A Christmas Carol

Many have taken on the famous Charles Dickens tale in movie form. Disney decided to take on the classic tale and make it their own.

If you're unfamiliar with the story, it follows an elderly man named Scrooge (played by Jim Carrey) who is a bitter old man who has no interest in the spirit of the Christmas season. He doesn't care for others and is only interested in taking money from others and not giving up any of his fortune to charity. One night he he is visited by three ghosts, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Each ghost shows him his misdeeds and his future if he were to continue with his attitude.

The film follows very closely to the book, with the traditional speech from each of the actors. Although it seems to be targeted to children, with advertisements calling it an "adventure", it doesn't really boast too much for a younger audience. Besides the dialogue which may be hard for young children to understand, the film is also very dark in story and in picture, with much of the film played out in darkness. As well as being dark there are some elements to the story that may frighten children. Scenes include an image of a ghosts head on Scrooge's door. When he goes to touch the head the head opens it's mouth and Scrooge falls to the ground, frightened. Also, the ghost of Christmas past, is a little creepy and the ghost of Christmas future would easily scare a young audience.

Jim Carrey takes on the role of Scrooge, plus the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Although primarily a comedic actor, he doesn't bring too much comedy to the role. As the film closely follows the dialogue of the book there isn't many opportunities for him to bring forth his trademark humour.

Also included on the DVD are a selection of bonus features. These include a featurette "Capturing Dickens: A Novel Retelling", hosted by Jacquie Barnbrook who takes on numerous roles in the film, "On Set With Sammi", which follows the young actress Sammi Hanratty as she shows the audience a day on the set of the film and a selection of Deleted Scenes with an introduction from the director and producer of the film Robert Zemeckis. Disney's Fast Play is also included.

Although not the most appealing film for a younger audience, it's quite appealing and entertaining to the older audience who know the famous and classic story. Available now from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.