The 1978 animated version of "The Stingiest Man in Town" from Rankin-Bass is an interesting relic, but I don't think it holds up that well.
What's most interesting is the voice cast.
It's surprising to me that an actual movie star (at the time) such as Walter Matthau would star in an animated Christmas special. Back in 1978, he was a box office name, with "The Sunshine Boys" (1975) and "The Bad News Bears" (1976) among his hits. He was even playing romantic leads, as in "House Calls," also from 1978.
He seems like an odd choice to play Ebenezer Scrooge and I don't think he really pulls it off. He was 57 at the time, but doing his stock "grumpy old man" voice, making Scrooge seem more like a curmudgeon rather than a miser. Of course, he soon aged into actual grumpy old man-ness!
I don't think he's all that effective in the role. I don't think just any "regular" actor can do voice acting. I wouldn't say he's phoning in his performance, but I don't detect much enthusiasm. I can't help but wonder if Rankin and Bass were afraid of offending him by offering criticism of his acting.
The Scrooge character design is a caricature of Matthau as well, so he doesn't really look Scroogey either.
He also does not seem British in the least and the supporting cast is also decidedly American sounding, although the story is ostensibly still set in Victorian London.
The 1956 live-action version of "The Stingiest Man in Town" also had a largely American supporting cast, but the British Basil Rathbone as Scrooge gave it at least a semblance of possibly taking place in London.
So, what about that supporting cast?
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