Disney's A Christmas Carol

Released: 2009

MPAA rating: PG

Run time: 1:36

Unless you live in a cave, you are pretty much familiar with "A Christmas Carol", so I'll spare you a plot recap. The question is did Disney get it right?? Well, first, I did see it in IMAX 3D and wow, was that experience amazing. You would not really think this classic tale would lend itself to 3D, but it really enhanced the visuals and I highly recommend the IMAX experience as THE way to see this film. Jim Carrey does an excellent job as not only Ebenezer Scrooge, but as several other characters, along with Gary Oldman, whose main role was Bob Cratchitt. The storyline adhered very closely to the original book, to the point that character narration is interlaced with the actual text as the story opens and closes. In a slight nod to Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities", the opening camera sweep through London takes you through the rich Christmas banquets and the poor children in the streets. If there is to be one criticism of the movie, and it is a fair one, it is that several of the sequences almost look like they are setting up some kind of "Christmas Carol" theme park ride. Also, despite being a timeless Christmas classic, it is important to remember that it is a ghost story and some of the ghost visits are downright scary for younger viewers. The animation was breathtaking and so lifelike that seeing Gary Oldman and Jim Carrey's faces worked into their characters almost made it feel like a live-action movie. This is probably not the best version of this story, but it was definitely a great one. It may give you a peek into my twisted mind that my personal favorite version is Bill Murray's "Scrooged". Kick off your holiday season by taking the family to an IMAX 3D presentation of this film.

Grade: A

Trailer: