Review written by Christian Garcia
I’m starting off this countdown with Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
I was first shown this special as a child and since I was always a big fan of the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons, it became a film I made sure to put on every year.
Background:
This Academy Award nominated film was my introduction to the classic Charles Dickens story. While it is not the most detailed adaptation of the Dickens’ story and given it is a Mickey Mouse cartoon it is a more simplified telling. But I believe that simple is always better. As a kid, I was told just enough to have a solid understanding of the source material and when I saw later Christmas Carol adaptations, I knew what to expect.
My Thoughts:
Despite it being simpler, it still a well-done adaptation. Scrooge is cast perfectly with Scrooge McDuck and Mickey as Bob Cratchit makes perfect sense. The choices for the spirits were interesting with Jiminy Cricket and the Giant serving their roles well and Pete as the Ghost of Christmas Future being very scary and making for a scary climax. The run time is not very long so it is an easily digestible special and for the shorter run time, it gives you just what you need. I also really love the opening and closing number, “Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day.” It’s a simple song that will get anyone feeling the Christmas spirit.
I recently had a fun experience watching this film with my roommate who had never seen it or a Christmas Carol film before. He had a fun time watching it and it was heartwarming for me to watch him experience the story for the first time. What I love most about Christmas specials is getting to experience them with others and to experience this classic with my best friend and see him light up like a child watching it was very heartwarming and reminded me why I love the holiday seasons.
Conclusion:
While there are many adaptations of the story, I believe this is a solid portrayal of the story and one that I would show to my kids someday. If you are looking for a faithful adaptation of Dickens’ story, there are other versions to check out. But if you love Disney and are fine with a simplified telling of the story, this is worth checking out.
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