Product Details

• Actors: Simon Callow, Kate Winslet, Nicolas Cage, Jane Horrocks, Michael Gambon
• Directors: Jimmy T. Murakami
• Writers: Robert Llewellyn, Charles Dickens, Piet Kroon
• Producers: Iain Harvey, Michael Algar, Nik Powell, Rainer Mockert
• Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Run Time: 77 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000AM6I2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,613 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Voice Cast, Great Kate Winslet's Song & Poor Animation, November 5, 2004

By 

Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Christmas Carol - The Movie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Yet another 'Carol' has traditional 2-D animations with great voice cast -- Simon Callow, Kate Winslet, Jane Horrocks, Nicholas Cage, Rhys Ifans, Micheal Gambon, and Juliet Stevenson. You also have a chance to listen to Kate's sister Beth Wislet's voice (who can be seen in a film 'Bodywork') and plus, you hear beautiful songs by Welsh singer Charlotte Church and Kate Winslet herself! And Ms Winslet is very good at that.

So, you ask, why 2 stars? OK, listen up, please. The story is a famous one, so you don't need my summery. And Scrooge is anyway going to be a good guy. But the process is the point, or the life of the story, and the film misses it very wide.

In fact, Scrooge (Simon Callow) in the first act is totally a bad guy here, feeding a mice, giving a chunk of cheese. After showing another side of him, the film is very slow in establishing his character, which should be more simple. To make it worse, Scrooge. out of the window, throws a jug of cold water (and it's winter) upon the chorus group on the street singing, among which you see the face of Tiny Tim, poor boy, drenched to the skin. And ... sorry if I'm wrong, but -- Did Dickens write that way?

There are many, many, unnecessary addtions and changes, which I do not introduce here. The real problem is, however, the animation itself. Jimmy T. Murakami is best known for 'When the Wind Blows' a quiet but very unnerving animated film about two elderly man and wife, who too innocently follows the government guidance to make a handmade shelter for the coming nuclear war. His 2-D animatiton worked at that time, but after about 14 years, it is no longer possible to grab our attention with that technique without good storyteling, character, or original designs. This 'Christmas Carol' has none of them, just making itself look like a Cliff Note of animation.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but as to this eternal classc, there are better choices out there, Alastair Simm or the Muppets (with Michael Caine, and the film is good), so why not them? The only good thing I could find about this version is Kate Winslet's wonderful yuletide song, which deserves more attention.

[VHS VERSION] lacks the opening and ending live-action sections in which Simon Callow plays Charles Dickens himself, touring in Boston, America, in 1867 (Dickens's celebrated reading performance in mind). If you want to see everything of this film, DVD is a better choice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Family Favorite, February 25, 2009

By 

Moonwych1313 "Eileen" (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christmas Carol - The Movie (DVD)

My son absolutely loves this tale. He even dresses up as Scrooge and Cratchett at times. This has become our new favorite version, next to reading the original. It brings the tale closer to a child's understanding - it's the human race Scrooge has given up on, but that he still has compassion and love in his heart. This is very important for children of all ages to understand.

Sometimes, some people seem very harsh or bitter, but inside there may still be warmth and love. All it takes is a little kindness and remembering to bring it out. Not trying to be preachy, but this is actually what my 9 year-old son said after watching the movie.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lackluster production - GREAT for kids and Winslet fans...., December 23, 2004

By 

Christine "loves to read" (Setauket, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas Carol - The Movie (DVD)

It really wasn't all that bad!! If I had to choose between this and the Muppets version -- it would be the Muppets hand down.

What I really like about this adaptation is the dialogue. The interaction between the characters is lively, moving and very well acted. I did not pay any attention to the technical aspects mentioned in the other reviews. An animation is an animation to me -- I don't look for blowing hair or wrinkles in ones clothes. I tend to pay more attention to how well the movie is acted. That being said, I would not rate this one any higher than 3 and 1/2 stars -- simply because the supporting cast does not hold the story up too well. It seems that the film is purposely centered around the three main ("big name Holloywood) actors - Simon Callow, Nicolas Cage, and Kate Winslet. The other characters are very obviously pushed into the smoldering background.

I would recommend this as a buy if you have children, or if you are a big Winslet fan. The dialogue is very easy to follow if your kids cannot understand, or were afraid of, any other version. The cute little mice that accompany Ebenezer will surely delight them as well. They actually play a pivotal role of sorts towards the end of the movie. Winslet fans with be enamored with her singing debut on this soundtrack. She's actually very good! Her music video is also featured on the DVD extras.