Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

IN A NUTSHELL: A supernatural, time-traveling musical adaptation of Charles ****’ cult Christmas story. The film was directed by Stephen Donnelly, who also wrote the screenplay with writing help by Leslie Bricusse. It’s like every screenplay writer and director got together and decided that they would all create a different version of the famous “A Christmas Story” this year for the holidays. I’ve already seen so many adaptations of the classic Charles **** story this year! Here’s another one to add to the growing collection. What makes it unique in the crowded list is it’s an animated musical. THINGS I LIKED: I don’t understand the negative reviews on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. I thought this was a very good version of the Christmas story we all know so well. The fantastic and Academy Award-winning voice talent stars Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Luke Evans, Johnny Flynn, Fra Fee, Trevor Dion Nicholas, and Jonathan Pryce! The standout for me was Olivia Colman as the Ghost of Christmas Past, but then again, I’m such a huge fan of hers that I adore her in everything she does. That being said, Luke Evans was stellar in his role as Scrooge. His singing voice was exceptional. I also really enjoyed his duets with Jessie Buckley. The lovely songs and lyrics are truly heartfelt. Great choreography, especially for an animation! This sweet musical comedy is adorable with energy that is palpable. The animation is lovely with some cute details and visual humor. The movie offers new ways of visually presenting the familiar concepts of the story. For example, a push-cart vendor sings and walks backward while the Ghost of Christmas past takes Ebenezer Scrooge to a time in his history. In this version, we get more background information about why he hates Christmas so much and why he was so unfriendly to his own nephew. Considering the target audience of children, I like how the director added clear parallels to Ebenezer Scrooge’s present-day behavior when the various ghosts were trying to teach him lessons. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: The psychedelic color palette is quite colorful during the visions of the past, present, and future. Some may not like that for a story about the 1800s. Some of the songs feel a bit “much” sometimes, like trying to squeeze a Broadway dance number into a somber story of self-reflection and redemption. TIPS FOR PARENTS: There are some dark, spooky moments that might scare young children. There’s a lot of sarcasm Lots of adult bullying A woman slaps a man.

A great modern day adaption of A Christmas Carol. It had some great musical numbers, I really enjoyed the way the characters looked, and was overall, a good watch.