Christmas Day Special - Top 12 A Christmas Carol Adaptations

 

Merry Christmas all and let's see if you have heard the story of A Christmas Carol. Yeah its one of those stories set at Christmas that has been done so many times, that eventually it becomes part of what people want to watch, play and/or read every time the festive period is on. So today I'm counting down my personal top 12 favourite adaptations of the story. Many of these either follow the story well or do their own thing. From Muppets to motion capture and everything else you could think of, this is a list of the ones I have seen and that you should at the very least check out. So let's go and a bah humbug to you as we do it:

12 - Mickey's Christmas Carol

Kicking things off is this little cartoon. Back when Walt Disney was alive, there was a series of cartoons called Silly Symphonies which puts Mickey Mouse and pals in numerous scenarios that are usually very funny and, on occasion, disturbing much like their Warner Brothers created competitor, Looney Tunes. They, too, had a crack on the story which despite being short, actually works quite well especially as one of the characters used, just so happens to be Scrooge McDuck who, as we 90s kids will know, would then go on to star in his own show DuckTales. You got Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Donald Duck as the nephew (which is very much in line with the character) and others too. In fact, this is widely known as one of a few adaptations that give the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, actual lines which does work here. It's on Disney+ now, so do check it out when you can.

11 - Jim Carrey's A Christmas Carol

Keeping with Disney, here's probably the first and only adaptation to be fully CGI with motion capture performances from the likes of Jim Carrey, Colin Firth and Gary Oldman. Think those three stand out the most in this film, especially Carrey, whom all thoughts on Covid vaccines aside, does well in playing not only Scrooge, but also the ghosts too which I guess is the film's way of having us see Scrooge's reflection on the ghosts. Not only that, but this one has some pretty scary moments and a few unintentionally creepy motion capture performances. But fortunately not as bad or as dead looking as other ones that are out there, which says something.

10 - Nan's Christmas Carol

Quite a long time ago now, there was a time in British comedy where you could pretty much get away with anything that is racist, sexist and all that stuff. Sadly, due to changing times, we can no longer access that kind of comedy unless bought digitally or on DVD and Blu-ray. Not long after The Catherine Tate Show came to an end, we were treated to a very funny Christmas special which brings us Nan who, as usual, only cares for herself and no one else, so takes up the role of Scrooge and goes on a journey to change her ways one night. With an all star cast including her Doctor Who co-star David Tennant and also Ben Miller and Roger Lloyd Pack, this festive special of the otherwise very funny show, is pretty cinematic and is actually a lot better than the unnecessary film that we got not too long ago (not that I have seen it or anything).

9 - Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

So although I have reviewed this film not too long ago, I will admit that I do have a soft spot for it. It's a remake of one of the earlier adaptations of the story, which ended up being a musical and honestly, I actually kind of like the musical numbers. Some are catchy and some even become belters too. Animation still makes it look like Fortnite or Overwatch, but still good all the same with some great performances from the likes of Luke Evans, Olivia Coleman and Jonathan Pryce among others.

8 - Epic Rap Battles of History: Donald Trump VS Ebenezer Scrooge

The shortest one on this list, but also one that actually kind of wraps up the story in a nutshell. So you got your usual rap battle, in which initially it plays out like any other one. But when it's Scrooge's turn, he goes up against the Ghosts instead of continuing with Trump, who takes Jabob Marley's place. Very clever writing there and one that surprisingly works well. Of course, not everyone will be won over, considering that it's not a rap battle in its usual form. But others like me just appreciate the effort put in to it if nothing else.

7 - A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong

Having seen these guys on stage, I knew that if they did the story, it would be pretty chaotic. Which is exactly what we got, and it's just so much fun. Trying to take a serious (well, mostly) story and making everything that could go wrong, go wrong. Plenty of laughs to be had with this one, and it shows that this troupe of comedy actors can even turn the most beloved of Christmas stories, into an expected chaotic mess.

6 - The Simpsons: 'Tis the Fifteenth Season

Of all the characters that, for all the right reasons, should be the one to be greeted by three spirits, most of us would assume that would be Mr. Burns. I mean, he has the makings of Scrooge and behaves as such, not to mention that he has a big fortune and for a majority of the time he is in Springfield, he likes screwing people over. Even when it looks like he isn't, he actually is. But nope, the people behind the show decided to choose Homer as the suspect for Scrooge and although it's not quite the same story, the same concept is still used. Because let's face it, one of the negative qualities about Homer is him being selfish. Of course, he does mend his ways in the end, which he does here too, but it's a pretty bad quality all the same.

5 - Scrooged

Now, this was one of the more twisted takes on the story. We have a TV executive trying to get A Christmas Carol to be put on air, but he himself gets the three spirit treatment. It's probably not a version that will win a lot of people over, but many of us remember it for being a modern take on the story, but also a very funny but twisted one too with Bill Murray right front and centre. Taking it all in like he should be.

4 - A Christmas Carol: The Musical

Kelsey Grammer is one of those actors who can pretty much do a villain well. Sure, most of us know him for being a grandfather like character and a guy you can trust in the stuff he does. But a villain has always, at least for me, been his best kind of role. Although this musical can at times feel like Les Misérables, it's got a few great musical numbers, great performances and humanizes the spirits too to make it I guess a bit more homely. Pretty good, I'd say.

3 - Blackadder's Christmas Carol

So over the course of the Blackadder saga as it were, the main character in all his different forms, is a bit of a Scrooge character. But when they decide to do their own take on the story, Blackadder is actually a nice man. An anti-Scrooge if you will that has done nice things and the Spirit of Christmas (of which there is only one this time), pays him a visit to compliment him and at Blackadder's request, shows him the many Blackadders from the past and future which ultimately leads into Blackadder being the Blackadder we all know and love to hate. Probably won't get this kind of adaptation of the story again, but it works really well here, for sure.

2 - Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol

As confusing as Steven Moffat's era of Doctor Who was, the one thing he always strived to do during his time as showrunner, was to reimagine timeless children's stories, folklore and fairy tales by adding anything to do with the show. One of the great examples of this was the Christmas specials that came about during his tenure. This was the first which saw the Doctor and pals trying to prevent a disaster from happening by simply influencing the life of the guy who has the ability to do just that, but refuses because well, he is a Scrooge character. So The Doctor and pals take the form of the three spirits, and it ultimately pays off. Great acting too from the legendary Michael Gambon and a great song from the equally legendary Katherine Jenkins.

1 - The Muppet Christmas Carol

I know this was probably a very predictable choice, but whenever people talk fondly of the story, many would say the Muppet version is the best one. It is definitely up there as being one of the best takes, but it does leave out a lot to be desired from the original story. Some would say it's good for being an introduction of the story to children and with some good musical numbers that don't stray too far from the story and a great performance by another legendary actor, Michael Caine, this makes this my favourite take on the story. Because as unperfect as The Muppets are, they are recognizable and anything with them in will guarantee that the film will be a success and there isn't much wrong with this take apart from what I've said already, which is why I like it.

Honourable Mention - The Man Who Invented Christmas

Of course, I couldn't do this list without mentioning the film that explores the trails and tribulations that Charles Dickens went through to make the story in the first place. He explores the ideals of the story, interacts with the characters and more as he attempts to make this story his next big hit after Oliver Twist. So no, not quite the Christmas Carol story or concept, but it certainly shows how much weight the author had to carry to get it created, which I guess could be why we get so many adaptations of it. Good film though for sure.