It’s hard to tell exactly whether Netflix’s new animated version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic is for young children responding to sensory overload or drugged-out college students seeking it.
In either case, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol delivers in spades, delivering a story designed for maximum visual impact turbocharged reproduction. A very loose remake of the live-action musical starring Scrooge Albert Finney, this edition also includes songs from the film written by two-time Academy Award winner Leslie Bricusse.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
BOTTOM LINE Good for small fry, although a little too strong at times.
Published
Date : Friday, December 2 (Netflix) Throwing: Luke Evans , Ollie Via Coleman, Jonathan Pryce , Jesse Buckley , Johnny Flynn, Teddy Ref Dion Nicholas, Fra Free, James Cosmo, Giles Trela Director and Writer: Stephen Donnelly 1 hour36 minute
Director Stephen Donnelly has promised “psychedelic, time travel and musical surprises” in countless versions of this oft-dramatized tale, and he keeps his word, for better or worse . The film’s vibrant animation—the opening scene depicts a London more colorful than ever—feels more Hannah-Barbera than Dickens. It quickly becomes downright in its frenetic sci-fi-style visuals, depicting Scrooge flying from one time dimension to another, often with supernatural elements. The style of the film is likely to stimulate the sensibilities of the youngest viewers. This Scrooge, on the other hand, has a cute dog, that’s all, though it’s hard to imagine him shelling out his hard-earned money to feed it.
A terrific cast has been assembled, starting with Luke Evans, a miser with suitably gray hair but a smooth face to show He had Botox injections. The Welsh actor is brilliant in the role, using his extensive theater music experience to great advantage in his songs. But when Jonathan Pryce turns up as the truly terrifying Jacob Marley, you find yourself thinking how awesome he would be The miser (Scrooge). Oscar winner
Olivia Colman
has a particularly crisp Christmas Past, even though her character looks more like a Beauty and the Beast
with an oversized candle on top of her head.
All ghostly characters are depicted in an exaggerated manner. The giant Christmas present ghost, accompanied by alien-like winged minions, is reminiscent of another Disney musical. He’s like the genie in Aladdin, as Trevor Dion Nicholas’s booming voice says, which is Nicholas’ character in the London production . The Ghost of Future Christmas brings the whole thing into utter horror mode, with silent, grim ghosts with blazing fiery eyes (so many flames are on display throughout the film that the film seems to be made for budding young Pyromaniac) and Scrooge descend to what appears to be the bowels of Hell.
It’s really a bit much, and the sustained tone from some sort of diabolical fantasia to lively musical numbers proves more than a little jarring. It doesn’t help that none of the songs are particularly memorable. (Anyone remember the movies “Happiness”, “I Like Life” or “Christmas Children”? No Come to think of it.) There are some charming moments, especially when Scrooge looks back at his past and meets his lost love, Isabel (Jesse Buckley), in this version Mr. Fitzwig (James Cosmo ) daughter. Overall, Scrooge is portrayed in a more sympathetic way than usual, which makes his transition to holiday cheer at the end of the story less impactful.
This is certainly not a A Christmas Carol for purists , if the undeniably imaginative animation might turn those off yet high sugar. But it provides a decent enough introduction to the story for younger viewers who are expected to move on to more subtle versions of the classic story. The film is dedicated to Bricusse, who passed away last year.
Full credits
Production company: Timeless Films Distributor: Netflix Cast: Luke E. Vince, Olivia Colman, Jonathan Pryce, Jesse Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Fra Free, James Cosmo, Giles Trela Director and Writer: Stephen Donnelly Producers: Ralph Kamp, Leslie Bricusse, Andrew PearceExecutive Producers: Paul Grindey, Richard Scott Composer: Jeremy Holland-Smith 1 hour 36 minutes
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Date : Friday, December 2 (Netflix) Throwing: Luke Evans , Ollie Via Coleman, Jonathan Pryce , Jesse Buckley , Johnny Flynn, Teddy Ref Dion Nicholas, Fra Free, James Cosmo, Giles Trela Director and Writer: Stephen Donnelly 1 hour36 minute
