‘A Christmas Carol’ visually spectacular

• By KEVIN MCQUARN
• 2theadvocate.com Entertainment Editor
• Published: Nov 6, 2009

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The tale of Ebenezer Scrooge has been retold countless times since Charles Dickens wrote it way back in 1843. Although there have been some original and stunning depictions of this story, very few have been as visually unique as that of director Robert Zemeckis’ new film “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.”

“A Christmas Carol” is the traditional story of Scrooge, a miserly old man who must seek redemption for his past deeds or be forced to suffer through an eternity of misery. He is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, who each take him on a journey to stir his soul. They show him things that are wonderfully happy and dreadfully disturbing--both for the audience and for poor old Scrooge.

This movie is visually everything that the public has come to expect from the House of Mouse. The 3-D animation is spectacular. The scenery is breathtaking and the characters are rendered in unbelievable detail. Unfortunately, the animated faces still can’t move exactly like real human faces, so from time to time facial movements look a bit…off. This may be creepy, but it doesn’t necessarily take away from the visual accomplishments of this movie.

Surprisingly, some of this imagery and portions of the story aren't for smaller children either. Families generally come out in droves to see Christmas movies, especially animated Christmas movies. Yet, certain scenes are grim and lean heavily to the darker side of this beloved Dickens’ tale.

Several children at the screening were visibly shaken--one even left the theater crying.

Jim Carrey, who plays seven roles (all versions of Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come), does a phenomenal job--especially on the accents. He has four throughout the course of the movie. Even though his particular style of humor fits an animated movie of this type quite well, he manages to still go over the top at times. For instance, his fiery Ghost of Christmas Past character has a tick that is funny at first, but gets rather annoying as the movie progresses.

Other actors such as Gary Oldman (Bob Cratchit, Marley’s ghost, Tiny Tim), Bob Hoskins (Old Fezziwig, Old Joe) and Robin Wright Penn (Belle, Fan) also do quite well at portraying multiple characters.

All in all, even with its few faults, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” is still a fun and beautiful film. It may not suitable for really small children, but it’s definitely worth a trip to the theater with the older members of the family.