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A Christmas Carol

  • Video
  • 1997
  • PG
  • 1h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Curry, Kath Soucie, and Frank Welker in A Christmas Carol (1997)
AdventureAnimationDramaFamilyFantasyHolidayMusical

Misanthropic miser Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley's ghost is followed by three more spirits from Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Com... Read allMisanthropic miser Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley's ghost is followed by three more spirits from Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Each has a lesson Scrooge must learn.Misanthropic miser Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley's ghost is followed by three more spirits from Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Each has a lesson Scrooge must learn.

  • Director
    • Stan Phillips
  • Writers
    • Charles Dickens
    • Jymn Magon
  • Stars
    • Tim Curry
    • Whoopi Goldberg
    • Michael York
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stan Phillips
    • Writers
      • Charles Dickens
      • Jymn Magon
    • Stars
      • Tim Curry
      • Whoopi Goldberg
      • Michael York
    • 18User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos44

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    Top cast22

    Edit
    Tim Curry
    Tim Curry
    • Ebenezer Scrooge
    • (voice)
    Whoopi Goldberg
    Whoopi Goldberg
    • Spirit of Christmas Present
    • (voice)
    Michael York
    Michael York
    • Bob Cratchit
    • (voice)
    Edward Asner
    Edward Asner
    • Marley
    • (voice)
    • (as Ed Asner)
    Frank Welker
    Frank Welker
    • Debit
    • (voice)
    Kath Soucie
    Kath Soucie
    • Ghost of Christmas Past
    • (voice)
    • …
    Jodi Benson
    Jodi Benson
    • Belle
    • (voice)
    John Garry
      Amick Byram
      Amick Byram
        Ian Whitcomb
        • Opening Narrator
        • (voice)
        Joe Lala
          David Wagner
            Bettina Bush
            Bettina Bush
              Jerry Houser
              Jerry Houser
                Sam Saletta
                Sam Saletta
                • Boy Scrooge
                • (voice)
                • …
                Alan Shearman
                Alan Shearman
                • Additional Characters
                • (voice)
                Jarrad Kritzstein
                • Tiny Tim
                • (voice)
                Cathy Riso
                  • Director
                    • Stan Phillips
                  • Writers
                    • Charles Dickens
                    • Jymn Magon
                  • All cast & crew
                  • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

                  User reviews18

                  6.01K
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                  Featured reviews

                  xooxhottstuffxoox

                  Its amazing

                  See the Disney version is so Disney i love this one because of the fact its a musical i love it so much I'm lookin for soundtrack lyrics it is the best carol I've seen i love Disney i really do but this one is the Best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its not boring at all it gives a warm welcome to the first timers who've never seen a Christmas carol Disney u expect it to be good personally i think Disney tries to hard so now I'm glad to see one that is just right i vote this in the top five its soooo good my favorite part is with bettina and him on the bridge and when they are singing i love that song it has great rhythm along with the song when hes in boarding school reading about robinson caruso oh i love this movie and i think every one should give it a chance before they judge it
                  8TheLittleSongbird

                  Charming and worthwhile

                  This is not the best Christmas Carol I've seen, The Alastair Sim, George C.Scott and Muppet versions are versions I prefer. But this 1997 animated film is much better than the 2001 film which was also animated and had Simon Callow and Kate Winslet, that would have been decent had it not been so dull.

                  This Christmas Carol is not perfect. There are parts of the film that drag, especially the first 15 minutes or so. Also while I have seen much worse animation as some of the colours and backgrounds are better than expected, there are some shortcuts with the occasionally awkward character design and the frames are quite simplistic.

                  Flaws aside, this film I think is charming, worthwhile and underrated. The incidental music is absolutely beautiful, while I quite liked the songs actually particularly Santa's Sooty Suit and the very touching duet between Belle and young Ebeneezer. This version is not the most faithful, there are some changes, specifically the character Debit who I was in two minds of whether he was really that necessary to the story and the fact the ghost of Christmas Present ages throughout.

                  There are some changes though that I think worked, particularly the bit where Robinson Crusoe appears as a spirit and the part where Tiny Tim is reading the same book and Scrooge is reading along which really quite touched me. Even with the changes though, the spirit of the classic story is there. The crucial scenes are there, you do empathise with Scrooge throughout, the ending is marvellous being very heartwarming and as well as some added dialogue(the Mr Grumpy Face line is very funny) some of the film's writing is lifted from the text of the book as you can see in the scene in the beginning with Fred and the ending at Bob Cratchit's house.

                  The voice cast is top notch. Edward Asner is a good Jacob Marley, Michael York is very spirited and Jodi Benson is also touching. Support wise, the best for me was Whoopi Golberg who embodies her character very well and seems to be having a great deal of fun. Best of all is Tim Curry in the title role, right from the voice to the delivery of the lines, he is just wonderful.

                  Overall, while it is not the best or most perfect version there is, I enjoyed it a lot. 8/10 Bethany Cox
                  9zsofikam

                  Sweet And Entertaining

                  Sweet, entertaining, and underrated are the three words I would use to describe this Christmas Carol. The story itself is so famous that I won't bother with summarizing it and I highly recommend that the eight or so people who don't know it watch this film (if you can't find a copy, it's on YouTube). While there have been animated versions before and musical versions before, this is the only version I know of that is an animated musical (if you know of any other such versions, let me know), and I think it does both of these aspects very well, especially since I had an extremely hard time getting Santa's Sooty Suit out of my brain. Likewise with the animation, which is crisp and bright without being too bright. This movie sticks pretty close to the original and the few changes it does make actually work, such as Scrooge having an equally grouchy dog and Tiny Tim accompanying his father to work. The ghosts are very good as well, especially the ghost of Christmas Future, who reminds me somewhat of the Grim Reaper. The duet between a young Scrooge and Belle is very touching and bittersweet.
                  Kirpianuscus

                  for kids. and not only

                  The first temptation is to define it as modest animation. And you are just wrong. Because it is a version for kids and this fact makes it just inspired adaptation, from the dog to the beautiful ghosts and the dialogues.

                  It has the virtue of impressive cast and it is not only about names but about the work of actors , Tim Curry and Woopy Goldberg being the most easy good examples.

                  A charming animation- the fair definition of it, nostalgia source for children of 1990 decade and smart crafted adaptation .

                  Indeed, nothing new , in essence but good kick for discover , for young readers, Robinson Crusoe or the facts of king Arthur.

                  So, little more than pleasant. And not exactly so...modest.
                  10danmcn61

                  Loved it!

                  Well, I HAVE seen this version and I loved it. The animation was very well done, the music was great, and Tim Curry did a wonderful job of portraying Scrooge. I don't think that anything Disney has to offer can compare. The story in this version of course deviates from the original story, the ghost of Christmas Past is a child rather than the usual middle-aged spirit and the ghost of Christmas Present is Whoopi Goldberg with a preposterous accent. What can I say? It was made for kids to enjoy and my kids loved it and watched it again and again, as did I. Those who are purists for the story should stick with Mr Magoo. There isn't anything objectionable in this version and I'd love to see a similar treatment of David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, etc... instead of the usual crap that is on network TV

                  Storyline

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                  Did you know

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                  • Trivia
                    Scrooge has a dog named "Debit" in this animated musical movie. In other movie versions, he does not have a dog, because it was not one of the characters in Charles Dickens' original novel.
                  • Connections
                    Referenced in State of the Union: Prison Thoughts (2022)

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                  Details

                  Edit
                  • Release date
                    • December 3, 1998 (Hungary)
                  • Country of origin
                    • United States
                  • Language
                    • English
                  • Also known as
                    • Cuento de Navidad
                  • Production company
                    • DIC Entertainment
                  • See more company credits at IMDbPro

                  Tech specs

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                  • Runtime
                    1 hour 12 minutes
                  • Color
                    • Color
                  • Sound mix
                    • Stereo

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