Disney: Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

There have been so many film adaptations of Charles Dickens' legendary Christmas tale from virtually the dawn of cinema that it's quite a task to list them all. You have straightforward adaptations, such as those with George C. Scott, Seymour Hicks, Reginald Owen, and Albert Finney; parodies, like Scrooged with Bill Murray; and adaptations with classic characters like the Looney Tunes gang, the Muppets, and even the Flintstones and the Jetsons! And, of course, you also have this little classic from 1983, which, as you can see, I didn't put as an installment of "Stuff I Grew Up With," mainly because, while I did see it once or twice when I was a little kid, it wasn't that big a part of my childhood. It wasn't because I didn't like it; I just didn't see it that often during my childhood. In fact, it wasn't until I got back into Disney in my late teens that I begin to really see it (it's pretty easy to find, as it's featured on Volume Two of the Disney Treasures collection, Mickey Mouse in Living Color, on Disney Christmas DVD sets, and even plays during the film, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse) and understand what a great little gem it is.The general consensus on it seems to be mixed, though: most seem to like it, but others feel it to be too streamlined a telling of the book, with some of the "casting" of the characters being a little bit questionable. Personally, I think it's a great little film that really captures the basic feeling of its source material, as well as succeeds in giving you that warm, Christmas feeling. Incidentally, that comment about the casting of the characters ties into the best way to think of this cartoon, which is as a stage production of A Christmas Carol acted out by the classic Disney characters (and no, I'm not going to give a plot synopsis because, if you don't know the story, you seriously must be living under a rock).

The film's director is Burny Mattinson, whose only other directing credit is The Great Mouse Detective, produced a few years after this. He's mainly an animator, having started out as an in-betweener on Disney animated features back in the 50's, moving up to an assistant to Eric Larson (one of Walt Disney's famed "Nine Old Men"), and eventually becoming a character animator in the early 70's. He's also been a storyboard artist and contributed to the stories of many beloved Disney films from the 80's and 90's, like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and so on. He supposedly also pitched an idea for a full-length, animated feature starring Mickey Mouse in early 2011 (I really hope something like that gets made at some point because Mickey really needs a proper comeback). While Mattinson hasn't directed much, he still deserves some notoriety for having been with the studio since the 50's and his contributions to its filmography, which earned him a Disney Legends back in 2008.

This is going to be an odd review to do because, not only do I have to talk about the voice actors, but I also have to mention what roles in the story the Disney characters themselves play and how they come off. Let's start with the main character: Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge, which was an absolute no-brainer when they were putting this film together since Scrooge himself is based off the character in the story. He's voiced by Alan Young, who'd voiced him in an audio adaptation of the story in a Disneyland Records edition and would go on to voice him in every incarnation since then until his death in 2016 and it's no wonder why, because he was awesome. As I mentioned, Scrooge is definitely the star of this short and it's amazing what a nasty miser he is at the beginning, bossing Bob Cratchit around, treating him like crap, being cruel to his nephew, Fred, and even going as far as to smooth-talk his way out of giving anything to two guys collecting money for the poor by telling them that if they collect money for the poor, they won't be poor anymore and they'd be out of job. He then shoves a wreath that Fred gave him in their faces, saying, "I suggest you give this to the poor and be gone!", before slamming the door on them. He even admits that he skimped on paying for Jacob Marley's tombstone by having him buried at sea! Yeah, the term "selfish bastard" aptly describes him but, as nasty as he is, you still can't help but like him, especially when he learns his lesson through the teachings of the three ghosts, realizes what a horrible person he's been, how he's messed up his life, and that he needs to change, leading him to become a kind, jolly guy by the end of the film (the last shot of him sitting in a rocking chair, with the Cratchits' children climbing into his lap, is genuinely very touching). Young's voice acting is what really makes this film work, though, because he's able to convincingly play both the cruel miser and the happy redeemed man sides of Scrooge. He's just great.

Even though the short is called Mickey's Christmas Carol, Mickey Mouse is actually not in it that much, although that should be obvious since he's playing the role of Bob Cratchit, who's only a side-character in the story. That's why I don't get Gene Siskel's criticism that it didn't focus enough on Mickey Mouse: because he's not the main character; Scrooge is! In any case, there's really not that much to say about Mickey's portrayal of Cratchit, as it's mainly just Mickey Mouse being Mickey Mouse: optimistic and kind, but shy around Scrooge because of his cruelty, which leads to him being overworked and underpaid, forced to do Scrooge's laundry when he's not working in the freezing cold of his office for just two shillings and a hay-penny. However, one moment in this short that is quite striking for Mickey is in the vision that the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows Scrooge of Cratchit mourning the loss of Tiny Tim. Even though I know it's not really supposed to be Mickey, the sight of him shedding a tear for his deceased son is very shocking and downright dark for Disney period, let alone something involving their mascot, which is to say nothing of it being just plain sad. Other than that, Mickey really doesn't have much to do here but, regardless, he's still the likable character he always has been. What's really notable about Mickey's appearance here is, one, this was actually the first time he'd been featured in any new animation in thirty years, and two, it's where the late Wayne Allwine made his debut as Mickey's voice and continued doing the character in all incarnations until his death in 2009. Although, the fact that it is his first time out, as well as his youth, is quite apparent because it does sounds like he hasn't quite found his footing in doing the voice and wouldn't develop the familiar texture his performance as Mickey eventually accrued for a little while. That's not meant as a slam, just an observation.

I've heard a lot of people question the casting of Goofy in the role of Jacob Marley, one I do agree with to an extent, as it is kind of suspect and you really can't take him seriously in this part. It's also not helped by how they play up the fact that it is Goofy, with the usual slapstick of him tripping on Scrooge's cane and falling down the stairs. Still, I don't think it was completely bad; in fact, I think Goofy actually sounds kind of creepy when he's moaning Scrooge's name and I also think he did good when he tells Scrooge of his eternal punishment for being such a horrible person in life and warns him that the same thing will happen to him if he doesn't change. But, again, it's offset by his silliness and, what's more, can you honestly buy Goofy as someone who was able to swindle the poor? Not only is he so stupid that I doubt anybody would fall for his attempts to do so, he's always been such a good-natured character that I just can't buy him doing that, even if he is just playing a part here. Hal Smith, best known for playing Otis on The Andy Griffith Show, voices Goofy here but, I must say that I've never really cared for the way he voiced him. I know Goofy's supposed to be stupid but I think Smith made him sound a little too dopey. My favorite voice actors for Goofy are either Pinto Colvig in the classic shorts or Bill Farmer in the modern era.

Now on to the other ghosts, starting with Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Not much to say about him, though, because, like Mickey Mouse, it's basically just the character being himself. In deed, when he admonishes Scrooge for his cruelty and shows him the mistakes he's made in his life, he doesn't act any different than he did in Pinocchio or any of his other appearances. Again, like Mickey, that's not a criticism; just an honest assessment. But, in that respect, Eddie Carroll's voicing of Jiminy is very suitable and a nice compliment to Cliff Edwards' performance in all of his previous appearances. The weirdest casting choice for the ghosts has to be Willie the Giant as the Ghost of Christmas Present. I've heard others say that, like Goofy as Marley, they find it hard to accept Willie in the part of a ghost who's meant to be both jolly and, more significantly, wise. Sure, he's happy enough and he's the only giant character they had, so it was probably another no-brainer, but still, can you really buy it when he speaks lines similar to those in the book about there being so many good things to enjoy in life and about the inevitable death of Tiny Tim if things stay the way they are in that dimwitted voice of his? As for Will Ryan's performance, I think he tries for the dim-witted voice too much, which, granted, was part of Willie's characterization in the Mickey and the Beanstalk section of Fun and Fancy Free but, at the same time, Billy Gilbert also managed to sound booming and threatening. If Ryan had done more of that, it may have been possible to take him seriously. Finally, there's Pete as the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. Since he's the only real bad character in the Mickey Mouse universe (not counting the Disney animated features), it was natural for him to be put here but you'd wonder if he could pull it off, since he's normally characterized as being an idiotic bully. However, he actually looks quite menacing when you can't see his face and Will Ryan, in the few lines he's given, voices him very menacingly when he shows Scrooge his grave and laughs evilly as Scrooge falls into the grave. In fact, with the fire coming out of the grave and Pete laughing as it happens, he looks downright satanic! It was brief but it was a memorable and startling bit of eerie imagery.

Another odd bit of casting is Donald Duck as Nephew Fred. How in the world could Donald, one of the grouchiest, most short-fused cartoon characters ever, be taken seriously as the innocent, Christmas-loving nephew of Scrooge? (Well, Scrooge McDuck is technically his uncle anyway, so I guess they had no choice.) And yet, even though he only appears twice in the film, I thought Donald fit into it surprisingly well. Donald kind of has a split personality to his characterizations: sometimes, he's the usual grouch you expect him to be, and other times he's a rather kind character, as he is here and I thought they pulled it off well. Clarence Nash, who'd been voicing Donald since his first cartoons in the 30's, voiced him for the last time here, dying just two years later. While I think it's cool that this guy voiced Donald for decades and they thought enough of him not to replace him (probably because they couldn't find anybody who could do that voice), I don't think he sounds that good here. It's not his fault, (my God, the guy was 78 or 79 when he did this), but he sounds like he's about to keel over any minute. I don't know if Tony Anselmo, Nash's successor in the role, had come along yet or not but, regardless, I think they should have tried to get a younger person to do Donald here because Nash's ill voice is kind of distracting.

Tiny Tim is played by one of Mickey's nephews, Morty and Ferdie, and since those characters weren't in many cartoons, except for one in the 30's where they were a couple of trouble-making toddlers, I have no idea which one is supposed to be playing the part and, what's more, there's not much to go on about whether or not the character fits into the role. All I can say is that Dick Billingsley's small speaking performance is nothing less than very charming and kind, making Tim come across as a very sweet little soul, which adds to the heart-wrenching power of the vision that the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows Scrooge. 

Finally, Daisy Duck plays Isabelle, Scrooge's old love whom he lost due to his overwhelming and consuming greed. Her appearance in the flashback is very brief but she comes across as a sweet young lady who loved the young Scrooge and the scene where she's literally heartbroken by how cruel he's become when he forecloses the mortgage on her honeymoon cottage is quite sad (I mean, come on, the way he said that to her was downright dickish!). As for Patricia Parris' performance, there's not much to it, mainly because she's not given much to do other than make Daisy come across as a typical young woman who's head over heels in love and whose love is eventually shattered, but she doesn't have the fire of the past actors who've voiced Daisy or the sassy vibe that Tress MacNeille would bring to the character. But, that said, this didn't call for it anyway, which makes Parris' innocent performance perfectly acceptable.

Plenty of other Disney characters make appearances here, although they don't speak. The most obvious one is Minnie Mouse as Mrs. Cratchit (they hadn't cast Russi Taylor yet, so that's why she's completely silent) but, despite her lack of dialogue, I like the little beat she has where Tiny Tim says that they must thank Scrooge for the food and she looks down at Tim's crutch with a very sad expression, since Scrooge's selfishness and not paying Bob enough is the reason why they can't afford to get Tim the medical help he needs. (I know I'm probably looking into this more than I should but I just love little subtle moments like this in anything animated.) One of Minnie's nieces, Melody, appears as their little daughter, who crawls into Scrooge's lap at the end, adding to that sweet image I mentioned earlier. The Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs can be seen in the opening on the streets (the Big Bad Wolf raising money for charity, of all things); at the party in the past at Fezzywig's, Scrooge's former employer, Mr. Toad from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad plays Fezzywig and you can also spot Lady Kluck and the rabbit children from Robin Hood, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and Chip and Dale. Other obscure characters from other Disney films and comics are also there, like Donald's cousin. Gus Goose, and his grandmother, Uncle Waldo from The Aristocats, and Angus MacBadger, another character from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

You have to admire this short's ability to squeeze down the entire story of the book into a coherent and meaningful 26 minutes, which couldn't have been an easy feat. Not everybody felt that way, though, as one of Roger Ebert's criticisms in his and Siskel's negative review of it was that it felt far too forced in going through the story, with no ironic spins on the material. Again, I think they did a good job in streamlining the story while keeping the main feel constant and, as for any "ironic spins," I don't know what he was expecting. It's just a straightforward and fairly faithful telling of a legendary Christmas story with Disney characters; what more could you want? I mean, obviously they couldn't include everything from the story. Granted, I haven't read it myself, so I'm not 100% sure what they left out, but if the other film versions are any indication, they excised major portions of Scrooge's childhood, like his overbearing father and his beloved sister who died after giving birth to his nephew. Not only did they probably cut these mainly for time and pacing but I don't really think they belonged in this version. Do you really want to see Scrooge McDuck having an overbearing, cruel father or losing his beloved sister by having her die in childbirth, which would be why he kind of resents Fred (aka, Donald)? I'm all for family stuff tackling dark material, which Disney has certainly done over the years, but I think that wouldn't have been appropriate or needed for this. There are also some other, minor changes to stuff they leave in, like Scrooge deciding to give Cratchit a day off without pay, whereas in the book, he's furious because he has to give him a day off with pay, and Scrooge's harsh break up with Isabelle whereas in the book, it's quite amicable (ironically, the Flintstones Christmas Carol managed to retain a lot of these elements, including the death of Scrooge's sister). There might be other minor differences but those are the main ones I can gather and it's beside the point anyway. The point is, for the dense material they had to adapt in the restrictions they had to work with, I think what came out of it is more than satisfactory.

In my opinion, this film's greatest strength is in its visuals and art direction, which are very well done. Instead of the usual brightness you'd expect from Disney, it mainly has a rather dreary look to it, which is both a good visual motif and an emotional compliment to the cold setting and Scrooge's dark, bitter mood. I don't know if the snow was hand-animated or if it was an early computer effect, although I'd like to think it was the former because you know that a lot of hard work had to go into that. I like how the interiors of Scrooge's house in the scenes with Marley are drawn in a virtually sheer blue color, accentuating the cold and the creepy vibe it's meant to have. The section with the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come in particular is really well-designed in how dark and downright creepy it looks, especially when Scrooge almost falls into his own grave, which is now a flaming pit, which brings to mind the dark Disney film, The Black Cauldron. The look of the distant shot of Cratchit and his family visiting Tiny Tim's grave, with the low lighting, the coldness of all the snow, and the pink, sunset sky in the background, fits the somber mood of that moment perfectly. The movie's design reminds me a lot of the look and feel that former Disney animator-turned-director Don Bluth always put into his films around this time, like The Secret of Nimh and The Land Before Time. Once Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, the film becomes much brighter, reflecting how he's become brighter and jollier in his soul and life. And I also like the sepia tone artwork of the opening credits and the final image becoming that, reminding you (or, at least, it reminds me), of old storybooks you used to read when you were a little kid. Nothing more I can say other than it is a very well designed film overall.

The music by Irwin Kostal adds the final Christmas touch to the film. First off, you have that wonderful song, What a Merry Christmas Day, that opens and closes the film which, if that doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. Kostal's score also does well in ranging from the overall Christmas feel to the tone of Scrooge's miserly bitterness and the creepy factor of his hellish visions from the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come to the happiness of his finally becoming a kind person by the end. The score is simple, granted, but it does its job and does it suitably. There's not much more I can say other than that.

I know it may have seemed that I'm overly praising Mickey's Christmas Carol but I really do think it's a nicely done, small piece of Disney's animation legacy. Since it came out in the early 80's when Disney was in huge financial straits due to under-performing animated features, I think it kind of gets lumped in as part of the studio's most uncreative period (you ever noticed that around that time, nearly all of Disney's stuff kind of had that dark, dreary look to them that I mentioned before, as if the animators themselves were depressed?), even though it did get nominated for an Academy Award. It's a shame that it's apparently thought of in such a dismissive way because it really doesn't deserve that, in my opinion. I think it truly has both the Disney heart and the Christmas spirit of its source material, so much so that, if you've never seen it or haven't seen it in a while, I'd say check it out with your loved ones this Christmas. It really is a heartwarming holiday special from the happiest place on Earth.