Dr. Donna's Review

About the Film

A Christmas Carol is a retelling of the classic tale written by Charles Dickens in the mid-19th century. The movie retains much of Dickens’ focus on the importance of family, social justice, and respect for the traditions and gestures of goodwill that accompany Christmas. The story, however, is updated for today’s young audience members with computer-generated animation and animal characters.

The story begins on Christmas Eve. The town is bustling with last-minute preparations for Christmas celebrations. However, participating in the holiday celebrations seems unlikely for Bob Cratchet, whose employer, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, dismisses the significance of the holiday with a “bah, humbug!” and forces him to work late. With much cajoling, Scrooge’s nephew, Freddy, convinces his uncle to allow Cratchet to take Christmas day off from work in order to spend it with his family. Freddy invites Scrooge to celebrate the holiday with him and his wife. Scrooge, however, turns down the invitation, preferring to work rather than spend time with his family.

On the way home that night, Scrooge runs into several townsfolk who are soliciting donations to buy food and gifts for the children living in the orphanage. They are just a bit short of what they need. Scrooge refuses to make even a small donation and storms off. Rather than celebrating the holiday with family or friends, Scrooge eats dinner alone in front of his fireplace. As he finishes eating, he is visited by the ghost of his business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley warns Scrooge of the consequences of his selfish and unkind behavior, and tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three additional ghosts that evening—The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and The Ghost of Christmas Future.

At the stroke of midnight, the Ghost of Christmas Past arrives in Scrooge’s house and brings him back to his childhood, where he relives two unpleasant memories of interactions with his family. This time, however, he is given the opportunity to see the situation from the point of view of his family members and begins to feel sympathy for them rather than anger. With the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge observes the Cratchet family’s meager Christmas Eve dinner, where Tiny Tim toasts to Mr. Scrooge even though he has been unkind to the family. Scrooge and the Ghost Christmas Present also observe the Christmas Party at Freddy’s home, where he sees that his nephew loves him despite his nastiness.

Next, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future, who shows him a troubling vision of Christmas many years in the future. In this vision, Scrooge sees Tiny Tim, who has become as miserly and unpleasant as he himself is in the present. Scrooge begs the Spirit to change the future, but is told. “This is all about you and the choices you make in life.” Finally, Scrooge visits his office in the future, where he discovers that he has been killed by his own greed--crushed to death by a pile of coins. At his gravesite, after Scrooge sees his ghost traveling in shackles with the ghost of Jacob Marley, he swears to become a more caring person. He awakens on Christmas morning with a new outlook on life and sets out to change the course of events by sharing his wealth and treating others kindly. As a demonstration of his philosophy, he donates a large sum of money to the orphanage and plays “secret Santa” for the Cratchet family, providing them with the best roast available from the town butcher. Scrooge then shows up at Freddy’s home, reconciles his relationship with his family, and joins in their celebration.

When Bob Cratchet shows up one minute late to work on the day after Christmas and is convinced that he will be fired, Scrooge demonstrates that his change of heart was not a one-day-affair. He gives Cratchet a raise, a promotion, and a paid vacation. He celebrates the changes he has made to his life, cheering the way that “being kind to others makes me feel downright giddy inside!”

About the Kids
This film will appeal most to boys and girls from ages 5-9. The themes of the story, family, charity, and kindness, are salient to the psychological and social development of children in this age range. Younger children may not understand everything happening on screen, but will likely enjoy the animated characters and songs in the film.

The story told in A Christmas Carol takes place in the present, past, and future. The characters move magically back and forth through time. Some children may have difficulty understanding the time travel in the story. Parents can help children understand time concepts by talking about past, present and future events in the children’s own lives. See suggestions under “Things to Discuss and Do.”

While the film is appropriate for most children, parents should be aware that some young or very sensitive children may be frightened by the appearance of the ghosts, particularly the ghost of Jacob Marley and Ghost of Christmas Future. The use of animal characters and humor help lessen the scariness. Parents can help by preparing children before viewing the film. Talking about what is going to happen, reading the story or watching other interpretations are all good preparation.

Film Content and Features
In this animated version of the story, Bob Cratchet and his family (including Tiny Tim) are rabbits and Ebenezer Scrooge is a skunk. The other townsfolk include bears, foxes, and frogs. In contrast to the town’s small, furry inhabitants, Jacob Marley’s ghost is a cricket, the Ghost of Christmas Past is an ostrich, the Ghost of Christmas Present is a kangaroo, and the Ghost of Christmas future is a walrus. The animation style is attractive and similar to many current television programs for children. The film features an original song that is sung several times during the story. Much of the dialogue is humorous, particularly during the exchanges between Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Although the story takes place during the Christmas season, this version focuses on the themes of sharing and kindness rather than on the religious aspects of Christmas. For this reason, the movie will be entertaining and understandable to children of all cultural and religious backgrounds and can offer families an opportunity to discuss their own traditions in relation to the themes of the film.

Things to Talk About

• Ask your child to identify something that happened to him/her in the past; talk about activities taking place in the present; and ask your child to think about things that might happen in the future. Relate this discussion to the past, present, and future aspect of the film.

• Ask children to talk about Scrooge’s character. Why was he mean at the start of the film and why did he change to be kind at the end of the film? What did they like most and least about the character?

• Talk with children about the importance of the choices they make in the present to events in the future. What are some of the choices they make now that will continue to be important as they grow up? For example, this could be an opportunity to talk about the importance of telling the truth and being kind and generous. Even discussions about the long term health benefits of good nutrition and exercise can be introduced.

• Children who react to the portrayals of the ghosts should be encouraged to talk about what is frightening. They should be reassured that the story is make-believe. Encourage your child to draw a picture of the story, either the parts that he/she enjoyed or the scary parts, and use the artwork as a starting point for your conversation.

• Talk with children about ways to practice charity in your own lives. Even very young children can help gather clothing, household items, or toys to donate or save pennies to give to a charitable organization. Consider volunteering as a family during the holiday season.

• Family traditions and rituals are very important to children in this age group. Ask children to talk about the traditions and rituals that take place within their own families. Talk about how your family’s traditions relate to the ideas of sharing, caring, and justice.