Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022)

It makes me wonder why we need yet another adaptation of this story, but I guess it’s embedded in our consciousness and the only way to remind ourselves about what the true meaning of Christmas really was. Unfortunately, a musical version (a la Oliver), but in animated format, is what we have this time.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me, I appreciate a program that attempts to update a very old story into an up-to-the-minute version of what life in London is like, with plenty of modern idiom and social awareness, but sometimes the diversity can be a bit jarring. And yet, I was not put off totally by what I was watching on my TV screen.

Especially good was the nightmare sequence that starts with Jacob Marley’s return as a ghost, all the way through to when Scrooge finds himself back in his bedroom after the third visitor disappears. It was essentially a drug-fueled psychotic ‘trip’: a phantasmagoria of sights and sounds. The extra passenger to this trip was Bruno, Scrooge’s dog, who serves as a reality checker and a (mostly) silent commentator, utilizing facial grimaces and lots of doggy kisses. As he is an unexpected addition to the story, he alone may make the viewing worthwhile for both adults and children. He certainly is animated.

But as all stories about Christmas have to have a happy ending, this one does, too, with Scrooge hosting a huge Christmas feast for all of the characters in the musical play. His face looks less stressed by the end. I can only hope that we all are as happy as he and Bruno are when the big day comes this year.

Merry Christmas, everyone!