Disney's A Christmas Carol
(2009)
PG | 96 mins | Fantasy | 6 November 2009
Cast:
Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth [ More ]Director:
Robert ZemeckisWriter:
Robert ZemeckisProducers:
Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, Jack RapkeCinematographer:
Robert PresleyEditor:
Jeremiah O'DriscollProduction Designer:
Doug ChiangProduction Company:
Imagemovers Digital
The film marked the third consecutive picture directed by Robert Zemeckis that utilized performance capture digital technology after The Polar Express (2004, see entry) and Beowulf (2007, see entry), but it was the first of the three films to be released by Walt Disney Studios in the Disney trademarked Digital 3-D. For more information about performance capture, or motion capture, effects, please see the entries for The Polar Express and Beowulf.
On 6 Jul 2007, Var announced that Jim Carrey was cast as “Ebenezer Scrooge” and the three spirits that haunt the character: the "Ghost of Christmas Past," the "Ghost of Christmas Present" and the "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come." Carrey is also credited in the film as “Scrooge as a Young Boy,” “Scrooge as a Teenage Boy,” “Scrooge as a Young Man” and “Scrooge as a Middle Aged Man.” The article noted that director-writer-producer Robert Zemeckis had adapted the novel with Carrey in mind for the lead roles, and Zemeckis’s company, ImageMovers Digital, had recently negotiated an “overall” deal with Disney. Although ImageMovers was attempting to keep the project secret, the production was revealed to the public when actor Bob Hoskins announced on the Internet that he was cast in the film, according to Var.
HR production charts on 29 Feb 2008 reported that principal photography began 25 Feb 2008 in Los Angeles, CA. A 1 Nov 2009 NYT article stated that technicians traveled to Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, to capture digital data of actor Colin Firth’s performance before he joined the production in Los ...
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The film marked the third consecutive picture directed by Robert Zemeckis that utilized performance capture digital technology after The Polar Express (2004, see entry) and Beowulf (2007, see entry), but it was the first of the three films to be released by Walt Disney Studios in the Disney trademarked Digital 3-D. For more information about performance capture, or motion capture, effects, please see the entries for The Polar Express and Beowulf.
On 6 Jul 2007, Var announced that Jim Carrey was cast as “Ebenezer Scrooge” and the three spirits that haunt the character: the "Ghost of Christmas Past," the "Ghost of Christmas Present" and the "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come." Carrey is also credited in the film as “Scrooge as a Young Boy,” “Scrooge as a Teenage Boy,” “Scrooge as a Young Man” and “Scrooge as a Middle Aged Man.” The article noted that director-writer-producer Robert Zemeckis had adapted the novel with Carrey in mind for the lead roles, and Zemeckis’s company, ImageMovers Digital, had recently negotiated an “overall” deal with Disney. Although ImageMovers was attempting to keep the project secret, the production was revealed to the public when actor Bob Hoskins announced on the Internet that he was cast in the film, according to Var.
HR production charts on 29 Feb 2008 reported that principal photography began 25 Feb 2008 in Los Angeles, CA. A 1 Nov 2009 NYT article stated that technicians traveled to Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, to capture digital data of actor Colin Firth’s performance before he joined the production in Los Angeles. Production designer Doug Chiang told NYT that the film was originally conceived to depict the three visits by the ghosts as one, continuous take without edits, but the idea was abandoned to enhance “emotional content.” However, several long unedited sequences remained in the picture, including a thirteen-minute shot of Scrooge revisiting his youth with the Ghost of Christmas Past.
As stated in a 26 Oct 2009 NYT article, the nearly $200 million production was promoted with “one of the most elaborate and expensive marketing campaigns” for a “live-action film” in Disney’s history. Starting the weekend of 23 May 2009, Disney partnered with Amtrak and Hewlett-Packard to sponsor a six-month train tour through forty American cities that highlighted the production with a “multi-car exhibit,” according to a 25 May 2009 LAT article. Los Angeles’s Union Station was elaborately outfitted for Christmas with carolers and artificial snow and over 30,000 people waited in line for up to three hours to view a first edition of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, costumes and props from the film, and multi-media demonstrations promoting the picture. The tour ended at Grand Central Station in New York City on 30 Oct 2009. Additionally, Disney marketed the film with iPhone applications, a theme game on Disney.com, a Facebook quiz, and a “communal online tree” to decorate with Christmas ornaments, as well as vast media campaigns and merchandising, according to the 26 Oct 2009 NYT.
As stated in a 12 Sep 2009 Telegraph article, the world premiere on 3 Nov 2009 in London, UK, was marked by the simultaneous lighting of Christmas illuminations at three different areas in London. The decorations were all themed around the film and “tie-in events” were scheduled throughout the city with the hope of attracting tourists. London city government and business representatives stated that the deal with Disney was unprecedented.
The film opened to mixed reviews and less than expected box-office grosses; according to a 22 Dec 2009 Guardian article, the picture grossed $31 million its opening weekend in the U.S. While various reviews, such as those in HR on 3 Nov 2009 and Var on 9 Nov 2009, complained that the grandeur of performance capture and 3-D digital technologies diminished the story’s humanity, the 6 Nov 2009 NYT argued that the picture displayed respect for the “virtues of the source material” and “an impressive balance between sensationalism and understatement.” Using The Polar Express as an indicator, Disney was confident that the picture would gain a greater audience after its release and, as stated in an 18 Nov 2009 LAT article, A Christmas Carol grossed $64.3 million by its second weekend. Disney reportedly opened the picture on 6 Nov 2009 to precede the release of James Cameron’s Avatar (2009, see entry), which was competing for the 3-D market.
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A Robert Zemeckis Film
Los Angeles and New York openings: 6 November 2009
On Christmas Eve in mid-nineteenth century London, England, Ebenezer Scrooge signs the death certificate of his partner, Jacob Marley, and walks through the wintry city streets scowling at carolers and children. Seven years later at his office, Scrooge is counting his money when his nephew, Fred, arrives to wish Scrooge good tidings. However, the older man calls Christmas “humbug” and claims that Fred should not celebrate because he is poor. When Fred argues that Christmas is a time for charity, Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit, applauds, but Scrooge threatens to terminate his employment. Although Fred invites Scrooge to Christmas dinner the next day, the old man sends him away. Two portly gentlemen arrive at the office to appeal for a charitable contribution, but Scrooge is unmoved. As Scrooge returns home, his front door knocker transforms into a ghostly apparition. Later, in his bedroom, Scrooge is frightened by Marley’s ghost, wrapped in weighted chains. Marley explains that the chains represent the problems that fettered him in life and warns Scrooge that he can expect the same curse when he dies. Disappearing into the night sky, which is fraught with plagued phantoms, Marley warns that Scrooge will be haunted by three spirits and suggests that he try to redeem himself. As the clock strikes one a.m., Scrooge is awakened by the Ghost of Christmas Past, whose head flickers like a candle. The spirit endows Scrooge with magical powers and the two fly into the past to observe Scrooge’s hometown. The ghost then shows Scrooge his old school, where Scrooge as a young boy sits alone on Christmas. On another ... + −
On Christmas Eve in mid-nineteenth century London, England, Ebenezer Scrooge signs the death certificate of his partner, Jacob Marley, and walks through the wintry city streets scowling at carolers and children. Seven years later at his office, Scrooge is counting his money when his nephew, Fred, arrives to wish Scrooge good tidings. However, the older man calls Christmas “humbug” and claims that Fred should not celebrate because he is poor. When Fred argues that Christmas is a time for charity, Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit, applauds, but Scrooge threatens to terminate his employment. Although Fred invites Scrooge to Christmas dinner the next day, the old man sends him away. Two portly gentlemen arrive at the office to appeal for a charitable contribution, but Scrooge is unmoved. As Scrooge returns home, his front door knocker transforms into a ghostly apparition. Later, in his bedroom, Scrooge is frightened by Marley’s ghost, wrapped in weighted chains. Marley explains that the chains represent the problems that fettered him in life and warns Scrooge that he can expect the same curse when he dies. Disappearing into the night sky, which is fraught with plagued phantoms, Marley warns that Scrooge will be haunted by three spirits and suggests that he try to redeem himself. As the clock strikes one a.m., Scrooge is awakened by the Ghost of Christmas Past, whose head flickers like a candle. The spirit endows Scrooge with magical powers and the two fly into the past to observe Scrooge’s hometown. The ghost then shows Scrooge his old school, where Scrooge as a young boy sits alone on Christmas. On another Christmas several years later, Scrooge as a teenage boy is called home from school by his younger sister, Fan. Flying to Fezziwig’s business, where Scrooge as a young man served as an apprentice, the older Scrooge observes his younger self dancing on Christmas Eve with a beautiful young lady named Belle. Sometime later, Scrooge witnesses an argument between his younger self and Belle, who complains that Scrooge’s love of money has substituted his love for her and ends their relationship. In an effort to escape the painful memory, Scrooge extinguishes the candle of the Ghost of Christmas Past with a large metal snuffer, but the snuffer blasts into the sky with Scrooge clinging to its surface. As the snuffer disintegrates, Scrooge falls back to earth and lands on his bedroom floor. Hearing laughter, Scrooge wanders into his sitting room; the space is lit with Christmas decorations and the Ghost of Christmas Present sits on top of a Christmas tree. The robust spirit orders Scrooge to hold onto his robe’s belt and the floor of the room disappears. As Scrooge and the ghost fly over London, Scrooge observes different scenes of city dwellers and complains about the injustice of poverty. The spirit then shows Scrooge the impoverished home of Bob Cratchit, where young Tiny Tim, Cratchit’s son, will soon die because Cratchit cannot afford to pay for medical treatment with his meager wages. Although Cratchit toasts Scrooge with a cup of milk, Mrs. Cratchit complains that Scrooge is mean spirited and stingy. When Scrooge begs the spirit to spare Tiny Tim’s life, the Ghost of Christmas Present repeats the words Scrooge uttered to the portly gentlemen who requested a charitable contribution the previous day. Scrooge is then whisked away to Fred’s home and sees his nephew playing a guessing game with his guests. Fred reveals that he is thinking of an animal that lives in London and when a reveler asks if the animal is an ass, Fred replies “yes and no.” Another guest correctly concludes that Fred is thinking of Scrooge and the crowd erupts with laughter, but Fred pities his uncle and proposes a toast in his honor. The Ghost of Christmas Present then takes Scrooge into a clock tower and reveals two starving children hiding beneath his robe, a boy named Ignorance and a girl named Want. As the clock strikes twelve, the spirit transforms into a skeleton and warns Scrooge to heed Ignorance and Want. When the Ghost of Christmas Past disappears, Scrooge sees a foreboding shadow cast from his own body and kneels in prayer, asking if the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has arrived. As Scrooge admits that he fears the spirit of the future most of all, the shadow pushes Scrooge down the staircase of a public building. Landing on the street, Scrooge overhears his former associates discussing his death and laughing that no one will attend his funeral. Scrooge is then chased by a black, horse-drawn carriage and shrinks to a miniature version of himself. Although he falls into a gutter and escapes, Scrooge finds himself in the home of his house servant, Mrs. Dilber, who has stolen his curtains and clothes in the wake of his death. Mrs. Dilber explains to her companion, Old Joe, that Scrooge suffered alone as he died. When Old Joe sees a rat next to Scrooge and runs after it with a fire poker, Scrooge is ejected from the house and finds himself at his own deathbed. He tells the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that he finally understands his lot and returns to his original size, but he asks the spirit if anyone has mourned his death. Back at the Cratchit house, Scrooge stands on the stairway and witnesses the family grieve the death of Tiny Tim. As Cratchit heads upstairs, he stops for a moment in front of his employer and Scrooge utters the man’s first name, but Cratchit walks through him. Scrooge is then whisked away to a cemetery, where the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come points to a gravestone covered in snow. As Scrooge begins to decipher his own name and date of birth on the grave marker, he promises to be a better man in the hope of altering his fate. Although his death date is reveled as 25 December, the year is still obscured by snow as Scrooge slips into the grave. Clinging to a root, Scrooge vows that he will always honor Christmas and the lessons of his past, present and future. Releasing his grasp, Scrooge falls into the grave, but he lands back in his bedroom on Christmas morning. Thrilled to be alive, Scrooge instructs a neighborhood boy to buy a turkey for Cratchit. After frightening Mrs. Dilber with his new good spirits, Scrooge heads outside and promises a sizeable contribution to one of the portly men who came to his office the previous afternoon. Scrooge then visits Fred’s home and overhears the same guessing game that he witnessed with the Ghost of Christmas Present, but instead of being mocked, he is warmly welcomed to dinner. The next morning, Cratchit rushes into work sixteen minutes late, but Scrooge surprises his clerk by giving him a raise and promising to help his family. + −
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award