Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
On a cold Christmas Eve, selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge has one night left to face his past — and change the future — before time runs out.
Starring: Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley
Christmas really is the best time of the year, right? This will be true for many people, but not everyone enjoys the holiday season. Some people could feel quite anxious about the idea because of the cost, other people’s expectations, and the idea of spending time with people they would normally avoid throughout the rest of the year. When these folks feel agitated by their neighbors and coworkers excitement and become overflowing with the Christmas spirit, the words “Bah Humbug” are probably not too far from their lips. If they dare to complain, they might even be accused of being like Scrooge, most likely by someone sporting a big red hat and a jumper with the Rudolf logo!
Even if we are not greedy like the cranky old moneylender, some of us might probably relate to him since we may share some of his dislike of Christmas. Old Ebenezer is first presented as a fairly miserly guy, as shown in the several adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But as we delve more into the narrative, we start to comprehend the cause of his discontent and the reason why Christmas isn’t a joyful time for him. If circumstances in our own lives have sapped our own sense of Christmas cheer, comparisons to Scrooge don’t necessarily have to be unfavorable!
Of course, if you have watched any rendition of A Christmas Carol, whether it be the one starring the Muppets, Alastair Sim, or Jim Carrey in motion capture, you will be aware that Scrooge undergoes a makeover following a few ghostly encounters on Christmas Eve. After learning a few valuable life lessons, he rediscovers his Christmas spirit and transforms into a much happier person. If we can pay attention to the teachings included in this well-known narrative, we can be motivated by his example.
We are reminded of how important family is and how little time we have with them in A Christmas Carol.It serves as a reminder that spending time with the people we care about is more important than material possessions or gifts. In addition, it encourages us to get back in touch with who we used to be before the difficulties of life made us unhappy, grumpy, and riddled with regrets for our mistakes.
We ought to all set aside time for Dickens’ classic tale, whether in its original form or in one of the numerous film adaptations, including Scrooge:A holiday song, the most recent revamping of the creator’s moralistic tale. There is still value in Netflix’s most recent animated film, so you shouldn’t say “bah humbug” if your kids encourage you to watch it with them! This new version doesn’t depart too much from what came before it, but the messages it contains are still worth remembering, especially around Christmas.
It is well-made as a movie, with 3D animation that is bright and colorful, a few good songs by the late Leslie Bricusse, and good voice acting from its acclaimed cast, including Luke Evans as Ebenezer Scrooge, Jonathan Pryce as Jacob Marley, and Olivia Colman as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who all do their jobs well.
Even though the story unfolds exactly as you would expect, director Stephen Donnelly manages to creatively retell it. One scene, in which Scrooge traverses time against a backdrop of memory-reflecting mirror fragments, is particularly impressive, and a few other sequences demonstrate the animation team’s creative abilities. The movie’s ghost scenes are particularly well-executed, such as the waxwork Ghost of Christmas Past, who transforms from a candle into a variety of other designs. However, the movie as a whole is animated well, so there is nothing to complain about there. The movie, as suggested, is predictable, but this is to be expected given that the story has been told before.
However, there are a few new additions, one of which is a farting dog named Prudence who has become Scrooge’s faithful companion. This is probably done to keep the kids entertained. In addition, there are a group of young street urchins who appear on occasion throughout the narrative, as well as flying gerbil-like creatures that accompanies Scrooge on his travels through time and will make younger readers giggle.
These augmentations don’t affect the story in any significant manner however they will keep youths from getting exhausted, particularly the people who might have griped about the shortfall of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy while watching!
Scrooge: Although this most recent version of A Christmas Carol is enjoyable enough, it will never be considered one of the best adaptations of Dickens’ story. It still has the messages of hope and kindness that many of us need to hear, it has a lot of visual impact at times, and the musical sequences, which include songs from Albert Finney’s Scrooge from 1970, aren’t too intrusive.
Purists will continuously incline toward the 1951 Alastair Sim rendition and children will be undeniably more engaged by A Muppet holiday song yet this isn’t what could be compared to a Brussels sprout that you might have been anticipating. Therefore, if you are looking for a fresh interpretation of Scrooge’s tale in place of one of the earlier movie iterations that you have probably seen a hundred times before, this is just about worth watching.