DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL

"...There'll be scary ghost stories. And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago." It seems a rather British tradition that Christmas time be accompanied by scary tales and ghost stories. Some of that tradition has drifted over, and trickled down, to this side of the pond, here in the good ole US of A, and perhaps the most well-known incarnate manifestation of that tradition is in Charles Dicken's classic "A Christmas Carol" (the original title of which was "A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.") and its many adaptations on film and stage. This particular adaptation of Robert Zemeckis' holds true to the scarier and darker aspects of the Dickensian story, probably more than any version I have ever seen. Purists and fans of the book who appreciate British Christmas pastimes will probably love that part. Idle American moviegoers thinking that it will be light, feel-good Disney fare will likely be a bit taken aback by it. I might as well get this out of the way -- is it the best adaptation of the story? In my opinion, no. The 1951 version A Christmas Carol (2012 release) starring Alastair Sim is the most moving and has the best character development. You see so much more of Scrooge's backstory in that version -- more of his transition from being a warm, young idealist in love with a good woman to someone who fears the world too much and seeks emotional shelter in cold hard facts and becomes bent and hardened by them; the reasons of WHY he hated his nephew (Scrooge's sister, Fanny, died giving birth to Fred), why he often struggled with self-esteem and perhaps became reclusive (his father was unkind and didn't want him around, because he blamed Ebenezer for his mother's death, which of course wasn't his fault, just as Fanny's death wasn't Fred's fault), -- and so we can empathize with Scrooge more; he becomes more human. He becomes the best kind of villain, one in which we see our own darkness, fears, and shortcomings reflected in him. This Disney version falls short of that beautiful backstory, and I struggled to give it five stars for these reasons (almost went with four), but it triumphs in other areas: First, of all, it's a Zemeckis film, and that means a solid, glorious production from start to finish. The wintry scenes are so realistic and beautiful. There are so many themes of a classic Zemeckis flick -- flying, time travel, and of course, the amazing music composed by Alan Silvestri, which also includes some BEAUTIFUL, elegant, soaring arrangements of some traditional Christmas hymns. Second, the three ghosts are marvelous, all played by Jim Carrey, which is to me a symbolic self-projection of Scrooge's past, present, and (tentative) future Christmases. The Ghost of Christmas past, especially, is bar none, the most creative and artistic interpretation of that timeless, mysterious character. If you have not seen it, I don't want to spoil it -- but the effect of that character for me, was reciprocal of the form and shape he takes -- "luciferous", in the best, most angelic sense possible. The animation is superb. The 19th century London-era conditions and Christmas decorations are invitingly real. Scrooge's harsh features and coldness of personalty are well-depicted, as are the youthful joys he later displays, post-redemption. The animation is of course, more advanced than Zemeckis' earlier "Polar Express". All in all, though not the best adaptation in my opinion, it's still a great movie, a great escape into Dickens and beautiful Christmas artistry. For those who enjoyed the ghostly British traditions of this version, and would like to see something similar, I'd recommend the first episode of the second season of "Lark Rise to Candleford" Episode 1 [HD ]. (I always like to include similar products in my reviews for those who share my same interests, and hope you find that helpful.)

One of the most impressively effective and beautiful 3D movies ever rendered for the new 3D generation. I have to say that I saw this movie in 3D at theaters.. and it was ok. I say that because I thoroughly enjoyed it, but didn't think the 3D was as phenomenal as other films. I was hesitant to purchase it again on Bluray-3D simply for this fact, but got it through Amazon's Disney discount offer, which made the purchase at a value. Wow, was I wrong with the 3D effects. The movie looks GORGEOUS on my 3D television. The story is amazingly well done, if not a bit creepy in some parts. It does push the boundaries of a PG film. Some parts, especially the Jacob Marley and third ghost of Christmas Future, are almost too frightening for small children, especially in 3D. But older kids (~8-10 yrs old) would probably love it, even if they do not understand what is being said. The movie uses almost exact prose from the Dickens masterpiece, therefore adults would understand the speech more than their children- after all, the original story by Mr. Charles was written as a ghost story intended for adults rather than for children. The underlying themes and ideas are great for all ages, but better understood and directed towards the lives of adults in this corruptive world that we live in. Pay no mind to the harsh reviews of others here on Amazon, the movie is excellent. A classic! Jim Carrey truly delivers his best performance, something that my father will watch and be impressed to know that it is actually the goofy, suggestive man that he once despised as Ace Ventura. A redeeming performance on his behalf for a movie of redemption during the holiday season. Zemeckis adds his eye-candy flavor to an already well-established tale to make this a fun and rewarding experience that rivals other holiday films for the best movie to enjoy next to a crackling fire on Christmas Eve. Oscar-worthy performances by all, especially Carrey. Rewarding 3D effects that truly immerse you into the adventure. Well worth its place in everyone's holiday collection. Easily five stars.

Le cadeau a été très apprécié

There are so many different versions of Christmas Carol and I already have different styles. This being animated and Disney, wasn't sure it might not be a little more for younger generation, glad I took the risk. The animation is beautiful and the film so well executed and this is now going to stay in my christmas DVD collection and will come out year after year to watch, on the run up to Christmas Day. Recommend!

A Christmas Carol (3D) First Class Movie and Superb Sound with Solid 3D Depth. Enjoy the awesome screenplay and Jim Carrey Voice. ==================================================================================== Disc Packing info: As Usual Contains Single Disc Disc Title: A_CHRISTMAS_CAROL_3D_GBR Disc Size: 39,791,946,317 bytes (37 GB) Length: 1:35:48.200 (h:m:s.ms) Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 22536 kbps / 1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1 Video: MPEG-4 MVC Video / 14269 kbps / Audio: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3660 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Audio: English / Dolby Digital Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / Dolby Surround Audio: Spanish / DTS Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit Audio: Portuguese / Dolby Digital Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps Audio: Hungarian / Dolby Digital Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps Subtitle: English / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: English / 2.285 kbps Subtitle: Spanish / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Spanish / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Portuguese / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Portuguese / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Hungarian / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Hungarian / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Dutch / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Swedish / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Norwegian / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Danish / 0.000 kbps Subtitle: Finnish / 0.000 kbps Regards, AVBuff™ (Audio/Video Fan)

Película genial, hacía mucho que la buscaba en esta presentación y por fin la pude conseguir, llegó antes de lo esperado y el empaque adecuadamente evitó su maltrato. Contento al 100%

This is the best version of A Christmas Carol, in my opinion. Its animated and has Jim Carey. What more could you want.