Oh! You Beautiful Doll!

So, the long-running Annalee Dolls company has a number of dolls inspired by characters from “A Christmas Carol.” That is not surprising in itself, as there are tons of such collectibles.

What’s fascinating to me, though, is that one of said dolls depicts the underrated Martha Cratchit:

And she’s carrying the pudding!

Even more fascinating is that Martha also made the cut for the mouse series:

That's so fun! But even more fascinating is this other Annalee doll of Mouse Martha, this time playing the piano:

With the little Cratchit sister!

I'm officially fascinated!

"Disney Holiday Treasures" - Upper Deck (2004) - The Cards

We were just looking at the Upper Deck figures of Mickey and Minnie Mouse from "Mickey's Christmas Carol," but since Upper Deck is better know as a trading card company, they had some cards included with the figures!

Featured in the "Holiday Classics" subset of 2004's "Disney Holiday Treasures" was this card:

Then another subset was "Mickey Mouse's Christmas Carol: The Actors," which featured this array:

I love how the cards portray the gang as actors in the production of the show!

Here area  couple of the backs, which give a little inside information:

Lots of fun!

"Disney Holiday Treasures" - Upper Deck (2004) - The Figures!

Hope your 2023 is off to a great start!

We swing back to 2004 (which I can't believe was 19 years ago) for a stop at the Collectibles Corner with this pair of figures from Upper Deck's "Disney Holiday Treasures" from my personal collection:

Pretty cool! And no mention of Emily!

"The Spectre" #12 (2002) - DC Comics J.M. DeMatteis

"The Spectre of Christmas"
"The Spectre" (Volume 4) #12 (2002)
DC Comics 
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Ryan Sook

Here's another comic book that features the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in a different setting - the world of The Spectre!

The Spectre also meets Charles Dickens in the story and, amusingly, Scrooge is mad at Dickens for doing such a good job of portraying him as a miser that people forget he actually reformed at the end of the story!

In any event, it's interesting, but I admit I don't really have a grasp of the whole thing. Somehow Hal Jordan is now The Spectre and not The Green Lantern!

I must look into this!

More Coffee!

If Scrooge needs more coffee, he can also use this mug:

It's shaped like the hat worn by Scrooge in the Jim Carrey Disney 2009 version of "A Christmas Carol."

Pretty fun!

Happy Labor Day!

 

Random Scrooge Reference Department

OK, before I get stuck in 1946, we need a random contemporary Scrooge reference:

Thanks, Archiverse!

"What If" (2001) - Kate WInslet

"What If" (2001)
Kate Winslet
Liberty EMI Records UK

As mentioned, Kate Winslet's "Belle" character has a big power ballad in "Christmas Carol: The Movie" from 2001.

The song "What If" was also released as a single and was very successful in Europe.
Here's the music video:

As you can see, there's footage of Kate singing interspersed with clips from the movie. There's also a live-action Belle, but you never quite get a good look at her, so it makes me wonder if it's actually Kate Winslet or a stand-in! 

Hmmm...

"Christmas Carol: The Movie" (2001) - Part 3

A few words about the cast and characters in the animated feature "Christmas Carol: The Movie" from 2001...

Top-billed is Simon Callow, not the biggest name in the cast, but he does play Scrooge. I think he does a solid job. 

He also plays a live-action Charles Dickens in the theatrical bookends, which are not part of the U.S. straight-to-video version, but my DVD does include them as extras.

The theatrical (for the U.K., I guess) opening has Dickens arriving in Boston in 1867 to perform one of his public readings of "A Christmas Carol." He spots a mouse then apparently changes the story to incorporate the mouse, which he names Gabriel.

It's odd to have the "real" Dickens introducing a version that takes its share of liberties with the book.

In any event, Scrooge is somewhat youngish here. He's balding, but his hair is still brown. I think he says it was 20 years earlier that he had broken up with Belle, so he's not ancient.

Kate Winslet voices Belle, who is given a much larger role here, but she was/is a huge name, having hit the big time a couple of years earlier with her starring role in "Titanic" (1997).

She's a great actress with a great voice, so no complaints! She gets a big power ballad titled "What If" that shows off her vocal chops as well.

Nicolas Cage is the other big name in the cast. Is it me, or does the cover art from the video edition above make Scrooge look like Nic Cage? Is it to trick Cage fans into buying it?

At any rate, Cage voices Marley's Ghost here. I think he's a good performer, but this role doesn't really suit him. Perhaps to use Cage a bit more, Marley's Ghost pops up in the future, sort of like Alec Guinness in "Scrooge" (1970).

Why do I think the colon in the title of this thing makes it sound like a Nicolas Cage movie?

Rhys Ifans, who's also pretty well-known at least British-wise, plays Bob Cratchit here. He does a good job. 

This Bob Cratchit is very tolerant and appreciative of Scrooge. One of the added plot points here is when Tiny Tim was caroling outside of Scrooge's office, Scrooge threw a bucket of cold water on him, causing his pneumonia to worsen. Bob even forgives Scrooge for that during his Christmas toast!

The other performer to get star-ish billing here is Jane Horrocks, also well-known in England. She voices the Ghost of Christmas Past. 

The character is presented quite well, with the spirit in the now familiar persona of a young woman, but she morphs into an older woman periodically, kind of like the book.

The other characters are voiced well, but I'm not always crazy about the character design. In particular Fred just looks odd to me. Partly is that he's dressed more like a hobo than a gentleman!

This will never be my favorite version, but I think the cast is quite good on the whole.

I'll watch it again someday!

"Christmas Carol: The Movie" (2001) - Part 2

So, "Christmas Carol: The Movie" from 2001 always struck me as another one of those straight-to-video adaptations that get a couple of name actors to do some voice work in an attempt to zhuz up a run-of-the-mill production.

Like would it be distinguishable from the 1997 animated version?

And what's with the weird title? This is The Movie? Haven't they're been a zillion other movies of this story already? And how come there's no "A" in there?

But, if you're gonna call yourself a completist, you have to put your money where your mouth is and sometimes suffer through some less-than-stellar productions.

Literally in this case, as I plunked down a few bucks for a DVD of "Christmas Carol: The Movie" and gave it a watch.

You know what, though? I enjoyed the thing!

It keeps the basic story elements, but adds something of a framing story featuring Belle, who is given a much larger part here, befitting the voice casting of the 2001 version of Kate Winslet.

I won't give any spoilers about the Belle story, but I thought it was well-handled. I will say I think it's inspired by "Alice," the Belle stand-in from 1951's "Scrooge" (the one with Alastair Sim that I may have mentioned once or twice).

It also gives a bigger part to Old Joe, who is presented here as actually evil, rather questionably opportunistic.

Most of the incidents from the book are included, but the dialogue is pretty much changed entirely, with only a couple of echoes of the book.

The order of some of the incidents has changed, but the most notable is that Marley's Ghost appears to Scrooge in his office before he goes home. Not sure of the point of this, especially as it weakens the impact of Scrooge seeing Marley's face in the knocker later in the story.

I'm sure a point of contention with a lot of viewers is that a fair amount of screen time is given to a pair of sentient mice. One of them is named Gabriel and Scrooge is actually kind to him throughout the movie.

The other mouse is not named as far as I could tell, but this one is a but smarter than Gabriel. Not sure if it's a boy or girl. They give me something of a Chip and Dale vibe.

Having wacky animal sidekicks naturally makes me think of Debit, Scrooge's pet dog in that 1997 animated feature.

I stand by my thoughts that although Scrooge showing kindness towards a pet softens his character somewhat, I don't really mind the idea. Actually here it makes me think that Scrooge doesn't like people, but since mice aren't people, he doesn't hate them.

Toward the beginning of the movie, while still in the office, Scrooge gives a piece of cheese to Gabriel, but makes sure that he blocks Bob's view so Bob won't see the kindness.

This shows that Scrooge does still have some good in him, though he doesn't want anyone to know, so his conversion is not strictly out of left field. 

I must say that this Scrooge is something of a hard sell, though, as he needs a couple of ghostly reminders on Christmas morning to get him to toe the line!

I didn't think the character design or animation in this movie were anything great, but serviceable enough. Some good music and effects, though, especially during the scenes with the ghosts.

I particularly liked the Christmas Yet to Come sequence, which was spooky and surreal.

It kept my interest for the 70-ish minutes of the story and I'm glad I watched it!

But, as always, your mileage may vary!

"Christmas Carol: The Movie" (2001) - Part 1

"Christmas Carol: The Movie" (2001)

Director: Jimmy T. Murakami

Scrooge: Simon Callow

We turn now to a more straightforward adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" with this somewhat pretetntiously titled animated feature from 2001.

Here's the trailer:

Next: Let's discuss!

“A Christmas Carol: The Musical” (2004) - Part 4

A few more thoughts on "A Christmas Carol: The Musical," the 2004 made-for-TV movie starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.

One thing I feel compelled to mention is that the actual title (as shown above) is "A Christmas Carol" whereas almost everywhere else it's referred to as "A Christmas Carol: The Musical." This may be my most pithy comment, but here goes...

Like anything, it has its good and bad points, but I don't think the whole thing really clicks, especially in comparison to so many other versions.

As I mentioned before, I don't think the casting is entirely successful. I'm guessing that wanted some "name" actors with ostensible musical talent, which is how Jason Alexander and Jane Krakowski got in there, but I don't care for them here.

I think Kelsey Grammer is pretty good as Scrooge, but as with many actors, he's more convincing when he's mean, as he has something of an edge to him.

I like the idea of the three spirits having doppelgängers in the "real" world, à la the movie version of "The Wizard of Oz," but I'd rather have them not be random people whom Scrooge does not know.

They had done something similar in the "Shower of Stars" version from 1954. In that show, the Ghost of Christmas Past was Belle and the Ghost of Christmas Present was Fred, which I think works better.

Scrooge makes a big deal of carrying Tiny Tim around at the end, but I think the "Grace" character actually seems to have more of an impact on him, as far as kids go. She pops up in several scenes and Scrooge seems moved by her.

Compared to some other musical adaptations, such as Albert Finney's "Scrooge" and "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol," I don't find the songs memorable at all. I can't really think of one right now, in fact!
Even "Shower of Stars" has that "A ve-e-e-ry, a Me-e-erry Christmas" earworm!

I like composer Alan Menken's songs for Disney features, so is it the lyrics by Lynn Ahrens that don't do it for me?

I don't mean to seem like I'm channeling Jason Alexander's sitcom by listing my grievances, but I guess I have a few!

It's not the worst thing ever, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a completist of a superfan of someone in the cast.

“A Christmas Carol: The Musical” (2004) - Part 2

As part of our discussion of "A Christmas Carol: The Musical" from 2004, let's take a look at the cast and how they do in their roles.

When one sees the likes of Kelsey Grammer, Jason Alexander and Jane Krakowski in the cast, one can expect some, shall we say, broad performances, and we get them!

I think Kelsey Grammer is a good choice to play Scrooge in a musical like this. He's got an edge to him and has a good voice. The makeup gives him a suitable Scrooge look. He's of course best-known for his role as "Frasier Crane" on the TV series "Cheers" and its long-running sequel "Frasier."

Jason Alexander is also best-known as a sitcom star, having been featured on "Seinfeld." He plays Marley's Ghost as well as a living version of Jacob Marley. I don't think he brings the needed gravitas to the role, however. He's no match for Scrooge. 

Maybe it's, but I have a hard time separating the nebbishy "George Costanza" element from Alexander's portrayal. Plus, Marley's Ghost looks too much like Beetlejuice!

I get an odd vibe from Jane Krakowski as the Ghost of Christmas Past. I'm not sure what she's going for, but it seems to me like she's giving Scrooge seductive glances or something! She kind of uses Scrooge's bedpost as a pole, if you know what I'm saying. I also think that her costume is too revealing, but what do I know?

The three spirits also appear as characters in "real time" and Scrooge encounters each of them at the beginning of the story in a "The Wizard of Oz" way. Jane Krakowski's other role is as the wife of a lamplighter, filling in of her sick husband. She sports an unconvincing Cockney accent for that role.

Jesse L. Martin is the Ghost of Christmas Present as well as a show promoter/ticket seller and I think he does a great job. He's a versatile performer and easily adapts to this part without making you think of him in other roles, such as on "Law & Order" or the current "The Flash" TV series.

The Ghost of Christmas Future (as she's referred to here) is played by Geraldine Chaplin, who also appears as a blind beggar in real time. She does a good job with what she has to work with.

The other "name" performer in the cast is Jennifer Love Hewitt as "Emily," the Belle character. She's in between her signature roles on the TV series "Party of Five" and "The Ghost Whisperer." This part of Scrooge's former fiancé is not a big one, but I think she's good in her couple of scenes and the period costumes and hairstyles suit her.

The only other name I recognize from the rest of the cast is Brian Bedford, who plays Fezziwig. I literally mean that I recognize his name, as I recall that he voiced the title role in the (I say underrated) Disney animated feature "Robin Hood"  from 1973!

He doesn't really look like the traditional Fezziwig, but he's fine, as is Claire Moore as Mrs. Fezziwig.

Turning to the Cratchit family, I think that Edward Gower as Bob Cratchit has an even less-conventional appearance. The little cap that he wears doesn't seem right to me somehow! He's OK, though.

I think Linzi Hateley is very good as Mrs. Cratchit.

It's always interesting to see how Tiny Tim works out and Jacob Moriarty is appealing here. As is often the case, he doesn't really look all that sick, but that's OK. He was 10 years old at the time and is now an accomplished musician at age 26 under the name Jacob Collier. He won a couple of Grammys last year and may do so again this year!

So, an interesting bunch is assembled here. What kind of a script did they get to work with?