A Christmas Carol
Critique • Text • At the movies
First editionOriginal title
A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.
First publication
1843
Literary form
Novella
Genres
Literary
Writing language
English
Author's country
England
Length
Approx. 28,000 words
Tim Curry turns his unique voice to good effect as Scrooge in this 1997 animation.
Sit through this Scrooge with the kids
A Christmas Carol (1997): Animated film, 69 minutes; director San Phillips; writer Jymn Magon; voices Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael York, Ed Asner
The animated 1997 version of A Christmas Carol isn't as bad as you might expect after watching for a few minutes.
Yes, it uses a rather flat cartoon style, reminiscent of old Saturday-morning TV, and it wastes time with some cartoonish episodes, such as Scrooge interacting with a comical bulldog, added as his constant companion, and a ridiculous bit involving a mouse in Scrooge's office.
And there are three or four goofy songs—the most over-the-top and catchy being "Santa's Sooty Suit".
But the story is told as well and as completely as in some of the live-action flicks and the actors providing the voices are first-rate: Tim Curry as Scrooge, Michael York as Bob Cratchit and Ed Asner as Marley.
And Whoopi Goldberg does a weird, unrecognizable turn as the voice of Christmas Present—a large black woman with a put-on British accent and who ages before our eyes.
The film works despite those initial caveats. The reformation scene at the end is especially effective.
It's nothing spectacular but I imagine young kids would appreciate this animated film while adults could certainly manage to sit through it.
— Eric
