Charles Dickens' lifelong wish to have his story retold as a three-dimensional cartoon has finally been realized. At last his soul may be at peace.
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11/05/09
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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
3-D adaptation of classic holiday tale may scare young kids.
11/05/09
If you've ever wanted to see what 3D could actually do for a film if it wasn't just used as a gimmick then check out A Christmas Carol.
11/05/09
Parental Content Review
11/05/09
Children not already familiar with the past iterations of A Christmas Carol will be in heaven if they can get past the spookier elements, while the rest of viewers will be happy with, if not quite euphoric for, what Robert Zemeckis has cooked up.
11/05/09
Happily, despite all the ornamentation in this 3-D adaptation, the pic remains mostly faithful to the novel, while only occasionally devolving into spectacle.
11/05/09
Just when you give up on it, usually in the middle of its latest, extraneous, gyroscoping thrill-ride sequence, Zemeckis reminds you that he’s capable of true visual dynamism, enhanced but not wholly dictated by the digital landscape he so clearly adores.
11/05/09
Carrey’s Scrooge is deliciously pinched and credible. As, indeed, is this film -- that is, when it feels like Dickens and not a theme park ride.
11/05/09
Have we learned nothing from The Klumps?
11/05/09
To put it bluntly, if Scroogely, Disney's 3-D animated version of A Christmas Carol is a calamity.
11/05/09
By the time A Christmas Carol finishes piling its many shiny presents with their many bells and whistles under the tree, there's no room left for tears for Tiny Tim. Bah humbug indeed.
11/05/09
Top CriticFavors thrill-ride effects that are more often the star than the servant of the story. It's like "Silent Night" played by Led Zeppelin.
11/05/09
This motion-capture animated adaptation is a real Christmas cracker.
11/05/09
Zemeckis' movie may lack the emotional impact of the 1951 British version of A Christmas Carol, starring Alastair Sim as a truly transformed and happy Scrooge. Nevertheless, it's a visual treat that respects and artfully enhances its source.
11/05/09
Enough elements of Dickens's story remain for a viewer to be refreshed by Scrooge's change of heart, and to be moved by his rediscovery of the Christmas spirit that climaxes the story.
11/05/09
A re-telling should either present a resonant or fresh thematic take. This Christmas Carol seems like a pale ghost of Dickens' magical Christmas classic.
11/05/09
Carrey's performance as the miserly misanthrope is lost amid effects more typically encountered in theme-park and video-game adventures. (P.S.: Is it just me, or does it also peeve you that the Mouse House claims proprietary rights on Dickens' title?)
11/05/09
There's some dazzling stuff here. But you get creepy, dead-eyed and inexpressive performances - even sympathetic characters end up looking like the ventriloquist's doll in that Anthony Hopkins movie.
11/05/09
It's nice of Hollywood to go to all the trouble but, honestly, Dickens doesn't need the help.
11/05/09
Charles Dickens wrote the book 50 years before movies even existed. He wrote for the imagination. And until now, movies haven't been able to measure up.
11/05/09
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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