Mickey's Christmas Carol - The Definitive Film Version

Well, here it is, guys... Christmas is just a couple weeks away. My personal favorite holiday, because let's be honest with ourselves: what could possibly be better than gifts and all the food you'd expect from Thanksgiving part 2.

You're not leaving this table until you put on ALL 50 pounds of that winter

weight, Billy.

Also, there is no other holiday that boasts such a fantastic array of themed movies like Christmas. Think about it: what is one of your most fond Christmas memories as a kid? If your answer is not huddling in front of the TV with your family to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the proper one, not the Jim Carrey version) or Santa Claus is Coming to Town, than you're either A) lying, or B) from a family that demonized technology. Or perhaps that classic film, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is more your flavor.

I'm just kidding. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer should be 

absolutely nobody's flavor. Unless you enjoy bitter.

It's hard to argue, however, that the most retold Christmas story of all time is Charles Dicken's classic novel A Christmas Carol. Since the beginnings of motion picture, A Christmas Carol was told again and again to all different generations of movie-goers. Most are considered classics, though a few slipped through the cracks and became forgettable.

And creepy. Let this be a lesson: Jim Carrey and Christmas is 

a combination for disaster 100% of the time.

Though which one is the definitive retelling? There is a veritable slew of versions to pick from... and I'm ashamed to say that I have not sat down and watched all of them (yet). People will argue that the Muppets Christmas Carol is the best retelling. I'm sure there's even a school of thought supporting the newest version of the film as the candidate. 

For me, however, there's only one version that sticks out in my mind every time.

Mickey's Christmas Carol. 

Go ahead - scoff. 

Let me break this down for you. First, all of the characters work immaculately well within their respective roles. Donald Duck is a fantastic Fred, though this retelling doesn't give a whole lot of time to develop him... but I'm pretty sure nobody's watched any of the movies to follow the adventures of Fred. The secondary characters are also great, and work well within their roles... my particular favorites are Rat and Mole playing the charity workers.

But let's focus on the characters that matter to the longevity of the story. Obviously, Scrooge McDuck was going to play... well... Scrooge. Prior to this film, Scrooge has been featured in a multitude of Carl Barks' Donald Duck comics, and has been featured in one other film to my knowledge.

Our friends in the US government could use a sit-down to study this film.

Scrooge already possesses most of the character traits that the role requires... probably because he's already Scrooge's duck counterpart. He was predestined for this role.

Bob Cratchet is played here by the world's most beloved mouse. And why wouldn't he? Of course Mickey would be so loyal as to work an unreasonable number of hours at a fraction of the pay for his miserly overlord - and he would do it with a smile on his face. He sees the bright side of all things, even in the face of cruel and unusual poverty and a dying, crippled Tiny Tim, because that's just the kind of character that Mickey Mouse Bob Cratchet is. That puts the kind of low-life character Scrooge is in perspective, and that's what makes Mickey's role work so well in this retelling.

Now, let's talk about the spirits. Goofy, admittedly, is a bit of a strange Jacob Marley. And for years, I've always thought his voice and the character choice in general was off-putting, but just tonight as I was re-watching, I came to a revelation:

It's Goofy, but it's not really Goofy.

If you're familiar with the Disney shorts from the late 40's and into the 70's, you're probably familiar with this iteration of Goofy. This is actually Mr. George Geef, the everyman family guy who doesn't really get himself into too much cartoony trouble, but would prefer to live the straight, normal life of waking up on a Sunday morning, laying in his hammock and reading the paper until 2 PM. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I have come to believe that Jacob Marley was played by Goofy, but not the Goofy we automatically picture inside our heads. I believe that the writers entirely intended Marley to be George Geef, the misguided but hard working foreteller of Scrooge's fate. 

Finally, we come to the actual spirits themselves. Jiminy might have been able to play any of the three spirits, as he served as Pinocchio's adviser down temptation and choosing between right and wrong. He serves best, though, just as Disney cast him. It's already too late for Scrooge to change his past, and the spirit of conscience-ness is here to remind him that he messed up when he foreclosed the honeymoon cabin. The ghost of Christmas present isn't my most favorite, played by Willie the Giant from Fun and Fancy Free. He was animated really well, though, and he serves as the bridge to a pretty important moment in the movie, which is when Scrooge is introduced to Tiny Tim and realized that maybe he should consider giving Cratchet the opportunity to not have to live like a hobo, as Scrooge watches him literally splitting peas for his entire family.

But it's the ghost of Christmas future that makes this movie memorable. Just in case any of you out there forgot that Pegleg Pete was capable of being just as menacing at literally any of the Disney movie villains, I suggest going back and watching him perform in Mickey's Christmas Carol. The choice to shroud him in darkness and silence is a fantastic catalyst for the vision of the solemn moment where we discover that Tiny Tim loses his battle with... whatever disease he was afflicted with, and lowly Cratchet has to leave behind the only material memory that he possesses. And than the spirit sadistically reminds Scrooge that he stopped being important to anybody by throwing him into the fiery nightmare pit that is Scrooge's grave.

That's after we spend an intimate minute and a half listening to Peter

Lorre weasel talk about how unloved Scrooge was.

The cast of characters fit in perfectly well with what most people consider to be the accepted story of A Christmas Carol, which is where I feel that adaptations like the Muppet Christmas Carol fall short. Also, I feel that another distinction between Mickey and Kermit's versions is that for all of the silliness that could possibly ensue with a Mickey Mouse retelling of the story, there's something about this version that's dignifying. It takes itself at least somewhat seriously... particularly, when Scrooge is faced with the life he's helped Cratchet fall into, and than when we meet the ghost of Christmas future. I personally did not feel that the Muppets version captured any of the more serious moments as powerfully, and I think that's a lot of what make it fall flat to me.

If you disagree and want to loudly tell me exactly how wrong I am about

everything I've said here, please feel free to comment :) I will accept all comments!

In summary, though, just everything works about Mickey's Christmas Carol, and it has yet to be topped by any other version of the story... at least in my eyes. I, personally, have made it a part of my Christmas tradition every year, and if you haven't seen it yet, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy, or find other ways to view it if you're poor. 

I still have yet to watch the Chuck Jones / Richard Williams version of the story, though... I should do that this year. Until that point, though, Mickey's Christmas Carol still reigns supreme.

With screen grabs I've seen around the net like this one, I can barely

contain my excitement. Or my laughter. Let's be honest - look how ridiculous

this is.

And God bless us, every one.

Happy holidays! :>

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