Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Parent Guide

Miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge (voiced by Luke Evans) hates Christmas and does his best to share the misery. As a money lender, he shows no mercy to anyone who owes him even a shilling, and he regularly stiffs his one employee, Bob Cratchit (Johnny Flynn) on his wages. But one Christmas Eve, Ebeneezer is visited by the ghost of his late business partner, Jacob Marley (Jonathan Pryce) who warns him of the terrible fate that awaits the greedy after death. Scrooge is then visited by three more ghosts, who show him how his greed has affected both himself and those around him and give him one last chance to change his ways before it’s too late.

Everyone knows the story of A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’s classic novella has been adapted for countless stage and screen performances. With such an overabundance of adaptations, it takes a lot to stand out and unfortunately, Netflix’s animated version fails to do that.

On the positive side, this production has some fantastic visuals, especially during the ghostly visits. The ghosts are creatively portrayed and there’s more creativity in the ways that Scrooge interacts with their presentations of his life. The movie’s pacing and editing are also tight and well-timed, allowing the emotional moments to breathe, while also moving the story along at a brisk pace. The voice work is fantastic, especially Olivia Colman (though that’s no surprise!).

Even distinctive visuals and good pacing aren’t enough to uplift a generic and unoriginal adaptation. There are very few changes from the original novella, except for the addition of some forgettable and cheesy musical numbers. This film has nothing new to say, and so it immediately drowns in the ocean of other Christmas Carols. Note to Netflix: just because it’s in the public domain doesn’t mean you have to make a movie of it.

Though lacking in negative content, the film does have some frightening visuals and dark moments, which may be too scary for very young audiences. Older children might enjoy themselves, but the over-the-top musical numbers and cheesy moments could prove to be too much even for them. Although the positive messages are important, there are a million other versions to choose from, some much better than this one, that will be a better fit for the whole family while still conveying the same uplifting themes. There’s no topping The Muppet Christmas Caroland frankly I don’t know why anyone even tries.