Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

SnoopyStyle Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck) is a miserly greedy duck. His clerk Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse) is overworked and underpaid. His nephew Fred (Donald Duck) invites him to Christmas dinner. He is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Goofy) who tells him about the approaching 3 spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jiminy Cricket) shows him the past and the origins of his miserable ways when he foreclose on Isabelle (Daisy Duck) for being an hour late rather than marrying her. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant) shows him the hardship faced by Bob Cratchit and his family. Then the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him the funeral of little Tiny Tim.For such a short running time, this is a well made version of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. It is snappy and quick. It's the essential highlights. It doesn't add anything new but it's done with great sincerity. It's a nice distillation of the original material that the kids will be able to follow.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) The result is a thing of beauty and I have absolutely no idea how this one lost the animated short film category to "Sundae in New York" 30 years ago. It features all the famous characters, from Scrooge over Donald to Micky and Goofy and some of the lesser known ones too like Grandma Duck. They're all turned into characters from the famous Dickens story and of course the final result brings all the heart you had hoped for. The Christmas past scenes with Isabelle (Daisy who for once is not Donald's but Scrooge's sweetheart) and, especially, Tiny Tim with his crutches (and the teddy in the end) were truly moving. The scene at his house was a perfect display of how you really don't need much financially if you're surrounded by the ones you love. But also the humor doesn't come too short. You can always count on Goofy when it comes to that. I laughed so hard when Scrooge told the ghost of his old partner how he had class by doing such horrible things and Goofy at first laughs flattered, but then realizes what's going on and goes like "NO!". The voice acting is top-notch. Alan Young makes a good scrooge, but the highlight is definitely the supporting cast. Wayne Allwine's Mickey has always been a thing of beauty. Always has been, always will be. And the film has historic value as well as this was Clarence Nash's very last performance as everybody's favorite Duck (shut up, Daffy) almost 50 years after Nash voiced Donald the very first time.So all in all, this one delivers everything you can hope for (including the sweetest ending) in an animated short-film. It's having its 30th anniversary this year and is still a much better watch than most of the Christmas-related stuff they're releasing these days, especially during the holidays. Show it to your children and you will not regret it.

Scott LeBrun Disney characters fill the roles in this adaptation of the Dickens novel, with Scrooge McDuck obviously playing the role of cold blooded, greedy businessman Ebenezer Scrooge. His timid, overworked employee Bob Cratchit (Mickey) and nephew Fred (Donald) try to instill in him the Christmas spirit, but it's no use. However, in the attempt to make Scrooge see the light, he's visited by a succession of ghosts, starting with his deceased partner Jacob Marley (Goofy), who show him the progression of his character over the years, and the possible consequences. All in all, this is very likable, and often very funny, in the Disney tradition, and the talent involved do a decent job (at least this viewer thinks so) in balancing the serious moments and sentiment with some broad humour and slapstick. Goofy, not surprisingly, does a fair bit of it, turning Marleys' ghost into a clumsy bumbler. Admittedly, the main criticism of the special arises from condensing Dickens's novel into a half hour piece; it definitely feels a little rushed (although the very young, and those with short attention spans, may have no complaints on the matter). Still, there's much to enjoy, and it's amusing to see so many characters from so many Disney productions over the years cast in the various roles. Willie the Giant / The Ghost of Christmas Present is particularly funny, especially when he's searching for a particular house, lifts the roof off of one, and there's a scream heard. His reaction is priceless. The vocal performers are all excellent, especially Alan Young who always was an inspired choice for the voice of Scrooge. The animation is fine and the song composed for this special ("Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day", by Fredrick Searles and Irwin Kostal) is a reasonably good one. Some of the smaller fry may find the sequence with Pete / The Ghost of Christmas Future a little spooky, but overall this definitely makes for pleasant family viewing. Eight out of 10.

Foux_du_Fafa Over a quarter of a century before a motion-capture Jim Carey muttered "Bah Humbug" for the house that Walt built, Mickey and numerous classic characters from the Disney stable got dolled in their best Victorian attire for an adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic Yuletide tale: "Mickey's Christmas Carol". A sort of cartoon costume drama, Mickey plays the underpaid Bob Cratchitt to Scrooge McDuck's Ebeneezer Scrooge (what clichéd yet inspired casting!). The usual chain of events follows, complete with a whole range of Disney characters from Donald Duck to Jiminy Cricket playing the roles.This featurette is by all means a charming holiday piece that can appeal to young and old alike. The animation and art direction, although relatively unspectacular given its unambitious nature, are quite stellar considering the fact that the animators working on this special, the future creators of "The Little Mermaid" et al, were essentially newcomers.That is not to say "Mickey's Christmas Carol" is without fault. One slight issue is that the film does not seem to always know whether it wants to be a fun piece of nostalgia or a genuinely involving and inspiring adaptation, and it does become a "Where's Waldo" of Disney characters at times. This can be charming, but equally, some of the castings do seem a bit off; I can't help but think Goofy ended up in the role of Jacob Marley simply due to the fact that they felt that he needed a part. Also, at only around 25 minutes, the story progression does seem a bit hurried. The concept may have been a bit stretched as a feature film, but between five and ten minutes extra on the running time would have fleshed some of the rushed flashback scenes out.Still, this gets a recommendation, either as a fun Disney Christmas special or as an introduction to Dickens for children.