For most of us, all the surprises here are visual, and it's well worth seeing in 3D.
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11/06/09
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Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)
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Reviews Counted:164
Fresh:91
Rotten:73
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Robert Zemeckis' 3-D animated take on the Dickens classic tries hard, but its dazzling special effects distract from an array of fine performances from Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating]
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:04-11-2009
Synopsis: Director Robert Zemeckis (THE POLAR EXPRESS) continues to work his holiday magic with A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This 3-D adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic will use the motion capture technology... [More]
Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Reviews for Disney's A Christmas Carol
As a movie to get you in the Christmas spirit, A Christmas Carol does its job nicely.
11/06/09
Really, who cares? The essence of the story has been lost in the process. Give me The Muppet Christmas Carol any day.
11/06/09
Zemeckis' motion-capture animated features continue to be odd presents, offering undeniable technical skill with a host of other obstacles hindering total enjoyment.
11/03/09
Top CriticA Christmas Carol is an engaging and relatively dark take on a seasonal classic that finds director Robert Zemeckis refining the performance capture animation technique he used to mixed effect on The Polar Express and Beowulf.
11/03/09
There's no heart, and I don't put it simply on the visuals that almost look real at times. Amazing 3D is the only thing this dark version does really well.
11/26/09
...there isn't much to fall in love with in Robert Zemeckis's visually overpowering motion-capture-animation...
11/24/09
takes full advantage of the technologies available, but fails to illuminate or otherwise expand Dickens' story in any meaningful ways
11/23/09
If you're remaking a classic merely to one-up whoever remade it previously, is it really worth the effort? Fortunately, Jim Carrey decided not to waste a wasted opportunity.
11/18/09
Watching the humans in this live action/animation combo is like watching 'Zombies On Parade'
11/17/09
The 3D isn't enough to justify yet another version of this familiar tale; the film seems more opportunistic than necessary.
11/13/09
This film is dark and scary enough that it just might scare some in the audience straight.
11/13/09
What's curious about the movie is that you can tart it up all you want, but Dickens' words still resonate, his characters still infuriate, frighten and touch, and there's still satisfaction to be had in his tale.
11/12/09
Jamais deixa de impressionar.
11/12/09
It's a film so determined to make you notice it, that it comes across like an obnoxious child screaming, 'Look at me!'
11/12/09
... the heart of the story is there, and Zemeckis honors and respects it.
11/12/09
Leaving aside the technology behind Robert Zemeckis' animated A Christmas Carol, this is the most satisfying version of Charles Dickens' oft-told tale in years.
11/11/09
The real nightmare before Christmas - way too scary for the kiddies and not nearly warm enough for audiences of all ages.
11/10/09
The motion capture animation is top-notch and it's hard not to be impressed with what Robert Zemeckis has wrought, even if there's the occasional sense he's pandering to an audience that can't get through a 90 minute story without a few yuks and a chase.
11/10/09
The biggest surprise... is that it isn't absolutely dreadful. Perfectly pointless, maybe, but not dreadful.
11/09/09
Latest News for Disney's A Christmas Carol
November 17, 2009:
Disney's Christmas Wishes Coming True 
Robert Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" has divided critics, but Disney was hoping for a holiday movie with long theatrical legs -- and so far, the studio couldn't be happier. More...
November 08, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Christmas Carol Tops, Precious Rocks
This weekend Moviegoers powered Jim Carrey's holiday kidpic A Christmas Carol to a number one opening but some fans remained stingy preventing the Disney 3D toon from meeting... More...
November 05, 2009:
Critics Consensus: A Christmas Carol Dazzles But Disappoints
This week at the movies, we've got some modern-day Dickens (Disney's A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman); a button-pushing thriller (The Box, starring... More...
November 04, 2009:
Ho-ho-horror! 10 Scary Christmas Movies
This week's eerie mo-cap rendering of the ghostly, dark Dickens morality tale 'A Christmas Carol' from director Robert Zemeckis is far from being the only yuletide movie where... More...
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