I have always been a great fan of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. I have read the book several times as well as having seen many different versions of the story on film and television. In fact, it is such a beloved story that it has been adapted numerous times. In preparation for writing my own musical adaptation, Ebenezer, I tried to watch all available versions to see what did and didn't work well in various adaptations. I have provided my top ten list, followed by individual reviews for each one. Of course, this is only my opinion, so you are entirely welcome to disagree with me and make your own list. Most of all, I hope I lead some of you to viewing some of my favorite versions for the very first time! Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Also notice that this is a work in progress and some are listed without a review, because I have either not gotten to them or I do not know where to find them. It is my goal to maintain this page as the most comprehensive list of movie and TV adaptations of A Christmas Carol. If you happen to know where I can find any of the missing ones or if you find any inaccuracies in my information, please e-mail me and let me know at samuelstokes@yahoo.com
Top Ten List
1. A Christmas Carol (1984) - Starring George C. Scott
George C. Scott was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Scrooge in this American TV adaptation. This is an all around excellent production with a wonderful cast, music, and a faithful adaptation of the original story. For me, this is number one, because it draws me into the story in a deeper emotional way than any of the others. I nearly always shed a tear during the final redemption scenes.
2. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - Starring Michael Caine
A musical version of the story using various Muppets playing the characters in the story and Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. This version contains excellent humor and memorable songs and a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the story. Note that the full version of the movie is 89 minutes and may not be easy to find as several releases, including those on Blu-Ray and streaming services are cut to 86 minutes. The entire missing 3 minutes come from the removal of the song "The Love is Gone" from the scene in the past where Ebenezer and Belle part ways. This is my family's favorite version of the movie, and really in most ways is a tie for first place on my list.
3. A Christmas Carol (1951) - Starring Alistair Sim
This is a fantastic adaptation of the story with a few embellishments, which adds more context in the Ghost of Christmas Past with more emphasis on Scrooge's sister and how he handled Marley's death. I wasn't as satisfied with the final redemption scene in this version as I am with other versions, but this is still one of the best overall film adaptations.
4. Scrooge (1970) - Starring Albert Finney
This is probably the most visually beautiful version of the story yet produced. There is great detail and plenty of color in the set and costume designs. Albert Finney puts in a decent performance as Scrooge, although I wish he hadn't tried to act quite so old, as it wasn't consistently convincing. The musical numbers were fine, although only a couple of them were particularly memorable. I feel that trimming 25 minutes or so would help the pacing, although some of the original scenes that were added in this version of the story are rather charming, making it a worthwhile viewing overall.
5. Scrooged (1988) - Starring Bill Murray
This parody adaptation set in the late 1980s, tells the story of a greedy TV network executive who is visited by three spirits in order to mend his ways. This is a clever and humorous adaptation and is definitely worth watching.
6. A Christmas Carol (1935) - Starring Seymour Hicks
This is an excellent early adaptation of the story. It adds a fascinating scene showing the royal Christmas celebration, followed by the sharp contrast of Scrooge eating his gruel alone.
7. A Christmas Carol (2009) - Starring Jim Carrey
This animated performance capture film is one of the darkest versions of the film, both in story presentation and in color palette. Certain scenes were obviously gratuitous additions for its presentation in Disney Digital 3-D. It's certainly a worthwhile and interesting adaptation of the story, but one of the less cheerful ones, for certain. Its strong points include excellent animation, and a very interesting artistic style throughout.
8. A Christmas Carol (1938) - Starring Reginald Owen
This is a pretty enjoyable adaptation. It's fairly traditional, with just enough to make it distinct from other versions. Scrooge's nephew Fred gets a more fully developed story arc in this version, befriending Tiny Tim at the beginning, and striving to save enough money to marry his fiance. This is also the only version of the story, to my knowledge, in which Scrooge calls down to a group of police officers in the street below to come investigate the appearance of Jacob Marley in his bed chamber.
9. Rich Little's Christmas Carol (1978) - Starring Rich Little
Rich Little does a wide variety of celebrity impressions to play all of the main parts in the story. It is pretty funny, though many of the celebrity impressions and the pop culture references are rather dated, making it less appealing to younger audiences. In fact, playing Scrooge with an impression of W.C. Fields was a dated reference when the show first aired, since Fields had died more than 30 years prior. Nevertheless, this is a clever and well-performed adaptation.
10. A Christmas Carol (1982) - Animated TV movie
A nicely hand animated version of the story made for Australian TV. Visually a very nice piece, with very detailed drawings of the various sets and locations. It suffers a bit from slow pacing, but is a very faithful adaptation of the story.
Individual Film and TV Episode Reviews (in chronological order)
Scrooge, or Marley's Ghost (1901) - The first known film adaptation of a Christmas Carol. Its use of special effects is remarkable for such an early film. Unfortunately, only the first three and a half minutes of this five minute film have been found. The final redemption scene has sadly not yet been found.
A Christmas Carol (1908) - Starring Thomas Ricketts as Scrooge. This film is lost.
A Christmas Carol (1910) - 11-minute silent film version starring Marc McDermott as Scrooge. Even though it is still very short, it tells the story much more completely than the 1901 film, and the special effects are markedly improved. It's definitely an impressive accomplishment for the time.
Scrooge (renamed Old Scrooge in the U.S. and re-released in 1926) (1913) - Starring Seymour Hicks as Scrooge, this is an interesting early version of the story, as it begins by showing the birthplace of Charles Dickens and giving a little background on his life and his inspiration for writing the novel. They did a pretty impressive job of telling the story in a runtime of approximately 40 minutes while employing pretty decent special effects for the time. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Jacob Marley and the three Christmas Spirits were conflated into one character, but it is a very practical way to tighten up the story. Seymour Hicks would go on to play Scrooge on film again in 1935.
A Christmas Carol (1914) - Starring Charles Rock as Scrooge. This 23-minute silent film is a bit rushed owing to its short runtime, but it does manage to get the story across in an adequate way. It is the only version I know of in which Fred brings his wife to Scrooge's office to invite him to Christmas dinner. I really enjoyed the redemption scene in this one, as Charles Rock's facial expressions really drew me in.
The Right to Be Happy (1916) - Starring Rupert Julian as Scrooge. No copies of this film are known to exist.
Scrooge (1922) - Starring H.V. Esmond as Scrooge, this is a very short version of the story at ten minutes in length, but has some nice special effects for the time. This is the only version of the store that I recall in which a ghostly spirit of Scrooge goes with the Christmas ghosts, while Scrooge himself appears to stay asleep in bed.
A Christmas Carol (1923) - a 25-minute silent film starring Russell Thorndike as Scrooge. Even though this is long than previous films, this one feels more rushed. The Ghost of Christmas Past only briefly shows Scrooge and Belle parting ways before leaving. The Ghost of Christmas Present doesn't even actually show Scrooge anything, and the Ghost of Christmas Future only shows him his grave. The redemption scene is far less believable since Scrooge didn't really have any time for the lesson to sink in. Interestingly, this adaptation includes an earlier short scene with Fred, his wife, and his wife's sister preparing for their party. This is the only such instance I remember in any of the adaptations I've seen.
Scrooge (1928) - 9-minute adaptation starring Bransby Williams. I have been unable to find this film. If you know where I can find it, please e-mail me.
Scrooge (1935) - Again starring Seymour Hicks as Scrooge. This is an excellent early adaptation of the story. It adds a fascinating scene showing the royal Christmas celebration, followed by the sharp contrast of Scrooge eating his gruel alone.
A Christmas Carol (1938) - Starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge. This is a pretty enjoyable adaptation. It's fairly traditional, with just enough to make it distinct from other versions. Scrooge's nephew Fred gets a more fully developed story arc in this version, befriending Tiny Tim at the beginning, and striving to save enough money to marry his fiance. This is also the only version of the story, to my knowledge, in which Scrooge calls down to a group of police officers in the street below to come investigate the appearance of Jacob Marley in his bed chamber.
Leyenda de Navidad (1947) -
A Christmas Carol (1948) - TV movie
Charles Dickens' The Christmas Carol (1949) - starring Taylor Holmes as Scrooge, although it is probably more noteworthy that Vincent Price appears as the narrator, who sprinkles in bits of exposition throughout the film. With only a 25 minute running time, this an extremely abridged version, which doesn't really get the story across very well.
Scrooge (renamed A Christmas Carol in the U.S.) (1951) - Starring Alistair Sim as Scrooge, this is a fantastic adaptation of the story with a few embellishments, which adds more context in the Ghost of Christmas Past with more emphasis on Scrooge's sister and how he handled Marley's death. I wasn't as satisfied with the final redemption scene in this version as I am with other versions, but this is still one of the best overall film adaptations.
"Christmas" episode of The Paul Winchell Show (1953) - Live action TV program starring ventriloquist Paul Winchell. Paul is babysitting one of his neighbor's daughters, but he is having trouble figuring out what to have a conversation about. When he mentions Christmas, she perks up immediately, and then she begins telling the story of A Christmas Carol. During the story of Christmas Past, Paul has a flashback to his childhood and the first time he made a ventriloquist dummy. They skip present and go straight to Christmas Future, where Paul imagines Christmas in the year 2000 on a base on the moon. Then, they return to Paul and his dummy Jerry in their present Christmas, where they sing a couple of musical numbers. Goofy, but cute family humor.
"Christmas Carol" episode of Topper (1953) - In this program, Topper and his wife have moved into a house where the previous couple that owned the house have died and are haunting the house, but only Topper can see or hear them. So, it is natural for them to give a nod to Dickens. Topper begins the annual tradition of reading from A Christmas Carol, and when his wife keeps interrupting to tell the next part of the story, Topper suggests she read it, so he can listen for once. Topper dozes off and finds himself in a dream as the part of Scrooge with other characters of the show in different parts.
Non E Mai Troppo Tardi(It's Never Too Late) (1953) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Shower of Stars (1954) - starring Frederic March. I watched this one with almost no great expectations whatsoever. The acting performances were adequate, with Ray Middleton's performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present being the standout performance. However, it was the music that really jumped out at me, with an unusual elegant polish in the choral writing and the Broadway style music numbers. It stuck out enough that I made a special point of checking the credits for the composer's name, who happened to be Bernard Hermann, Oscar winning composer for The Devil and Daniel Webster and Oscar nominee for several films, including Citizen Kane and Taxi Driver. My only major complaint is that it feels a bit rushed, probably owing to the 1-hour run time. Because of this, many of the major plot points are glossed over, and the redemption scene is less satisfying than I would have liked.
"Busy Christmas" episode of The Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet (1956) -
The Stingiest Man in Town (1956) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Frederic March Presents Tales from Dickens (1959) - starring Basil Rathbone. With a runtime short of 25 minutes, this is a fairly rushed retelling of the story. The performances are acceptable but not remarkable. A RiffTrax version is available from rifftrax.com with running commentary from some of the stars of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, which makes this one a bit more watchable and entertaining.
"Jangle Bells" episode from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959) -
Ein Weihnachtslied in Prosa (1960) -
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) - An animated musical version. Much of the dialogue is surprisingly faithful to the source material. The songs and the framing of the story as a staged Broadway play don't add anything to the story, but at least they don't do much harm.
A Carol for Another Christmas (1964) - An American TV movie written by Rod Serling (of The Twilight Zone fame). Starring Sterling Hayden as Daniel Grudge (the Scrooge-like character in the story), who lost his son in World War II and has become an isolationist, believing the US should stay out of international affairs. After visits from the three Christmas ghosts, Grudge backs off from his isolationist position and apologizes to his nephew Fred, who he had argued with the night before. Overall, this film comes off as preachy, somber, and somewhat boring. The Christmas future scene is very surreal in a "Twilight Zone" fashion. Grudge's "redemption" at the end was possibly the most subtle redemption scene in any of the versions of the story I've ever seen. Other than the general story structure, this version had very little to do with A Christmas Carol, and in fact, didn't even have that much to do with Christmas at all.
"Mr. White's Christmas" episode of The Rogues (1965) -
"Too Many Christmas Trees" episode of The Avangers (1966) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967) -
"Humbug Not to Be Spoken Here" episode of Bewitched (1967) -
A Christmas Carol (1969) - an animated version starring Ron Haddrick. Fairly faithful adaptation of the story, but somewhat rushed owing to a 45 minute runtime. In fact, it occasionally felt as if the story were frenetically rushing from scene to scene to fit it all in. As far as I recall, this is the only version that I've seen which included a graveside service for Marley at the beginning. Also, there is an odd gag where Scrooge was unable to make himself sneeze using a snuff box. The spirit told him that he was so greedy that he couldn't even release a sneeze. After the redemption at the end, Scrooge was indeed able to let out a big sneeze - thank goodness.
Carry on Christmas (1969) -
"The Ghost of Christmas Past" episode of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1969) -
A Christmas Carol (1970) - TV special with John Worsley
Scrooge (1970) - Starring Albert Finney as Scrooge and Alec Guiness as Jacob Marley. This is probably the most visually beautiful version of the story yet produced. There is great detail and plenty of color in the set and costume designs. Albert Finney puts in a decent performance as Scrooge, although I wish he hadn't tried to act quite so old, as it wasn't consistently convincing. The musical numbers were fine, although only a couple of them were particularly memorable. I feel that trimming 25 minutes or so would help the pacing, although some of the original scenes that were added in this version of the story are rather charming, making it a worthwhile viewing overall.
"Scrooge Gets an Oscar" episode of The Odd Couple (1970) -
A Christmas Carol (1971) - Alastair Sim returns to the role of Scrooge, voicing him in this extremely brief 25-minute animated adaptation. Not a very remarkable adaptation, although this animated version of Jacob Marley is perhaps one of the most disturbing and frightening versions I can remember. It also includes the most disturbing and frightening depictions of Ignorance and Want. Some of the other animation in the movie is also visually striking. I would have liked to have seen this as a fuller length production.
"Ebenezer Sanford" episode of Sanford and Son (1975) -
The Energy Carol (1975) - An educational film
"A Bionic Christmas Carol" episode of The Six-Million Dollar Man (1976) -
Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas Special (1977) -
A Christmas Carol (1977) - Starring Michael Hordern. This BBC TV adaptation has some nice performances and beautiful sets and costumes. Unfortunately, it is rather short at an hour runtime and is apparently low budget, lacking much in the way of music and sound design.
Banks: The Money Movers (1978) - an educational short film produced by BFA Educational Media starring Greg Heimer as Arthur Scrooge. A rather odd attempt at making an educational film about banking that failed to be very entertaining or educational. However, a RiffTrax version is available from rifftrax.com with running commentary from some of the stars of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, which makes this bizarre short a bit more entertaining.
Rich Little's Christmas Carol (1978) - Starring Rich Little, who does a wide variety of celebrity impressions to play all of the main parts in the story. It is pretty funny, though many of the celebrity impressions and the pop culture references are rather dated, making it less appealing to younger audiences. In fact, the playing Scrooge with an impression of W.C. Fields was a dated reference when the show first aired, since Fields had died more than 30 years prior. Nevertheless, this is a clever and well-performed adaptation.
"A Special Sesame Street Christmas" episode of Sesame Street () -
The Stingiest Man in Town (1978) -
A Christmas Carol (1979) - TV movie
An American Christmas Carol (1979) - Starring Henry Winkler. Winkler delivers a wonderful performance in this adaptation of the story in Depression-era America. Unfortunately, Winkler's performance was better than the movie as a whole, which suffered from pacing issues and so-so writing.
Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) -
Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol (1979) -
"Scrooge segement" from 3-2-1 Gameshow (1979) -
"The Great Santa Claus Chase" episode of The Dukes of Hazzard (1980) -
"Harper Valley Christmas" episode of Harper Valley P.T.A. (1981) -
"Mel's Christmas Carol" episode of Alice (1981) -
A Christmas Carol (1982) - A nicely hand animated version of the story made for Australian TV. Visually a very nice piece, with very detailed drawings of the various sets and locations. It suffers a bit from slow pacing, but is a very faithful adaptation of the story.
Frank Delima's Hawaiian Christmas Carol (1982) -
Posada Navideña (1982) -
"A Dickens of Christmas" episode of The Dukes (1983) -
"A Keaton Christmas" episode of Family Ties (1983) -
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) - Animated version using several beloved Disney characters playing the various parts, including Scrooge McDuck, appropriately, as Ebenezer Scrooge. An acceptable adaptation, but the story would have been better served if it had been made feature-length as many parts of the story were truncated.
A Christmas Carol (1984) - George C. Scott was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Scrooge in this American TV adaptation. This is an all around excellent production with a wonderful cast, music, and a faithful adaptation of the original story.
"The Nutcracker Scoob" episode of New Scooby Doo Mysteries (1984) -
Scrooge's Rock 'n' Roll Christmas (1984) -
"A Christmas Carol II: The Sequel" episode of George Burns Comedy Week (1985) -
A Jetson Christmas Carol (1985) -
"Ebenezer Morloch" episode of Fame (1985) -
Kenny Everett's Christmas Cracker (1985) -
Rodney Piper's Christmas Carol (1985) -
"It's a Wonderful Job" episode of Moonlighting (1986) -
John Grin's Christmas (1986) -
"Xmas Marks the Spot" episode of The Real Ghostbusters (1986) -
"Bankrupt Scrooge" skit from Saturday Night Live (1988) -
Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) - Anyone that enjoys the Blackadder brand of humor will get a kick of this version in which Ebenezer Blackadder is taken full advantage of by the townsfolk because of his legendary generosity. He learns a very different sort of lesson from the spirits that come to visit him during the night. Certainly a humorous and unique spin on the story!
Scrooge (1988) - IBC TV movie
Scrooged (1988) - Starring Bill Murray and Karen Allen, this parody adaptation set in the late 1980s, tells the story of a greedy TV network executive who is visited by three spirits in order to mend his ways. This is a clever and humorous adaptation and is definitely worth watching.
"And All Through the House" episode of Tales from the Crypt (1989) -
"Asa's Christmas Carol" episode of One Life to Live (1989) -
"Christmas in July" episode of Camp Candy (1989) -
"For Whom the Jingle Bells Toll" episode of A Different World (1989) -
"Season's Greetings from Al Floss" episode of The Famous Teddy Z (1989) -
T-Bag's Christmas Special (1989) -
"The Scrooge" episode of Matlock (1989) -
A Very Retail Christmas (1990) -
"A Little Miracle" episode of Quantam Leap (1990) - Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) is a time traveler whose experiment goes awry and he leaps through time, guided by an unknown force, embodying other people in the past to help put right things that went wrong in the past. In this episode leaps into the butler of Michael Blake on December 24, 1962, a successful businessman whose plans include tearing down the local mission to create a modern business plaza. When Sam realizes that Blake is capable of seeing Al (the project observer, who is typically only visible to Sam in the form of a hologram), they decide to stage a Dickensian look at his past, present, and future, to show him the error of his ways. This is a heartwarming episode of a very good show.
A Christmas Carol (1991) - TV special
"Home for Christmas" episode of Saved by the Bell (1991) -
"Devil's Due" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991) - Data (Brent Spiner), the Enterprise's android science officer, is practicing his acting skills by playing the part of Ebenezer Scrooge on the holodeck (an imaging chamber that can create interactive holographic environments and characters), as Captain Picard observes and advises him. Data performs a very short excerpt with a holographic version of Jacob Marley. Spiner's voice is a bit cartoony and unrealistic sounding in this short performance, but perhaps that is because Data is still refining his performing skills.
"Dickens of a Christmas" episode of Back to the Future - The Animated Series (1991) - In typical Saturday morning cartoon form, this episode borrows its plot from classic literature. In this case, the episode blends the plots of A Christmas Carol with Oliver Twist. Ebenezer Tannen (an apparent ancestor of Biff's) forecloses on the toy maker's shop and throws him into debtor's prison, so Marty uses his hoverboard and a quick disguise to convince Tannen that he is a Christmas ghost. One of the humorous highlights of this episode is the group of Christmas carolers that are able to sing conversations with other characters in chorus to the tunes of traditional carols.
"Eggnog" episode of Sisters (1991) -
Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol (1992) -
"Halloween IV" episode of Roseanne (1992) -
"It Feels Like Christmas" from Holiday Greetings from Ed Sullivan (1992) -
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - A musical version of the story using various Muppets playing the characters in the story and Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. This version contains excellent humor and memorable songs and a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the story. Note that the full version of the movie is 89 minutes and may not be easy to find as several releases, including those on Blu-Ray and streaming services are cut to 86 minutes. The entire missing 3 minutes come from the removal of the song "The Love is Gone" from the scene in the past where Ebenezer and Belle part ways.
"Dr. Mike's Dream" episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) -
"Happy Holidays" episode of Roundhouse (1993) -
"Merry Christmas Mr. Carroll" episode of Alvin & the Chipmunks (1993) -
A Christmas Carol (1994) - An animated version of the story from Jetlag Productions. An acceptable yet mediocre adaptation.
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Avenger Penguins (1994) -
"A Christmas Plotz" episode of Animaniacs (1994) -
A Flintstones' Christmas Carol (1994) -
Bah, Humbug! (1994) - Special
"Shofar, So Good" episode of Northern Exposure (1994) -
Ebbie or Miracle at Christmas: Ebbie's Story (1995) - A Lifetime TV movie starring Susan Lucci as Elizabeth "Ebbie" Scrooge, who has become a cutthroat business woman. This is a pretty decent adaptation. It is a modern day setting of the story that works pretty well, but doesn't do a lot to distinguish itself. It is still a nice one-time watch.
"Huh-Huh-Humbug" episode of Beavis and Butthead (1995) -
"Santa Mask" episode of The Mask (1995) -
"A Solstice Carol" episode of Xena: Warrior Princess (1996) -
"Mr. Bill's Christmas Carol" from Ho Ho NOOO! It's Mr. Bill's Christmas Special (1996) -
"Scrooge" episode of Martin (1996) -
A Christmas Carol (1997) - A star-studded animated version with Tim Curry (Scrooge), Whoopi Goldberg (Christmas Present), Michael York (Bob Cratchit), and Ed Asner (Marley). It's a decent adaptation. The musical numbers are a bit over the top for my taste, but they certainly are memorable, even if they seem a bit out of place in the story.
"A Christmas Cruella" episode of 101 Dalmatians (1997) -
Ms. Scrooge (1997) - Starring Cicely Tyson, it took at least half an hour for me to warm up to this adaptation. Although the writing and the performance are not the best, this version does help the audience understand exactly how Ebenita Scrooge came to be so miserly and harsh, which makes her seem like less of a caricature than Ebenezer Scrooge becomes in some other adaptations. Ebenita's nephew, in this version, is a minister who delivers a powerful sermon during the Christmas Present scene, which makes this particularly memorable. So, in spite of a slow start, I was very pleased with this version by the end. Definitely worth a watch.
"A Very Topanga Christmas" episode of Boy Meets World (1997) -
An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998) - An entertaining enough adaptation for children. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of All Dogs Go to Heaven, from which this was spun off, but perhaps for fans of the original film, this is may be more enjoyable. It does have some cute songs.
Ebenezer (1998) - Starring Jack Palance. A Western adaptation of the story, I wasn't immediately drawn in, but it grew on me by the end. It's certainly not a perfect production, but it has a satisfying redemption scene, which is quite different from any of the standard adaptations. Kind of adds a nice variety to the stable of adaptations (pun intended).
The Night Before Christmas (1998) - Special
"A Witchmas Carol" episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1998) - on TV, they see Socky Sockeman and hit Puppet Pals "Do a Really Lame Version of a Christmas Carol..."
A Christmas Carol (1999) - Starring Patrick Stewart as Scrooge, this is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the great expectations I had for Patrick Stewart in the role.
"Fall on Your Knees" episode of Popular (1999) -
"Grift of the Magi" episode of The Simpsons (1999) -
A Christmas Carol (2000) - starring Ross Kemp as Eddie Scrooge. An interesting modern adaptation of the story, which is formatted more like the movie Groundhog Day, in which Scrooge keeps living the same day over an over until he learns how he can make this Christmas his best day ever. Definitely, quite different than the original story, but I enjoyed it.
A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000) - Starring Vanessa Williams as Ebony Scrooge. This VH1 remake is about a nasty egocentric pop singer, who is visited by her former collaborator Marli Jacob (played by Chili), the Ghost of Christmas Past (Kathy Griffin), and the Ghost of Christmas Present (John Taylor of Duran Duran). The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in this case is replaced by a VH1 Behind the Music special from the future, which reveals how much her manager and band despised her until her untimely death. It's predictably campy, but fortunately it doesn't take itself too seriously, with plenty of gags. It's probably not for everyone, but for those that grew up in the height of these pop singers' popularity, it might make you grin. Also, there is an original song called "Heartquake" in the Christmas Past scene that I actually quite liked.
Adventures from the Book of Virtues: A Christmas Carol for Annie (2000) -
Maxine's Christmas Carol (2000) -
A Christmas Carol (2001) - originally titled "Christmas Carol: The Movie," this animated film stars Simon Callow as Scrooge, and also includes Kate Winslet as Belle and Nicholas Cage as Jacob Marley. This is certainly an interesting adaptation as Belle and Old Joe have their own story arcs that can be followed through the film. Unfortunately, neither of these arcs panned out as interestingly as I hoped. The music was fairly nice, though, with the inclusion of some less commonly heard traditional carols and also some original songs in pop style, including one sung by Kate Winslet.
Scrooge and Marley (2001) - starring Dean Jones as Ebenezer Scrooge. I had no idea what I was getting into with this version. At first, it seemed to be a spoof version of the story, with a few genuinely humorous jokes in it, such as when it is revealed that Scrooge is a member of "Atheists are Us." In this adaptation, Scrooge and Marley are lawyers in the United States of America. Seven years after Marley's death, Scrooge sues the town for displaying a manger scene on public property, citing "separation of church and state." Marley's ghost visits Scrooge and urges him to change his ways, but Scrooge demands that it would have been better for the world had Jesus not been born. Marley then begins a trial (by supernatural means) and makes Scrooge argue the case against pastor and televangelist D. James Kennedy. In an extraordinarily shameless straw-man argument, Pastor Kennedy mops the floor with Scrooge, citing all of the ways in which Christians have helped mankind. Scrooge must not be a very great lawyer, as the only argument he can come up with is that Christians were complicit in the institution of slavery, which Pastor Kennedy easily dismisses by giving credit to William Wilberforce (an English Christian) and the members of the Abolition Society in America, many of whom were Christian ministers, for bringing an end to slavery. The befuddled Mr. Scrooge can't seem to muster any cohesive counterargument (no mention of the Inquisition, Crusades and other holy wars, genocide, or terrorism). Not to say that this format of story-telling can't work or be convincing, but if you are going to set up the debate over whether Christianity has been an overall good or bad thing for the human race, then you need to at least attempt to answer the tough questions, and not completely obliterate the weakest possible straw-man argument.
"Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past" episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2002) -
Mr. McGrew's Christmas Carol (2002) -
Movie Toons: A Christmas Carol (2002) - A star-studded cast including Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Ed Asner, Frank Waller, Kath Soucie, and Jodi Benson, this was a decent enough telling of the story that may have been better served without the full-out Broadway-style musical numbers, which although they were well-crafted and charming, didn't seem to fit the story very well.
A Carol Christmas (2003) - starring Tori Spelling as Carol Cartman. This story is about a woman whose TV career takes off, and she loses sight of what is really important to her in life. Even with a cast featuring other TV veterans such as William Shatner, Gary Coleman, and Dinah Manoff, this adaptation fails to bring much charm in its retelling of the classic tale. William Shatner's humorous performance was probably the most noteworthy highlight of this particular version.
The Ghost of Dickens' Past (2003) -
A Christmas Carol (2004) -
A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004) - Starring Kelsey Grammer. Music by the great Alan Menken was well-scored and reminiscent of his work with Disney, but to my taste, it was a bit too cheery and sing-songy to capture the heavier emotions in the story. That being said, I'm sure this is a very satisfying version for some people, but in spite of its high production value, the aforementioned mismatch of musical mood with the story is what really keeps this out of my personal top ten list.
Karroll's Christmas (2004) -
Natale A Casa Deejay (2004) -
Surviving Christmas (2004) -
VeggieTales' An Easter Carol (2004) -
"A Very Venture Christmas" episode of The Venture Brothers (2004) -
Winnie the Pooh's Springtime with Roo (2004) -
"The Best Christmas Story Never" episode of American Dad (2005) -
A Christmas Carol (2005) -
"A Killinaskully Christmas Carol" episode of Killinaskully (2005) - In this Irish comedy series set in the fictional village of Killinaskully, three spirits visit Dan Clancy to help him learn the true meaning of Christmas. Admittedly, this is the only episode of the show I have ever seen, so I'm not sure I'm the most qualified to review, but I did think it had some charming humor even if I didn't know the backstory of the characters. The burnt-out hippy version of the Ghost of Christmas Past was especially clever.
A Christmas Carol: Northern Ballet Theatre (2005) -
Chasing Christmas (2005) - starring Tom Arnold. This TV movie adaptation is charming and certainly worth a watch. Tom Arnold plays Jack Cameron, the single father to a teenage girl, and he has hated Christmas since he caught his wife cheating during his daughter's Christmas pageant 7 years prior. Leslie Jordan nearly steals the show as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who is weary of how cynical the world has become during his 2000+ year tenure and decides to abandon his yearly task leaving Jack stranded in the past. Andrea Roth also delivers a charming performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present, who is entirely out of her element in 1965 (as she has no knowledge of years past). Overall, this is a fun and quirky adaptation, which is a nice tribute to the source material, but also distinct enough to be praised for its originality.
"It's Wonderful Christmas Carol on 34th Street" episode of Hot Properties (2005) -
"A Lost Claus" episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2005) -
Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006) -
A Christmas Carol: Scrooge's Ghostly Tale (2006) - starring Tim Bentinck as the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge. This is a 48-minute animated adaptation of the story, in which all of the parts are played by animal characters. The animation appears to be low-budget, but it's an acceptable adaptation which probably appeals to children. Oddly, during the Ghost of Christmas Future (who is a walrus) scene, Tiny Tim is not dead, but has instead come to hate Christmas as much as Scrooge.
"A Christmas Mikey" episode of Kappa Mikey (2006) -
"Christmas Special" episode of Bad Girls (2006) -
A Sesame Street Christmas Carol (2006) - starring Oscar the Grouch as the Scrooge-like character, which seems only right. This is a short direct-to-video adaptation, which begins with a courier delivering a ghost-o-gram to Oscar with instructions for calling upon the three spirits. The 3-ghost framework is used as an excuse to present clips of previous Sesame Street Christmas material, and there is not much of an actual story narrative. That being said, Sesame Street has consistently delivered good children's programming over the years, so it is a worthwhile production for that reason. Interestingly enough, this adaptation may stand unique as being the only one I can think of where the "Scrooge" character doesn't actually have any meaningful redemption at the end!
"A Cannon Carol" episode of Las Vegas (2007) -
A Clown Carol (2007) -
A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007) -
A Valentine Carol (2007) -
The 'Yeah Whatever' Girl (2007) -
An American Carol (2008) -
Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008) - Aimed at children, this adaptation sees Barbie telling her little sister Kelly (who inexplicably hates Christmas) the story of diva Eden Starling who lives her life on the maxim "In a selfish world, the selfish succeed." Even considering this is made for children, it seemed the that rewrites took away a lot of the weight of the story - that is, more than necessary, in my opinion. This adaptation does have some charming musical arrangements of traditional Christmas carols, and it is worth mentioning that this is one of very few adaptations that feature a female character in the "Scrooge" role.
A Christmas Aimee (2008) -
"Dick Daring's All-Star Holiday Stunt Spectacular V" episode of The Replacements (2008) -
"Maria's Christmas Carol" episode of Holby City (2008) -
"The Shortest Christmas Carol EVER" episode of Skippy Shorts (2008) -
A Christmas Carol (2009) - Starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge, this animated performance capture film is one of the darkest versions of the film, both in story presentation and in color palette. Certain scenes were obviously gratuitous additions for its presentation in Disney Digital 3-D. It's certainly a worthwhile and interesting adaptation of the story, but one of the less cheerful ones, for certain. It's strong points include excellent animation, and a very interesting artistic style throughout.
"Dora's Christmas Carol" episode of Dora the Explorer (2009) -
Ghost of Girlfriends' Past (2009) -
"Nan's Christmas Carol" episode of The Catherine Tate Show (2009) -
"Ted Nugent and the Ghost of Christmas Past" episode of Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (2009) -
"A London Carol" episode of The Suite Life on Deck (2010) -
"A Very Sunny Christmas" episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010) -
Christmas Cupid (2010) -
The Night Before Christmas Carol (2010) -
"The Reefinator" episode of Stoked (2010) -
"Victor's Christmas Carol" episode of The Young & the Restless (2010) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Doctor Who (2011) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of EastEnders (2011) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of The Looney Tunes Show (2011) -
"A Super Christmas Carol" episode of Superwoman (2011) -
Ruffus the Dog's Christmas Carol (2011) - This is a made for internet video, which tells the story using a puppet characters. It is short, but does a pretty good job of telling the story, with some funny bits of humor thrown in and some nice music.
Scrooge in the Hood" (2011) -
The Smurfs' Christmas Carol (2011) -
A Christmas Carol (2012) - Starring Vincent Fegan as Scrooge, this is certainly a unique adaptation as it is presented in a spooky manner reminiscent of horror films. It appears to be a low budget production. It had some good acting performances in it, but some that are less convincing, particularly Scrooge's. The musical underscoring is a bit too omnipresent and is eerie constantly, even when it doesn't seem to fit what is happening in the story. An interesting, though curious adaptation, I would actually like to see the concept developed into a more complete feeling production.
"The Goon Presents A Christmas Carol" episode of The Goon (2012) -
"If A Christmas Carol Was More Realistic" episode of Cracked (2012) -
It's Christmas, Carol! (2012) - starring Emmanuelle Vaugier as Carol, and Carrie Fisher as her dead former boss Eve. In this modern retelling of the tale produced by Hallmark, Eve returns to warn Carol that she needs to change her ways in running the publishing company that they began together years ago. As with many Hallmark Christmas movies, the stakes aren't high enough and the resolution feels contrived. If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, however, this might be the one for you. Probably the most memorable aspect of this movie was the inclusion of Carson Kressley, best known from the fashion TV show Queer Eye, with a few tongue-in-cheek meta-references.
"Merry Merry it Up" episode of Shake it Up (2012) -
"An Orange Carol" episode of The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange (2012) -
Scrooge and Marley (2012) -
"Was Tiny Tim Always Such a Weirdo?" segment from Conan (2012) -
A CBeebies Christmas Carol (2013) -
All American Christmas Carol (2013) - Further afield from the original story than most other adaptations, this was actually fairly endearing and enjoyable, certainly exceeding my remarkably low expectations. It wasn't a laugh riot, but it was occasionally funny. It has its moments and is actually a nice redemption tale in a similar spirit to the original story.
"Christmas Past" episode of Saturday Night Live (2013) -
Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale (2013) -
Mister Scrooge to See You (2013) - Starring David Rupprecht. This may stand unique among films based on A Christmas Carol in that it is actually a sequel to the original story. Beginning one year after the events in the original book, Scrooge offers Bob Cratchit a partnership in his firm, but Jacob Marley visits Scrooge once again and transports him to the year 2013 in which Timothy Cratchit VI has lost the goodwill that the Scrooge and Cratchit firm was known for. It's all good fun, with plenty of cheesy fish-out-of-water humor, although it is a bit long at 1 hour 57 minutes and therefore suffers from slow-pacing at times. It is also very evident that the film was a vehicle for evangelism (as the Salty Earth Pictures website verifies) as it has several overtly preachy moments. Overall, though, it was a cute film.
"Scrooge's Lesson" episode of Robot Chicken (2013) -
"Three Ghosts" episode of Arrow (2013) -
"Trump vs. Scrooge" episode of Epic Rap Battles of History (2013) - This begins with a rather odd setup where Donald Trump takes the place of Marley as the spirit that visits Scrooge to warn him of the visits of rich dudes past, present, and future. Although the production value is generally good as with other episodes on this popular YouTube channel, it wasn't quite as funny as I hoped it would be.
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Speakaboos (2014) -
A Christmas Carol for the One Percent (2014) -
"A Koopsmas Carol" episode of Dorkly (2014) -
A Minecraft Christmas Carol (2014) -
My Dad is Scrooge (2014) - Starring Brian Cook as EB (the "Scrooge" Dad from the title), this is a cute movie. In this adaptation, a brother and sister help their Scrooge-like father rekindle a love for Christmas and a concern for the well-being of others with the help of enchanted talking farm animals (voiced by Charles Shaughnessy, Bonnie Wright, and Jon Heder, among others) that pose as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. A nice family film, I'm sure children will enjoy the goofy humor in this a bit more than their parents. It's a relatively low-budget production, but other than a few of the actors not having any obvious skill in that department, it is actually well-produced. I would certainly recommend this one for children, as it definitely is very cute.
"A Thug Notes Christmas Carol" episode of Thug Notes (2014) -
Ghost of Christmas Past (2014) - ADD Films
"Winter Thunderland" episode of The Thundermans (2014) -
"A Chelsea Christmas Carol" episode of Football Republic & 442oons (2015) -
A Christmas Carol (2015) - Directed by Anthony D.P. Mann, who also starred as Scrooge, this is an apparently low budget production. Nevertheless, whereas it was slow getting started, I eventually found myself really enjoying it by the end. It had some beautiful musical numbers, and although at times they seemed a little forced into the story, they were pleasant enough to hear, that it was an overall enjoyable watch.
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Pinkfong (2015) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Tales with GiGi (2015) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Trollied (2015) -
"A Christmas Carol + Zombies" episode of Awesomeness TV (2015) -
"A Christmas Carol" episode of Simpich Marionettes (2015) -
"A Hillary Christmas" sketch from Saturday Night Live (2015) - Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton is visited by her past self in the form of Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin also makes an appearance. This sketch has a few funny moments.
"Captain Scrooge" episode of Jack and the Neverland Pirates (2015) -
"Diesel's Ghostly Christmas Tale" episode of Thomas and Friends (2015) -
"Christmas Movies starring Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson" episode of MovieClips MisCast (2015) -
A Christian Carol (2016) - Starring Brenda Roesel as Carol. In this modern adaptation of the story, Carol runs her business with an iron fist and resents her sister who chooses to shift her focus from career to raising her child with her husband who is a preacher at a small congregation. The tone of this story is overtly preachy and plays more like a church service moving between sermons and songs with very little narrative structure tying the story together.
"A Hearth's Warming Tail" episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2016) -
A Christmas Carol (2017) - a one-man version adapted and performed by Martin Prest. A delightful performance to watch. Although I feel it would have been more impactful to experience live with an audience, it was still very enjoyable to watch on TV. It was interesting to experience the story in this way, as Dickens himself would read his own story in public performances.
"White House Christmas Cold Open" from Saturday Night Live (2017) - Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump is visited by Michael Flynn - The Ghost of Witness Flipped - who came to warn him to come clean for the good of the country. He is then visited by three ghosts. SNL delivers its usual brand of timely political humor in a moderately funny sketch.
A Christmas Carol (2018) - Starring Stuart Brennan. This retelling of the story is set in present day, and mixes around the character backstories somewhat - Bob Cratchit is a woman whose husband Tim is ill, Fred is Scrooge's uncle instead of his nephew, etc. Whereas I don't have a problem with these things being altered, I don't see where they served to tell the story any more effectively, or indeed much differently at all. Sadly, I don't feel that this is a very noteworthy or memorable adaptation among the sea of other options. Harry Potter fans, however, might enjoy seeing Bonnie Wright (who portrayed Ginny Weasley in all eight Harry Potter films) co-starring as Nell, Scrooge's early love interest in this adaptation.
A Frozen Christmas Carol (2018) - NOT to be confused as being in any way related to the Disney franchise, this video version of the tale uses Santa's return trip to the North Pole with his reindeer assistant Barnaby in a new sleigh, which apparently flies without the aid of reindeer to pull it. Santa and Barnaby decide to listen to Christmas "stories" on the way back, but end up only listening to one - someone reading A Christmas Carol (unabridged). Apparently Santa's new sleigh also came with a Bluetooth device (or perhaps some magical Christmas audio system) as the reader does not seem to be the voice of Santa or Barnaby. Now, when I describe this as a framing device, I'm being a little generous, as typically a framing device would return at the end (at least) to sum things up, but once the story is finished, the video abruptly ends. By the way, there is no actual depiction of the story, but instead the visuals are Christmas-themed animations that look like they could be used as a computer screen saver. The reading of the story is fine (nothing special), but if you are thinking of paying actual money for this, it's fair to know that you are basically buying an audiobook version.
A Christmas Carol (2019) - Starring Kate Katzman as Ellen Scrooge. This present-day adaptation follows the story of Ellen Scrooge, the CEO of a prescription drug company. Mediocre writing and performances along with a campy omnipresent theme song make this one rather difficult to watch. It is an interesting concept to have the Scrooge character as the head of a prescription drug company in a America as this has plenty of present-day relevance, but on the whole the idea didn't play out very satisfactorily.
A Christmas Carol (2019) - a TV mini-series produced by FX and also released on BBC starring Guy Pearce. This adaptation stands apart as not being for the whole family. It is rated TV-MA for a few brief scenes containing gore, a handful of instances of f-word, some brief partial nudity, and some adult themes. This is by far the most intense retelling of the story I have ever seen. The dialogue has been considerably rewritten, and additional themes of sexual abuse were added to the story. My main criticism is that redemption is one of the major themes of the original story, and the redemption arc in this one seems to fall a bit flat. It's as if Ebenezer's penance is accepted, but he receives no forgiveness, and even proclaims that he does not deserve any forgiveness. Whereas I can understand the truth that changing and doing good things does not make up for bad things one has done (particularly in cases of abuse), the fact that forgiveness is freely given by those that Ebenezer has wronged is one of the major themes of the story for me (this is not to say that forgiveness should be freely given to an abuser, but that I'm disappointed that the story was rewritten to make Ebenezer blatantly abusive). All that being said, I love that this very different interpretation challenged me to think more deeply about the themes of forgiveness and redemption, just don't expect to go away from this one clicking your heals.
Related Films (in alphabetical order)
The following films are not adaptations, but are influenced by A Christmas Carol, give background on it, or are at least related enough to seem as if they may have been influenced by it.
"Biography: Charles Dickens" episode of Biography (1995) -
Dickensian (2015) -
Groundhog Day (1993) - While not set during Christmas time, this film has a similar theme of redemption in the life of Phil Connors (Bill Murray), who is an egotistical weatherman who seems to have a disdain for just about everyone and everything. He is assigned to cover the Groundhog Day festival in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania for the fourth year in a row, and deplores the whole idea of it. Inexplicably, Phil relives Groundhog Day over and over and is the only one aware of the repetition. Over time, he shifts his focus from his own selfish desires to helping those around him, and in the end is an entirely changed person. This is one of my favorite comedies and also one of my favorite films in general.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Whereas this is not a direct adaptation of Dickens, this classic film definitely seems to have sprung from the same well. This masterpiece film tells the story of George Bailey (James Stewart) and the angel Clarence (Henry Travers) who comes to earth to show him how his life has brought good to those around him by showing George an alternate version of the present, if he had not existed. Wonderful writing and performances all around contribute to this film, which is considered one of the greatest Christmas films ever made.
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) - this a biographical film about Charles Dickens, particularly focusing on the story behind his writing of A Christmas Carol. It is interesting and occasionally entertaining, particularly when Dickens is shown metaphorically interacting with the characters in the book as he works them out. The film has a very nice period look with good sets and costumes, but certainly many of the actual historical facts seem contrived for the purpose of creating a narrative.
A Message from Mars (1913) - An interesting early film, which is a similar story with a sci-fi twist. In this case, a Martian is serving penance to the kingdom of Mars by going on a mission to earth on Christmas Eve to change the selfish ways of the miserly Horace Parker. The Martians are able to make Horace invisible so they can hear the things that his friends and family are saying about him. This is certainly an interesting watch, although it suffers from slow pacing even though its runtime is barely over one hour in length.
The Night Before (2015) -
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