I watched 8 Christmas Carols this holiday season and was asked to rank them so I’m putting this here:
8. Bah Humduck: a shortened rendition of a Christmas Carol starring the Looney Tunes. It misses the point of the original story a lot, but the jokes were pretty hilarious. I could see myself watching this one again because it made me laugh, but as an adaptation, it’s not a good introduction to a Christmas Carol.
7. Disney’s A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey: it’s a decent enough adaptation of the original story, but doesn’t really do anything new that made it feel like it needed to exist. There are some interesting ideas from an animation standpoint, but the film could have been better.
6. An American Christmas Carol: a made for TV movie starring the Fonz from Happy Days as not Scrooge (at the age of 39). It’s a pretty good adaptation of the story that has some heart in it, but is a bit over the top in its execution of the emotions. There were a couple of scenes I really liked, but don’t feel I’ll revisit this one again.
5. Mickey Mouse in a Christmas Carol: this one is fantastic because it is able shrink the story down to roughly half an hour without sacrificing the film’s heart. That’s not an easy feat which alone makes it impressive. The jokes are funny, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is one of the most memorable of any Christmas Carol adaptation.
4. Scrooged: the most underrated Christmas Carol adaptation I know of, Bill Murray is just hilarious in the film and its satirization of the TV industry is pretty great. So are most of the smaller characters, from its takes on the ghosts and Tiny Tim, to a shotgun toting Bobcat Goldthwaite going postal in a tv studio. I love watching it every year.
3. George C. Scott’s Christmas Carol: I think this one is the ideal in color adaptation. The portrayal of Scrooge humanizes him in such a way that makes him relatable. Scott’s portrayal serves as a reminder of Scrooge’s humanity and that any person can lose sight of what’s important under the wrong circumstances. Also, it’s nice to see David Warner play a good guy since he normally played bad guys (and hated it) so it was an opportunity to extend his range.
2. A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim: I view this as the best adaptation. Being made in the 50s, there’s a simplicity to it most Christmas Carol adaptations don’t share. The black and white helps make it feel at home alongside great Christmas movies like Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn, the expansion of Scrooge’s backstory like crying over his sister’s death and Marley trying to repent on his deathbed increases its emotional depth, and the performances of everyone involved are excellent. All that together is, for me, what elevates it to perfection. It’s a must watch for all.
1. The Muppets Christmas Carol: though not as good as the last two, it still holds a special place in my heart. Each Muppet is perfectly cast, almost every scene is insanely memorable, and the music is fun to sing, even when not watching. The film is probably, for me, the most memorable and a perfect introduction to the story, as well as just a great adaptation for all ages.
Update: I was asked to watch one more Christmas Carol by a good friend so I thought I'd include it in this updated List.
5.5 1971 animated Christmas Carol: it's an impressive animated adaptation from an underrated animator. This version captures the majority of the story in thirty minutes, and is animated by Richard Williams, the animator that gave us Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It was also produced by Chuck Jones who was probably the most prolific Looney Tunes animator who gave us the Grinch. The animation style is impressive, Alastair Sim reprising Scrooge was quite lovely, and it was fun to watch even after watching the past eight. However, I didn't connect with it as much as my mother or my friend did, which likely has to do with not having grown up with it. Was happy to see it, but I would probably only watch it again with a friend. For those of you who haven't seen it yet though, please do watch it free on YouTube.
