Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol - 9 stars out of 10
Merry Christmas
I
don’t think that Charles Dickens ever envisioned his story this way, but Mr.
Magoo has interpreted the “Christmas Carol” in a way that is entertaining,
musical, and easily relatable to children.
In addition to its entertainment value, “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol” is
historically significant as it is the animated holiday television special that
inspired all of the classics that have become family Christmas traditions all
over the world. The film itself features
a Broadway production of the classic Christmas tale, starring Mr. Magoo as
Ebenezer Scrooge. The script pays
respect to Dickens by keeping the story intact with a few alterations to fit
the 1-hour tv spot, staying true to the original language, and avoiding the
expected Magoo catastrophes (with the exception of the beginning and end, of
course). Scrooge’s nephew Fred is
written out of the film and a few scenes are combined, but it works. Jim Backus provides the voice for Magoo with
other famous voice actors sprinkled throughout the film, including Jack Cassidy
as Bob Cratchit, Morey Amsterdam as James and Brady, and the famous Disney
actor Paul Frees (Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion, the “Dead men tell no
tales” voice in Pirates of the Caribbean) speaking several roles. If you haven’t seen this one, add it to your
Christmas movie list. You’ll laugh,
you’ll cry, and the songs will be running through your mind until next
Christmas!
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