dancer and his vocal representation really nailed the horrific nature of the role in a way that I imagine Dickens wanted to convey.
Did you know
- TriviaThea Achillea and Andy Serkis had also previously acted in A Christmas Carol (2019) which, unlike this film, is a live action mini-series that was originally broadcast on BBC the year before this film's release. Both Achillea and Serkis played different roles in each adaptation.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen (2022)
- How long is A Christmas Carol?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $179,750
- Runtime
- 1h 34m(94 min)
- Color
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