Disney's A Christmas Carol

Great movie!

Director Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express, Forrest Gump) has scored again with this excellent animated version of Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale. Jim Carrey stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, a crotchety old man who cares nothing about others or the holiday season. He prefers to spend his time alone in his office or home, sitting in front of the fire. He also belittles his employee Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman), despite his young son's illness.On one such evening, Scrooge is in his customary place in front of the fireplace when a ghostly spirit visits him. The spirit informs Scrooge that he is the Ghost of Christmas Past, and he takes Scrooge on a journey to the Christmases he had as a child and young man. Scrooge sees where he went to school, and the holiday ball he attended with a girl that later became his wife. The marriage ended in divorce. Another spirit, The Ghost of Christmas Present, shows Scrooge the events of the current holiday, including the Cratchit family toasting him for his supplying Bob with a job. Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge close to death, and the town members are rejoicing his passing. Also, the Cratchits mourn the loss of Tiny Tim.All of these spirits have a profound effect on Scrooge himself. Soon, he's singing carols in the street, skating behind carriages, and asking people for forgiveness for the way he treated them in the past. No one is more surprised at Scrooge's miraculous transformation than Bob Cratchit.This is an excellent movie. I've been a Zemeckis fan for years, and my family and I watch "The Polar Express" every Christmas season. I'm sure "A Christmas Carol" will become regular holiday viewing for us, too. The special effects in the film are astounding, and the story contains a fine moral lesson to be learned. Make "A Christmas Carol" part of your regular holiday viewing. Your family will love it. Highly recommended.

Excellent cd

(A Note to parents: This movie is rated PG for scary images. The images are not gratuitous or 'above and beyond' the story line. My 10 yr old watched it without any trouble. You know your kid, I recommend previewing if you have any doubts, or check out the parent review on IMDb. They do a great job outlining movies specifically for parents.)What do you get when you put Jim Carey, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth in a Robert Zemechis movie? A great movie! This classic story has been updated with Zemechis' animation technique while staying true to the story. There are some rather dark elements that I think Dickens himself would approve of. Carey and Oldman deliver their multiple characters beautifully. I find it ironic that Carey, who usually plays a character that makes us laugh (Mask) plays Scrooge and the 3 Ghosts, while Oldman, who usually plays the bad guy (Sirius Black, Sid Viscous, Dracula..to name a few of his brilliantly delivered bad guys..) plays Tiiny Tim, Bob Cratchet and Jacob Marley (we couldn't have all these crazy characters without giving Oldman one bad guy, could we?) There are some scenes at are a bit darker that we are used to. I think Zemechis had the courage to show the story as the dark story that it really is instead of trying to 'pretty it up' as has been done with previous versions. My 10 year old son has watched it without any trouble. If you have a child that is sensitive to dark images, you might want to preview it first...then decide.

Loved it

As for the purchase, it was smooth as silk and delivery was speedy, and the product arrived in perfect condition.As for the movie, it isn't my cup of tea, but the recipient loves it and was thrilled to receive it as an early Christmas gift. It is a version of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," and is visually very interesting, though even as an adult, I find it a bit creepy and not very Christmas-y (oddly, I don't feel the same about other interpretations of the classic, or even "Scrooged"). This movie includes several ghosts (shown as more frightening than in the cartoon version Disney made in, I believe, the 80's, so just because your kids love that, don't assume this is similar) and has a few moments that may frighten children under about 8, so parents, exercise caution when deciding whether to show this to your kids.POTENTIAL SPOILER BELOW (on the off chance you are unfamiliar with the story)...This story is essentially the same as the classic, with Scrooge being visited by his deceased business partner (whom we see, dead, in the opening scene), Marley. Marley cautions Scrooge he must change his ways or, basically, be damned in hell. He advises him the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future will visit him. The ghosts visit, he eventually sees the error of his ways, and he repents. It has been years since I read the novel so I may be mistaken, but I don't believe the book includes things such as Scrooge becoming an actual rat, running around in the sewer and underneath buildings, and I don't recall his maid stealing his clothing, though I again may be mistaken.Overall, some people (including the recipient who watched it easily a dozen times in the two or so weeks between receiving it and Christmas) love this version, but I find it oddly unsettling in a way I have never before felt about other versions. I recommend you borrow it from the library or watch it on tv before purchasing it, in case you feel as I do.

Very decently like the book, nice picture and Jim Carrey voices Scrooge quite nicely, one of my favorite

I watched this video a couple of times and I think it's a good value for the money.