''A Christmas Carol'' is a 1997 American animated musical film version of the 1843 novella of the same name by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

produced by DIC Productions, L.P. and distributed by

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...

. It features eight original songs and stars the voice talents of

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

, and

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

. The film also features additional material such as Scrooge's pet bulldog, Debit. The film is nowadays a property of

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of childr ...

, which holds the rights to the DIC Movie Toons, as well as most of DIC's library. Songs for the film were written by Megan Cavallari and David Goldsmith. The score was written by Megan Cavallari and John Campbell.

Cast

as Ebenezer Scrooge *

Ghost of Christmas Present The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit fr ...

Bob Cratchit Bob Cratchit is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens 1843 novel ''A Christmas Carol''. The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (and possibly Jacob Marley, when he was alive), Cratchit has come to symbolize the poor working condi ...

Jacob Marley Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...

's Ghost * Frank Welker as Debit *

Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to: * Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm * Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska * KATH (AM), a radio station in ...

as Mrs. Cratchit,

Ghost of Christmas Past The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit from ...

and Fan *

Jodi Benson Jodi Marie Benson (née Marzorati; born October 10, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney's 1989 animated film '' The Little Mermaid'' and throughout other films, including its seq ...

as Belle * Sam Saletta as Boy Scrooge *

Jarrad Kritzstein Jarrad Kritzstein, (born September 9, 1987) also known as Jarrad K, is an American record producer, songwriter, filmmaker and actor. He is known for co-writing/producing Ruston Kelly’s debut LP “Dying Star” and Elohim’s self-titled album, ...

as Tiny Tim * Additional voices: John Garry, Amick Byram,

Ian Whitcomb Ian Timothy Whitcomb (10 July 1941 – 19 April 2020) was an English entertainer, singer-songwriter, record producer, writer, broadcaster and actor. As part of the British Invasion, his hit song " You Turn Me On" reached number 8 on the ''B ...

Joe Lala Joseph Anthony Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image. Life and career Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, to parents from Contessa Entellina (an ...

, David Wagner,

Bettina Bush Bettina Bush, also known professionally and simply as Bettina, is an American actress and pop music singer. Early life She was born the youngest of three children. Her father was Charles V. Bush, the first African-American graduate of the US ...

Jerry Houser Jerry Houser (born July 14, 1952) is an American former actor. He is best known for his role as Oscar "Oscy" Seltzer in ''Summer of '42'' and its sequel, '' Class of '44'', as Dave "Killer" Carlson in '' Slap Shot,'' and the role of Wally Logan ...

, Sam Saletta, Alan Shearman,

, Cathy Riso, Sidney Miller, Kelly Lester,

Anna Mathias Anna Mathias is an American actress. Filmography * ''The Streets of San Francisco'' * ''The Ghost of Flight 401'' * ''Lou Grant'' * ''Backstairs at the White House'' * ''CHiPs'' * '' Pray TV'' * ''B.J. and the Bear'' * ''Eating Raoul'' * '' Pin ...

and Judy Ovitz

Production

The animation was produced overseas by Han Yang Productions.

Release

The film was released on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

on December 8, 2002, as part of the '' Nickelodeon Sunday Movie Toons''. It was released on DVD by

on October 12, 2004. This release lacks bonus material, as well as a main menu.

Reception

Reviews for the film have been mixed to negative. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide criticized the film for its "barely living up to Saturday morning standards" animation, lack of subtlety as for its morals, its "forgettable" songs, and the inclusion of Debit, making Scrooge's later transformation "less impressive and surprising". Some of the "notable" voice cast members were also noted for their "really poor" work. Daniel W. Kelly of

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

also panned the film's new material put to "attract the attention of children", as well as the animation and the songs, the latter of which were compared with the ones in ''

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol ''Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol'' is a 1962 animated musical film, musical Christmas by medium, holiday television special produced by United Productions of America, UPA. It is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' ...

''. Scott G. Mignola of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

was also thoroughly critical of the film in his review.

References

External links