I saw Disney’s  A Christmas Carol this weekend.  It is an animated retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey through Scrooge’s past, present, and future.  The story is not new.  It is the same story we have seen many times so I won’t bore you with a synopsis of the story, but I would like to comment on the technology and the specifics of the film.

Just so you know, I went with DeeDee and Jack.  I was half expecting Jack to be frightened by many of the gothic and intense images which are beautifully rendered throughout the film.  Jacob Marley’s ghost is unbelievably cool.  Even though Jack did not have nightmares that night, I was worried that he might.  Truthfully, if I were a kid, this would have scared the crap out of me.  Parents beware.

What did I like about the movie?  If Charles Dickens was a film director, he might make a movie like Robert Zemeckis did.  After all, I don’t think it was Dickens’ intention to write a story for children. The story and film show how the miser is transformed when given the simple choice of death and loneliness or redemption.

The performance-capture animation is an amazing process which allowed Jim Carrey to play 8 different characters.  I really can’t explain how cool this technology is, but, if you have a few minutes, go to the ImageMoversDigital Website and click on Play Video.  The video will provide an overview about how the animation was created for another Robert Zemeckis Christmas movie, The Polar Express.

What didn’t I like about the movie? Honestly, I thought the movie lacked “heart”.  I did not think that the movie captured the generous spirit usually shown in the character of Bob Crachit.  Furthermore, I did not think the movie made Tiny Tim a heroic character who has endured hardships and genuinely sad circumstances.

In the end, I did not get that gooey feeling we crave when we see a story like this.

While the animation was dark and dreary, it was stunningly gorgeous.  The depth and close-up rendering is truly amazing.   Even though the analytical part of my brain is blown away, I will still watch The Polar Express for that warm, fuzzy feeling.

NOTE:  Disney’s A Christmas Carol is shown in 3-D in many IMAX Theaters.  I saw this film in a regular 2-D cinema environment.  I will most likely pay to see this movie again in 3-D.  If my mind changes, I will re-edit this document.