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Attention Moms!

I usually do not do this, however I feel compelled as a parent.  I took my eight year old son, Caboose, to see Disney’s holiday animated movie and was completely underwhelmed and just a little appalled.  A Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday story by Charles Dickens that has been told many times and in many formats, as it is a wonderful story of redemption.  I will go on record and say that I love this story so much that I have seen countless versions (my favorite is Alastair Sims’ “Scrooge“), so I am extremely familiar with the story.  This latest rendition, Disney’s A Christmas Carol by Robert Zemeckis, is a crime against Dickens.  I am unsure where to start this little rant…. Oh, let’s start with Jim Carrey.

Zemeckis tried to recreate the Polar Express formula with A Christmas Carol, in that he used a single actor or “give life” to multiple characters in the film.  It worked with Polar Express because Tom Hanks is an extraordinary dramatic actor.  It did not work in A Christmas Carol because Jim Carrey is not an extraordinary dramatic actor.  Every character, with the exception of Ebenezer Scrooge, is an over-the-top, over-done, and ultimately irritating hallow imitation of Dicken’s original characters.  At no point did I feel compassion, empathy, or connection with any of the characters.  The redemption of the character and the moral of the story didn’t reach me (or anyone else) as the focus of this movie was action.  Zemeckis tried to turn a dramatic masterpiece into a Michael Bay’esque blockbuster.  It’s an #EPICFAIL.

Ultimately, I am unsure who this movie is for…. Not for young holiday movie viewers (as it is way too intense) and not Dicken’s fans.  I am searching very hard to figure out who this movie was supposed to target?  This is just one Mother’s opinion, but I like my holiday animated movies to be tender, heart-warming, and fun.  Disney’s A Christmas Carol was none of these.  Don’t waste your holiday time or holiday money on this offering.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Nov. 12, 2009