Zemeckis Makes a Carol All His Own

“Bah Humbug!” to anyone who doesn’t feel the Christmas spirit after watching the new animated version of “A Christmas Carol” directed by Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump,” “Beowulf,” “The Polar Express”). The film will remind you, as the story does, to be giving for the holidays and to get rid of any inner Scrooge that might be lurking. Even though he’s fun to watch in his full-blown miser-mode and all of his 3-D glory, the scene where Scrooge rejoices for Christmas morning at the end is what everyone hopes will deliver in magic, and in this film it does.

A fun ride that immerses you in the story and all-time favorite characters Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and the Ghosts of Present, Past and Future, “A Christmas Carol” is chock full of detail. Zemeckis has fine tuned the motion-capture animation technology to make this film the best to date using this style. Aside from the stunningly sharp look of the animation, the film breathes more life into the characters than previous films in this style, due to the improvement of the life-like look and movement of the animated characters, and the clever incorporation of 3-D effects. However what makes it a winner overall is that the story is well-suited for this re-telling because of the ghostly visits and other fun action scenes which translate well in this animation style.

The story of Scrooge, the cold-hearted miser who leaves misery in his wake, takes on a new meaning through the incredible voice and acting abilities of Jim Carrey. Carrey is the voice of Scrooge at various ages and all three ghosts, and astoundingly, he brings something different to each one. Carrey’s voice is unique in each role and captures the change of a promising young man into a greedy old lonely man. Carrey shows us the crotchety-ness of Scrooge, the ethereal quality of the Ghost of Christmas Past, the fun-loving Santa-like nature of the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the threatening feeling of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Among many enjoyable scenes in the film, one of the best scenes is when the ghost of Scrooge’s old partner, Jacob Marley visits him and although he is scared out of his wits, he manages to try and negotiate with the ghost. Other great scenes with the three spirits who visit Scrooge are tried and true to the story, but they each have uniqueness in look which hasn’t been seen before in a version of this tale. The Ghost of Christmas past is a flame-like spectre, and the Ghost of Christmas Present has a Santa-like presence with a jolly but haunting laugh. The vision Scrooge gets from the Ghost of Christmas present makes for the most interesting perspective of a “window” in the floor where he has a bird’s eye view of happenings. It is beautiful and detailed and creates great visuals for the 3-D look. Overall there is a good flow to the story and a lightness and fun quality to it, with Scrooge flying all around the city with the spirits who visit him. The animated Jacob Marley and other ghosts might be a bit too scary for youngsters, but will be enjoyable for older children and adults alike.

An improvement from “Beowulf,” with its character’s stiff movements and scarily unnatural look, 3-D that was gratuitous- arrows flying at the screen for the sake of the effect, the 3-D in “A Christmas Carol” actually enhances the film. From the opening scene that takes the viewer on an overhead view of rooftops and through the streets in a fast and furious intimate tour of the world of Scrooge, it is evident that the 3-D is enhancing the experience. The scenes where snow feels like it is falling inches from you feel as though they are in a snow globe. From this, it’s obvious that this film was crafted with incredible attention to detail; from the hairs on Scrooge’s nose, to the life-like quality of the snow, which all helps to bring the audience in to the world Zemeckis paints for us in this new animation.

Because of the wonderfully-casted voice talent and the creative look of the film, “A Christmas Carol” achieves the status of being a worthy version of the classic Charles Dickens tale. The Dickens story “A Christmas Carol” is a holiday staple for the masses and the many incarnations of the story in cartoons, books, and films shows how beloved it is and why it has survived through many generations. The retelling that Zemeckis brings with this year’s animated film is like nothing else you will see right now, and will bring the holiday spirit to any Scrooge doubting the magic of Christmas.