A Christmas Carol (2009)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel)
Robert Zemeckis (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

An animated retelling of Charles Dickens classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. |

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Motion Capture | Remake | Holiday In Title

US Showtimes:

The Bridge: Cinema de lux

11:30am | 12:30pm | 2:00 | 3:00 | 4:30 | 5:30 | 7:00 | 8:00 | 9:20 | 10:30

(personalize)

Cast

Jim Carrey	...	Scrooge / Ghost of Christmas Past / Scrooge as a Young Boy / Scrooge as a Teenage Boy / Scrooge as a Young Man / Scrooge as a Middle-Aged Man / Ghost of Christmas Present / Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (voice)
Steve Valentine	...	Funerary Undertaker / Topper (voice)
Daryl Sabara	...	Undertaker’s Apprentice / Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Peter Cratchit / Well-Dressed Caroler (voice)
Sage Ryan	...	Tattered Caroler (voice)
Ryan Ochoa	...	Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Young Cratchit Boy / Ignorance Boy / Young Boy with Sleigh / Tiny Tim (voice)
Bobbi Page	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler (voice)
Ron Bottitta	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler (voice)
Sammi Hanratty	...	Beggar Boy / Young Cratchit Girl / Want Girl (voice)
Julian Holloway	...	Fat Cook / Portly Gentleman #2 / Business Man #3 (voice)
Gary Oldman	...	Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim (voice)
Colin Firth	...	Fred (voice)
Cary Elwes	...	Portly Gentleman #1 / Dick Wilkins / Mad Fiddler / Guest #2 / Business Man #1 (voice)
Robin Wright Penn	...	Fan / Belle (voice)
Bob Hoskins	...	Mr. Fezziwig / Old Joe (voice)
Jacquie Barnbrook	...	Mrs. Fezziwig / Fred’s Sister-in-Law / Well-Dressed Caroler (voice)

Also Known As:

A Christmas Carol: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Disney's A Christmas Carol (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for scary sequences and images.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #45640) | UK:PG | Finland:K-11 | Norway:11 | South Korea:All | Ireland:PG | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Japan:G | Singapore:PG | Brazil:Livre | Netherlands:9 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Chile:TE

Company:

ImageMovers

Trivia:

Robert Zemeckis' first project with the Walt Disney Company since Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Goofs:

Continuity: Marley tells Scrooge that one spirit will visit him at 1 in the morning for the next three nights. But they all appear to him in the same night.

Quotes:

[From trailer] [catching himself laughing like the Ghost of Christmas Present]
Ebenezer Scrooge: I've heard that laugh before.
[resumes laughing]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The X Factor: (#6.19)" (2009)

Lacking a bit of Spirit

Greetings again from the darkness. This is a stunningly visual film with animation that will take your breath away. My eyes could hardly keep up with the opening credits as we "flew" through the city. However, as amazing as the film looks and as wonderful as the Jim Carrey voices are, the film still lacks something.

What may have happened is that some of the Dickens story was cut due to costs and the desire to concentrate on Scrooge. I am not saying it was a mistake, it just prevents us from ever connecting to the plight of Cratchet (Gary Oldman) or Scrooge's nephew (Colin Firth).

One thing is for sure, the spirits are frightening. Marley's spirit will have kids running for the exits or hiding behind parents. That will probably hurt the film as it will need kids to build any type of box score.

Definitely worth seeing for the visuals, but certainly not in the top versions if you really want to capture the spirit of Dickens' novel.