Read the full review here.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol makes an excellent way to introduce younger kids to the Christmas Carol story, but it’s honestly appealing to all ages. In its 25 minutes, it cuts Dickens’ story down to its most essential beats without sacrificing the novel’s tone. Indeed, this is pretty scary as far as Disney toons go, with a particularly creepy use of shadows for Goofy’s Marley. Doubly so for the Christmas Future segment, which pulls no punches: we get a full on descent to Hell.
Alan Young gives a notably nuanced performance as Ebenezer Scrooge McDuck, wringing as much nastiness and regret as one could hope for in family film.
With such a short runtime and the friendly faces of familiar characters, this is instantly appealing to the very young, including my 4 year old, who really dug it. (I’ll show her Muppet Christmas Carol next.)
Alas, that accessibility and short run time are ultimately the film’s shortcomings. You can’t get the richness of introspection and redemption of the source material with every beat of the story cut to the bone.
It’s still a worthy watch whether or not you have little ones with you.
- Review Series: A Christmas Carol
Is It Good?
Very Good (6/8)
Note: This review was originally published elsewhere. Please excuse brevity or inconsistencies in style. If you have questions or feedback, please leave a comment or contact me.
Dan is the founder and head critic of The Goods. Follow Dan on Letterboxd. Join the Discord for updates and discussion.