Christmas Carol: The Movie

Drab and colorless, _Christmas Carol: The Movie_ is a dark and joyless telling of Charles Dickens classic. Greedy banker Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve in an effort to reform his wicked ways; meanwhile a nurse works to free the doctor of a children's hospital who’s been send to debtor’s prison by Scrooge. Featuring the voice talents of Simon Callow, Kate Winslet, Nicolas Cage, Rhys Ifans, and Michael Gambon, the film has a solid cast. And the writers do a good job at adapting the novel and make some interesting additions, such as the debtor’s prison subplot showing some of the harmful effects of Scrooge’s greed (though the comedic mice companions is a little silly). The animation however, is awful; using a minimalist style that’s very ridged and doesn’t allow for much movement, and except for a psychedelic sequence with the Ghost of Christmas Present, the film looks grimy and dirty. While it has its moments, overall _Christmas Carol: The Movie_ is a lackluster and uninspired film.