A Christmas Carol (2009)

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.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel), Robert Zemeckis (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Steve Valentine, Gary Oldman

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Carrey	...	Scrooge / Ghost of Christmas Past / Scrooge as a Young Boy / Scrooge as a Teenage Boy / Scrooge as a Young Man / Scrooge as a Middle-Aged Man / Ghost of Christmas Present / Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Steve Valentine	...	Funerary Undertaker / Topper
Daryl Sabara	...	Undertaker's Apprentice / Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Peter Cratchit / Well-Dressed Caroler
Sage Ryan	...	Tattered Caroler
Amber Gainey Meade	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler
Ryan Ochoa	...	Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Young Cratchit Boy / Ignorance Boy / Young Boy with Sleigh
Bobbi Page	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler
Ron Bottitta	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler
Sammi Hanratty	...	Beggar Boy / Young Cratchit Girl / Want Girl
Julian Holloway	...	Fat Cook / Portly Gentleman #2 / Business Man #3
Gary Oldman	...	Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim
Colin Firth	...	Fred
Cary Elwes	...	Portly Gentleman #1 / Dick Wilkins / Mad Fiddler / Guest #2 / Business Man #1
Robin Wright	...	Fan / Belle (as Robin Wright Penn)
Bob Hoskins	...	Fezziwig / Old Joe

Storyline

Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | christmas eve | scrooge | victorian era | miser | 

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Taglines:

Season's Greedings

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for scary sequences and images

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [us] Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Christmas Carol: An IMAX 3D Experience

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,917,539 (UK) (6 November 2009)

Gross:

£20,371,281 (UK) (10 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, ImageMovers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Sonics-DDP (IMAX version) SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd were considered in the line-up of voice overs for the film.

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Goofs

Marley tells Scrooge that one spirit will visit him at 1:00 am for the next three nights, but they all appear to him in the same night. This is repeated verbatim from the book, in which, following all the visits, Scrooge calls them "clever spirits" for doing it all in one night.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ebenezer Scrooge: [upon viewing Marley in casket] Yes, quite dead. As a doornail.

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Connections

Version of Scrooged (1988)

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Soundtracks

"God Bless Us Everyone"
Written and Produced by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri
Performed by 'Andrea Bocelli'
Courtesy of Sugar s.r.l.

User Reviews

A new twist on "A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey in several roles...

From an artistic viewpoint, the new Robert Zemeckis film from the man who gave us THE POLAR EXPRESS, is another of his animated features using the motion picture capture technique that allows the actors to play several roles. The cinematography is exceptionally well done.

JIM CARREY, as miserly Ebenizer Scrooge, looks nothing like his real self. He's a perfect Scrooge, using his voice and mannerisms to great effect, never overplaying the role as you might expect he would.

The visit from three spirits is more frightening than usual, since Zemeckis decided to throw everything he could into startling special effects--sometimes with very gruesome results. The sight of Marley's Ghost with a flapping jaw that has to be realigned by Marley is just one of the "extra" touches. Some of the "spirit" scenes are too intense for small children, more likely to frighten them than anything else.

There are times when the story remains very faithful to the Dickens book, sometimes even word for word. But when Zemeckis decides to show off that the camera can do with flying aerial scenes zooming over Victorian London, it begins to stray a bit. Biggest stray is a chase scene that has a miniature Scrooge going through drain pipes to escape an oncoming coach and horses trying to run him down.

The lovely score by Alan Silvestri blends perfectly with the on screen action and includes a number of traditional Christmas favorites. GARY OLDMAN and COLIN FIRTH do well in key supporting roles but it's really Carrey's show all the way. He plays several main characters with great skill.

Not quite as festive as you might expect, it's a darker version of Scrooge, handsomely executed so that many of the scenes look like Victorian illustrations from the novel.

Warning: This is not a child's version of the tale. Parents should be advised that some of the content is too gruesome for young kids.