Disney's A Christmas Carol (B or 3/4 stars)
Remember 2004? Polar Express? Motion-capture imagery? Well, I was stunned with that new form of animation. And 'PE' wound up being one of my favorite movies of that year. In '07, Beowulf was also presented in motion-capture animation. And now, we get a similarly animated retelling of Charles Dickens' timeless, classic novel, 'A Christmas Carol' (as he did with Polar Express, directed by the great Robert Zemeckis); where a Victorian-era geezer is taken on a journey of self-redemption - thanks to some nighttime visits from a quartet of mysterious apparitions: including the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present & Future.
Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) is an elderly, miserable money lender. He wants poor people to die. And he complains about giving his clerk, Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman), a paid day off for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas - no surprise - Scrooge hates it; exclaiming to his nephew, Fred (Colin Firth), "Bah Humbug!" One Christmas Eve, however - exactly 7 yrs. after the death of his business partner, Jacob Marley - Scrooge receives 4 supernatural visitors whose goal is to bring kindness to his cold, bitter heart. The 1st ghost IS Jacob Marley. He arrives (in terrifying fashion), weighed down by chains forged through 7 yrs. of coldness, the same coldness as Scrooge. He's there to tell Scrooge about his upcoming visits throughout the night. The 2nd apparition is the Ghost of Christmas Past (Carrey, again), who takes Scrooge on a wondrous tour of the Christmases of his youth. On this tour, we learn some back story on why Ebenezer may be the way he is today. Scrooge's 3rd visitor is the Ghost of Christmas Present (Carrey); allowing him to see how his nephew Fred & Bob Cratchit will spend their Christmas. And the 4th visitor is the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come (Carrey), a voiceless cloaked specter, who takes Scrooge down a long, dark path; leading to a lonely tombstone in a desolate, snow-covered cemetery (where Scrooge sees that unless he makes some changes, his name will be on the stone). If Scrooge does not strive to be a better man, Cratchit will suffer, along with his sickly son, Tiny Tim. Even Scrooge himself may soon die. So once Christmas morning arrives - the most joyous day of the year - it's up to Scrooge to make the best of it.
This version of 'A Christmas Carol' is breathtakingly beautiful. And it's the main reason why I recommend it for theater viewing. The visuals are amazing; sumptuous; full of color, texture, composition, & depth. Most of the characters look incredible. Specifically, Scrooge & Marley (in ominous fluorescent green). I also LOVED the sequence where Scrooge first meets the Ghost of Christmas Present. That scene was created with pure wonderment in mind. I was completely immersed in the design of 19th century London. Animated films rarely get accolades for cinematography & art direction. But in my opinion, this is the 1st animated movie which deserves those mentions. The photography/lighting of the towns, the shops, people's faces, cobblestone streets, trees, candles, food, doorknobs, furniture ... I was in awe at all the intricate details. I also liked Alan Silvestri's appropriately 'seasonal' musical score. Also, this film remains extremely faithful to the source text, as well as previous cinematic versions: Alistair Sims 1951 film, George C. Scott's, Patrick Stewart's, Mickey Mouse, the list goes on & on.
This version is also the darkest I've seen yet (which I'm ecstatic about, as Dickens wrote it that way). There's a creepy eeriness to everything; even menacing. Hell, the first vision you see is a close-up of a corpse! Given that, I have a hard time believing that most children under 10 will enjoy this (and I see that as a problem). I mean, not only is the film quite scary, it's also very talky, & rather depressing, at times. Other complaints: while I appreciated the visuals, as well as the meaty dialogue, all the transition scenes btwn. plot points felt both intrusive, & unnecessarily juiced up. i.e., the action sequences go too far. I really disliked a chase scene btwn. a miniature Alvin & the Chipmunks-voiced Scrooge and a runaway carriage helmed by 2 red-eyed horses. I was like, 'What the Hell is this?'. I also thought that the last 10 minutes of the movie were rushed; and it showed in both the animation & the conventional conclusion.
And my last complaint: for all the film's technical proficiency, the characterizations are shallower than other adaptations. I wanted to see more of Cratchit's generous spirit. We barely get any insight into Tiny Tim's worrisome health condition. And worst of all, though Jim Carrey does a great job as Scrooge, I didn't see a strong emotional arc as the ghosts help him find his humanity. I found his 'joyful transformation' to be fairly unemotional; when it absolutely should have been. The 'story' is always great, Gary Oldman's presence as no less than 3 characters is welcomed, the animation is state of the art (lots of 'wow' moments), but the aforementioned action interludes & the lack of character pathos prevents me from outright loving it.
Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) is an elderly, miserable money lender. He wants poor people to die. And he complains about giving his clerk, Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman), a paid day off for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas - no surprise - Scrooge hates it; exclaiming to his nephew, Fred (Colin Firth), "Bah Humbug!" One Christmas Eve, however - exactly 7 yrs. after the death of his business partner, Jacob Marley - Scrooge receives 4 supernatural visitors whose goal is to bring kindness to his cold, bitter heart. The 1st ghost IS Jacob Marley. He arrives (in terrifying fashion), weighed down by chains forged through 7 yrs. of coldness, the same coldness as Scrooge. He's there to tell Scrooge about his upcoming visits throughout the night. The 2nd apparition is the Ghost of Christmas Past (Carrey, again), who takes Scrooge on a wondrous tour of the Christmases of his youth. On this tour, we learn some back story on why Ebenezer may be the way he is today. Scrooge's 3rd visitor is the Ghost of Christmas Present (Carrey); allowing him to see how his nephew Fred & Bob Cratchit will spend their Christmas. And the 4th visitor is the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come (Carrey), a voiceless cloaked specter, who takes Scrooge down a long, dark path; leading to a lonely tombstone in a desolate, snow-covered cemetery (where Scrooge sees that unless he makes some changes, his name will be on the stone). If Scrooge does not strive to be a better man, Cratchit will suffer, along with his sickly son, Tiny Tim. Even Scrooge himself may soon die. So once Christmas morning arrives - the most joyous day of the year - it's up to Scrooge to make the best of it.
This version of 'A Christmas Carol' is breathtakingly beautiful. And it's the main reason why I recommend it for theater viewing. The visuals are amazing; sumptuous; full of color, texture, composition, & depth. Most of the characters look incredible. Specifically, Scrooge & Marley (in ominous fluorescent green). I also LOVED the sequence where Scrooge first meets the Ghost of Christmas Present. That scene was created with pure wonderment in mind. I was completely immersed in the design of 19th century London. Animated films rarely get accolades for cinematography & art direction. But in my opinion, this is the 1st animated movie which deserves those mentions. The photography/lighting of the towns, the shops, people's faces, cobblestone streets, trees, candles, food, doorknobs, furniture ... I was in awe at all the intricate details. I also liked Alan Silvestri's appropriately 'seasonal' musical score. Also, this film remains extremely faithful to the source text, as well as previous cinematic versions: Alistair Sims 1951 film, George C. Scott's, Patrick Stewart's, Mickey Mouse, the list goes on & on.
This version is also the darkest I've seen yet (which I'm ecstatic about, as Dickens wrote it that way). There's a creepy eeriness to everything; even menacing. Hell, the first vision you see is a close-up of a corpse! Given that, I have a hard time believing that most children under 10 will enjoy this (and I see that as a problem). I mean, not only is the film quite scary, it's also very talky, & rather depressing, at times. Other complaints: while I appreciated the visuals, as well as the meaty dialogue, all the transition scenes btwn. plot points felt both intrusive, & unnecessarily juiced up. i.e., the action sequences go too far. I really disliked a chase scene btwn. a miniature Alvin & the Chipmunks-voiced Scrooge and a runaway carriage helmed by 2 red-eyed horses. I was like, 'What the Hell is this?'. I also thought that the last 10 minutes of the movie were rushed; and it showed in both the animation & the conventional conclusion.
And my last complaint: for all the film's technical proficiency, the characterizations are shallower than other adaptations. I wanted to see more of Cratchit's generous spirit. We barely get any insight into Tiny Tim's worrisome health condition. And worst of all, though Jim Carrey does a great job as Scrooge, I didn't see a strong emotional arc as the ghosts help him find his humanity. I found his 'joyful transformation' to be fairly unemotional; when it absolutely should have been. The 'story' is always great, Gary Oldman's presence as no less than 3 characters is welcomed, the animation is state of the art (lots of 'wow' moments), but the aforementioned action interludes & the lack of character pathos prevents me from outright loving it.