#ed gombert

Though its brief running time omits nearly as much as it includes, Mickey’s Christmas Carol is a good introduction to Charles Dickens’s classic tale. The score is enchanting, classic Disney characters are well utilized, and no matter how brief, the story always makes Christmas feel more complete.   Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck, voiced by Alan Young) is a bitter miser who resents giving his employee Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse, voiced by Wayne Allwine) time off for Christmas. He gleefully exploits those indebted to him while giving nothing back to society. The cheapskate gets a chance for redemption when the ghost of his long-deceased associate, Jacob Marley (Goofy, voiced by Hal Smith), appears and announces the arrival of three Christmas spirits to teach him a lesson.

I can see why the film might’ve disappointed audiences upon its release in 1983. There’s not a whole lot of Mickey Mouse in Mickey’s Christmas Carol and considering this was the iconic character’s first theatrical appearance in over 30 years, that’s a big letdown. If you’re familiar with the story, it’s also unfortunate to see the plot - which isn’t even that long to begin with - truncated to the bare essentials. After the Ghost of Christmas Past (Jiminy Cricket, voiced by Eddie Carroll) shows Scrooge the love he used to hold for Isabelle (Daisy Duck, voiced by Patricia Parris), he’s foreclosing on her mortgage in the next scene and then we’re off to meet the Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant, voiced by Will Ryan) in the same breath. His visions are even briefer and in no time, Scrooge is confronted by the Ghost of Christmas Future (Pete, also voiced by Ryan). It moves at such breakneck speed you’d give up your second helping of Christmas goose for five more minutes of ANYTHING.

What the film does well is tell a nice, concise version of A Christmas Carol for audiences who might not have the patience to sit through a “real” movie. If you’re little and haven’t heard this story before, it’s terrific. The timeless message is well told, with little bits of humor here. Unlike other child-oriented renditions, however, the humor doesn't come at the expense of the scary scenes. Traditionally, the Ghost of Christmas future is silent but the dialogue he’s given in this adaptation is just right and there’s no way Will Ryan’s performance won’t imprint itself into your brain even after a single viewing. It begins on the right note with the wonderful Oh What a Merry Christmas Day and the conclusion is taken right out of the original text (or as close as an abbreviated version could allow). In between, you get to see so many classic Disney cartoon characters it’s hard not to feel nostalgic. Everyone fits their roles well (maybe not as much Goofy, but he does make a lasting impression and offer some good laughs), the visuals are crisp and everything about this presentation, from the voicework to the music and colours have aged wonderfully.

For many, it doesn’t feel like Christmas unless they’ve found the time to watch their favorite movie or Holiday special. It might be “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or Mickey's Christmas Carol; all of which serve as great warmups while the distant family members are arriving, taking off their coats and settling into the living room for the same laughs and charms they enjoy every year. It might not be the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol story but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. (On Blu-ray, December 27, 2021)

The Making of ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’

Part 6

Burny’s small but mighty team of animators was slowly coming together.  Block and Keane animated the majority of Scrooge in the film.  Keane also requested to work on Willie the Giant as the Ghost of Christmas Present, basing the giant’s awkward movements on his son Max, who was 18 months at the time.  Ed Gombert had storyboarded these sequences and, after his work in story was finished, Gombert stayed on as an animator, bringing Ratty and Mole back to the screen.  Burny called up Dale Baer and asked him if he would animate the climactic sequence in the cemetery where Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Future, played by Mickey’s old nemesis Pete.  Baer had started at the studio in 1971 as only the second person to be accepted into the studio’s newly formed training program led by master animator Eric Larson, one of Walt’s Nine Old Men.  Baer left Disney in 1977 and had been working on the outside since.  He was thrilled to be offered this juicy section of the film as well as the chance to work with Burny again.