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:

Victorian Era | Apparition | Miser | Christmas | Charles Dickens

US Showtimes:

The Bridge: CDL IMAX LA

12:00pm | 2:20 | 4:40 | 7:00 | 9:20

(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
Steve Valentine	...	Funerary Undertaker / Topper
Daryl Sabara	...	Undertaker's Apprentice / Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Peter Cratchit / Well-Dressed Caroler
Sage Ryan	...	Tattered Caroler
Amber Gainey Meade	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler
Ryan Ochoa	...	Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Young Cratchit Boy / Ignorance Boy / Young Boy with Sleigh / Tiny Tim
Bobbi Page	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler
Ron Bottitta	...	Tattered Caroler / Well-Dressed Caroler
Sammi Hanratty	...	Beggar Boy / Young Cratchit Girl / Want Girl
Julian Holloway	...	Fat Cook / Portly Gentleman #2 / Business Man #3
Gary Oldman	...	Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim
Colin Firth	...	Fred
Cary Elwes	...	Portly Gentleman #1 / Dick Wilkins / Mad Fiddler / Guest #2 / Business Man #1
Robin Wright Penn	...	Fan / Belle
Bob Hoskins	...	Mr. Fezziwig / Old Joe

Also Known As:

A Christmas Carol: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Disney's A Christmas Carol (USA) (complete title)
Рождественская история (Russia) [ru]
Bozicna pesem 3D (Slovenia) [sl]
Disney's Christmas Carol (Japan: English title) [en]
Eine Weihnachtsgeschichte (Germany) [de]
En julsaga (Sweden) [sv]
Karácsonyi ének (Hungary) [hu]
Le drôle de Noël de Scrooge (France) [fr]
Los fantasmas de Scrooge (Argentina) [es]
Mia hristougenniatiki istoria (Greece) [el]
O poveste de Craciun (Romania) [ro]
Opowiesc wigilijna (Poland) [pl]
Os Fantasmas de Scrooge (Brazil) [pt]
Saiturin joulu (Finland) [fi]
Um Conto de Natal (Portugal) [pt]
Yeni yil sarkisi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

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 | Spain:7 | Iceland:7 | Hong Kong:IIA | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Mexico:A | Portugal:M/6 | Philippines:G (MTRCB)

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Jim Carrey's first project with Walt Disney Pictures.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Scenes showing London from the air incorporate numerous anachronistic features, including the Millennium Footbridge (opened 2000), the reconstructed Globe Theatre (opened 1997) and Southwark Bridge (opened 1921).

Quotes:

[from trailer]
[soaring through the air past the moon]
Ebenezer Scrooge: Oh, my!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Live from Studio Five: (#1.37)" (2009)

Do some basic research parents

I read that this film has been labeled by parents as a "Disney Bomb" because it's too scary for their young children. Parents who take kids to see any movie need to be aware of something: if it's rated PG there are likely going to be scenes that your six year old will not enjoy -- even if the name Disney is attached to it. The cutesy versions of A Christmas Carol (The Muppet Christmas Carol and Disney's own Mickey's Christmas Carol for example) have little in common with the classic, and sometimes very scary Charles Dickens story. The plot should be familiar to just about anyone who has been alive sometime during the past 150 years, and the fact that there are spirits (ghosts) in the story should also be a red flag to parents. Especially since two of them are downright frightening in just about any version of the story.

The truth is that this is one of the most beautiful and faithful remakes of the Dickens classic. The dialogue is taken nearly word-for-word from the book, and the look and feel of the film brilliantly capture what you would imagine wintertime in London in the 19th century to be like. A few of the special effects are a bit over-the-top, but most work well and add enough pizazz for cynical modern-day audiences. The scenes featuring the Ghost of Christmas Present are worth the price of admission alone.

Once every few months I'm dragged kicking and screaming to see a new film. I can't stand wasting my hard-earned dollar on the crap Hollywood throws at us these days, but every once in a while I'm pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoy a movie. This was definitely one of those rare times.