Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Synopsis:
DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3-D motion picture event.
Ebenezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH). Scrooge makes it clear that he has no intention of enjoying the holiday and, as always, goes home—alone—where he encounters the ghost of his dead business partner Joseph Marley. Marley, who’s paying the price in the afterlife for his own callousness, hopes to help Scrooge avoid a similar fate and tells him that he will be visited by three spirits. But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take Old Scrooge on an eye-opening journey revealing truths he’s reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.
Movie Review:
Think the phrase Chrismtas Carol and one thinks of a merry & cheerful scene. Well, in most cases it is. But not this movie.
Over here, bad old Scrooge faces 3 ghosts who brings him from past to present & future – to see how mean he is. This brings the movie to a very dark side, which one wonders if it is meant for this joyous season or more for Halloween.
The whole animation feels eerie & at points scary, having the whole dark feel to it. Even the ‘nicest’ ghost of all – the Present Ghost is more scary than say joyous, something which of course Scrooge deserves. But the audience?
Of course, one will argue this is after all based on a book and have been followed closely to it – afterall ghosts are meant to be scary. Well the good point, this is where the film scores… that plus of course Jim Carrey’s voice over, which shows what a brilliant actor he is.
But then again, we have the near-real-like cartoon characters – well it can be nice but honestly, when we watch animation, do we really want to watch something quite real? Wouldn’t it be better if it was acted instead? The more elastic face of Jim might have been much better actually…
Conclusion & Ratings:
6/10 – even as dark as it is, it still has the final Disney touch in the end & a good message. More importantly, if you know beforehand that it is not a merry movie, it won’t hurt that bad.
Notes:
- Jim Carrey tackles seven roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
- The Dickens novella was first published on December 19, 1843, becoming an instant – and enduring — success.
Fun Facts:
- Except for Colin Firth (Fred), Fionnula Flanagan (Mrs. Dilber), Leslie Manville (Mrs. Cratchit) and Leslie Zemeckis (Fred’s wife), everyone played multiple roles.
Jim Carrey: 7 roles
- Old Scrooge, plus younger versions
- Ghost of Christmas Past
- Ghost of Christmas Present
- Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Gary Oldman: 3 roles
- Bob Cratchit
- Marley’s Ghost
- Tiny Tim
Bob Hoskins: 2 roles
- Old Fezziwig
- Old Joe
Robin Wright Penn: 2 roles
- Belle
- Fan
- For his characters, Jim Carrey used different accents.
- As Scrooge the child, teen, young adult – he begins more relaxed and loose and gets more pompous and resolute as he gets older.
- Elder Scrooge – the Queen’s English, with a middle tone
- Ghost of Christmas Past – An Irish accent, very light in tone
- Ghost of Christmas present – a Yorkshire accent, strong and dependable working class sound, deep in register
- Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – does not speak
Bob Hoskins roughed up his own accent
Gary Oldman also played with his accent:
- For Bob Cratchit he used a “London” accent, very close to his own
- For Tiny Tim lightened the tone and made it higher
- For Marley he used the Queen’s English
- Cast member Cary Elwes is actually related to the man believed to be the inspiration for Scrooge. “John Megid Elwes is an ancestor of mine who was a renowned miser,” says Elwes. “He was a politician who changed his name from Megid to Elwes in order to gain favor with his uncle, Sir Harvey Elwes, who he knew was going to die without an heir and he had tons of money. And it worked. He managed to get all Mr. Harvey Elwes’s estates and proceeded to become one of the most famous misers in English history. He was renowned for never changing his clothes.”
- When Gary Oldman played Tiny Tim, they physically lowered the floor area over which he walked so that he would appear shorter, like a child
- Jim Carrey worked closely with stunt coordinator Garrett Warren and did many of his own stunts, including sliding down virtual rooftops, flying over virtual chimney stacks, sliding on a virtual icicle and falling down virtual stairs. For one of the ghost roles, Carrey was also rigged to fly.
- There were six young actors ranging in age from 7–16. Together these six actors played 24 roles.
- The dancers rehearsed for five weeks with a full company of 26 dancers the first week and then a “filming” company of 14 dancers for the next four weeks.
- There was no costume designer. Vintage Victorian costumes were shipped from England and placed on mannequins that were kept in the conference room throughout prep and production. These were used for reference and inspiration for costume design and filmmakers created them in the computer with production designer Doug Chiang at the helm.
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Fionnula Flanagan
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producers: Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke
Screenplay by: Robert Zemeckis
Based on the classic novella by: Charles Dickens