MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL [1983 / 2013] [30th Anniversary Edition Special Edition] [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy] [USA Release] He’s back! Mickey Mouse in his First New Animated Motion Picture in 30 years!
Ring in the holidays with a new 30th Anniversary Special Edition of ‘MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL.’ Disney's timeless tale sparkles like never before with fully restored classic holiday shorts, plus all-new bonus features!
Donald and all their pals star in a heart-warming retelling of Dickens' unforgettable holiday tale. Ebenezer Scrooge [Scrooge McDuck] is far too greedy to understand that Christmas is a time for kindness and generosity. But with the guidance of some wise ghosts with Goofy and Jiminy Cricket and a bunch of newfound friends, Ebenezer Scrooge learns to embrace the spirit of the season. Share this wonderful holiday treat with the whole family!
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1984 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Short Animated Film for Burny Mattinson.
FILM FACT No.2: ‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ animated film also includes unidentifiable dog, fox, pig, squirrel, bear, raccoon, goose, and chicken characters. The DVD print reveals that the graveyard scene also includes tombstones containing famous performers, including Gladys Knight and The Pips, Bob Mills, and Warren Oates. Original shown in cinemas with 3 Channel Stereo and 5.0 Surround Sound.
Voice Cast: Alan Young (Ebenezer Scrooge – Scrooge McDuck / Begger Dog), Wayne Allwine (Bob Cratchit – Mickey Mouse / Weasel Gravedigger / Begger Dog), Hal Smith (Jacob Marley's Ghost – Goofy / Collector for the Poor #1), Will Ryan (Collector for the Poor #2 / Ghost of Christmas Present / Willie the Giant / Ghost of Christmas Future / Pete / Santa Claus / Big Bad Wolf / Weasel #2), Eddie Carroll (Ghost of Christmas Past – Jiminy Cricket), Patricia Parris (Belle – Daisy Duck), Dick Billingsley (Tiny Tim), Clarence Nash (Nephew Fred – Donald Duck) and Tasos Kostis (Goofy – Jacob Marley)
Directors: Burny Mattinson and Richard Rich (uncredited)
Producer: Burny Mattinson
Screenplay: Charles Dickens (based on the book: "A Christmas Carol"), Alan Dinehart (story adaptation), Alan Young (story adaptation), Burny Mattinson (story adaptation), Don Griffith (story adaptation), Ed Gombert (story adaptation) and Tony L. Marino (story adaptation)
Composer: Irwin Kostal
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
French: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Spanish: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French and Spanish
Running Time: 25 minutes
Region: Blu-ray: All Regions + DVD: NTSC
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: With this Disney’s ‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ [1983] tells the classic story of “A Christmas Carol”; the tale of cranky money hungry Ebenezer Scrooge, and how he learns to be a decent man with help from three spirits of Christmas and you can ring the Christmas Festivities with this new 30th Anniversary Special Edition of Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Disney’s timeless tale sparkles like never before on Blu-ray and Digital Copy, with fully-restored classic holiday shorts, plus all-new bonus features! Make the season merry as Mickey, Goofy, Donald and their entire pals star in this heart-warming retelling of Charles Dickens’ unforgettable festive tale. Ebenezer Scrooge – Scrooge McDuck [Alan Young] is far too greedy to understand that Christmas is a time for kindness and generosity. But with the guidance of some wise ghosts that includes Goofy [Tasos Kostis] and Ghost of Christmas Past – Jiminy Cricket [Eddie Carroll] and a bunch of newfound friends, and Ebenezer Scrooge learns to embrace the spirit of the season. Share this wonderful holiday treat with the whole family and you sure will appreciate that the animation is lovely too, this is a case where the roughness aids the tale, helping to add the grittiness to the Victorian poverty stricken setting. There is an almost handmade sketch drawn quality to way the animated film was crafted, making the whole short animated film feel so homely and warm; which is PERFECT for a Christmas special release.
Just like Charles Dickens’ story, the story focuses on one day in Ebenezer Scrooge’s life where we see just how miserly and cruel he can be to not only his employee Bob Cratchit – Mickey Mouse [Wayne Allwine], but also his own nephew, Fred (Donald Duck as played for the last time by original star Clarence Nash). Ebenezer Scrooge also makes sure to not give to the poor or to worry too much about how his treatment of Bob Cratchit affects the man’s family, especially his youngest son, Tiny Tim [Dick Billingsley] who is in poor health. It’s on Christmas Eve that Scrooge gets his moral wakeup call when he’s visited by the ghost of his former partner Goofy – Jacob Marley [Hal Smith] who warns him to change his ways and who also lets him know that three more ghosts will come to visit him.
First to appear is the Ghost of Ghost of Christmas Past – Jiminy Cricket [Eddie Carroll] who takes the cranky Ebenezer Scrooge back in time to see just how he became the greedy duck that everyone doesn’t like. We see a younger Ebenezer Scrooge who is kind and shy and in love with Isabella –Daisy Duck [Patricia Parris]. Over time, Ebenezer Scrooge becomes so obsessed with money that no one is safe from his avarice including Isabella whom he forecloses on when her final payment on their honeymoon cottage is an hour late. Seeing Isabella again, Ebenezer Scrooge starts to realize how his greed has hurt others and himself.
Ebenezer Scrooge’s pain isn’t over as the Ghost of Christmas Present [Will Ryan] arrives to show him how bad off the Bob Cratchit family is thanks to the meagre salary Ebenezer Scrooge pays Bob Cratchit. The Ghost of Christmas Present informs Ebenezer Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die soon due to the lack of medical care and malnourishment. Before Ebenezer Scrooge gets any further answers, the Ghost of Christmas Future arrives to show him an even darker and more personal fate. After this series of supernatural visits, Ebenezer Scrooge must decide whether or not to change his ways and accept this second chance at having a fulfilling life.
‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ is one of my favourite Disney Christmas animated films that now that it’s out on this Blu-ray finally, it will become a family Christmas viewing tradition. One of the surprising aspects of this film is the fact that it not only is very faithful to the original story, but that it also manages to tell the story in a scant twenty-three minutes without feeling like anything was missed. Every major story beat is here and it all adds up to a powerful ending that’s just as good as any of the other adaptations. Despite its adherence to the original story, this version also offers a lot of humor too as you’d expect from a Disney film. This film also represented the return of Mickey Mouse in a theatrical cartoon in over thirty years. It was also nice to see the characters from other Disney films that hadn’t been seen in years. This is a fantastic adaption that all Disney fans will love!
‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ is Disney’s adaption of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel “A Christmas Carol,” which tells the cautionary tale of Ebenezer Scrooge whose lifetime of greed and indifference to the needs of others is given an intervention by several spirits of Christmas. In this Disney’s 30th Anniversary Edition Special Edition version, all of the characters are played by the usual gang but there is also characters from other Disney animated films like ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad’ in supporting roles. Even though this is a Disney animated film, I can’t imagine more suitable Disney well known characters for their chosen roles. For the role of Ebenezer Scrooge who better than Scrooge McDuck [Alan Young] to play him? And of course casting the irrepressible Mickey Mouse as his long suffering employee Bob Cratchit [Wayne Allwine] was a brilliant choice too.
MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL MUSIC TRACK LIST
OH, WHAT A MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY [1983] (Words and Music by Fredrick Searles and Irwin Kostal) [Part of ‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ during the opening credits and at the end]
JINGLE BELLS (uncredited) (Written by James Pierpont) [Part of the 1952 release in the ‘Pluto's Christmas Tree’ short]
DECK THE HALLS (uncredited) (Traditional) (Lyrics by Thomas Oliphant) [Part of the 1952 release in the ‘Pluto's Christmas Tree’ short]
OH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL (uncredited) (Lyrics by Frederick Oakeley and music by John Reading) [Part of the 1952 release in the ‘Pluto's Christmas Tree’ short]
SILENT NIGHT (uncredited) (Written by Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber) [Part of the 1952 release in the ‘Pluto's Christmas Tree’ short]
DONALD DUCK (uncredited) (Written by Oliver Wallace) [Part of the 1951 release in the ‘Corn Chips’ short]
WESTMINSTER QUARTERS (uncredited) (Traditional)
Blu-ray Image Quality – Walt Disney Studios presents us ‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ with a wonderful warm-hearted 1080p image with an exceptional 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The image quality is a gorgeous transfer with solid lines and the Technicolor is rich and deep with never a sign of blooming, but there’s no grain left in this transfer at all which I know will probably upset a lot of Disney fans. But overall, the colours look decent but not as bright as Disney’s recent restorations and many shots look slightly soft, but still good for a 1983 animated film release.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Walt Disney Studios brings us ‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ with a very nice audio mix with a very surprising 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio and faithful to the original 1983presentation and is certainly solid and presents the Christmas songs written for the film entitled “Merry Christmas Day” in giving good audio fidelity. The dialogue is very clear via the front speakers. The music score and sound effects rest comfortably on the audio track and especially with the dialogue elements. None of this is a huge issue for this animated film, because this audio mix is basically the same as the original sound design, but it would have been nice if they had spruced up the audio mix a little better, sadly there will never be a much improved upgrade, so this Blu-ray release will suffice.
Blu-ray + DVD Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Disney Intermission: Mickey Mouse invites viewers to sing three Christmas Carols with all his pals. With the Disney Intermission, it begins anytime when you press the PAUSE button on your remote control anytime when viewing the main animated feature film and a notice will appear saying “Walt Disney Intermission is playing . . .” after 5 seconds elapses. What you get to view is a three-song sing along with Donald Duck and other Disney characters wailing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas, “Deck the Halls,” and “Jingle Bells.” Happy viewing!
Special Feature: Disney Bonus Shorts: Here you get to view five winter-themed animated shorts from the Disney library and are presented in high definition and there is well over half an hour of classic Disney short cartoons and one of them is brand new and again even better now that they are now viewed in Technicolor high definition. They may be viewed one after another or you have the choice of viewing them separately and they are as follows:
Disney's Mickey Mouse Yodelberg [2013] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:32] One of the new output of this Mickey Mouse animated short subject in using a variation of the old black and white image of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, except in some circumstances colour is used and especially using abstract art techniques. In this one, Mickey Mouse’s town is in danger of an avalanche, so Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse do all they can to keep things as quiet as possible. Voice Cast: Chris Diamantopoulos (Mickey Mouse), Fred Tatasciore (voice) and Aaron Springer (voice). Please Note: This is shown in 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio.
The Hockey Champ [1939] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:28] Donald Duck shows off his prowess as a hockey player to his nephews, and they seek revenge for his dirty tactics. But the boys have a few moves of their own, and another chaos is happening. Voice Cast: Clarence Nash (Donald Duck / Huey / Dewey / Louie) (uncredited).
Pluto’s Christmas Tree [1952] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:46] Mickey Mouse and Pluto pick out a tree for Christmas tree and bring it back home, and are completely unaware that Chip ‘n’ Dale are already hiding out in the newly decorated tree and cause havoc which Pluto tries to prevent. Voice Cast: Ruth Clifford (Minnie Mouse) (uncredited), Pinto Colvig (Pluto / Goofy) (uncredited), Dessie Flynn (Dale) (uncredited), James MacDonald (Chip / Mickey Mouse) (uncredited) and Clarence Nash (Donald Duck) (uncredited).
The Art of Skiing [1941] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:54] Here is another in the series of Goofy’s “how to” shorts. Goofy, staying at the Sugar Bowl resort, demonstrates the basics of downhill skiing, which the titles and announcer insist is pronounced "SHEEing." The equipment is, of course, of the era. As you can imagine, Goofy has much trouble keeping his skis parallel and pointing downhill. The final ski jump conveniently lands Goofy right back in bed. This is by far the funniest bonus feature in the package, but the animated film short looks the most dated of the four vintage inclusions. Voice Cast: John McLeish (Narrator) (uncredited), George Johnson (Goofy) (uncredited) and Hannes Schroll (Yodeller) (uncredited).
Corn Chips [1951] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:57] Donald Duck is shovelling the snow off his walk; Chip 'n' Dale are shovelling their branch of their home. Donald Duck tricks them into shovelling his walk. Angered, Chip 'n' Dale sneak into Donald Duck’s house, where Donald Duck is getting ready to make popcorn. Chip 'n' Dale have never seen popcorn before, but they love it. They stow away in the box, but the chipmunks find a way to steal his bowl. Donald Duck enters a fierce battle with the chipmunks for possession of the popcorn, which ends with Donald Duck trying to burn down Chip and Dale's tree. The duo immediately finds another box of popcorn and pours it down onto the fire, and causing a whole shower of popcorn to cover the front of Donald Duck's house. Concluding the short, a disgruntled Donald Duck ends up having to clear popcorn out of his walkway. Voice Cast: James MacDonald (Chip), Dessie Flynn (Dale) and Clarence Nash (Donald Duck).
Finally, ‘MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL’ is most welcome definitely in 1080p high definition, and the Walt Disney Pictures has added some new material to pair along with the short animated subjects to round off the package. This is one of my favourite Christmas holiday themed Disney animated film and I am glad that it has finally been released on Blu-ray. The image and audio quality is not quite up to the Disney’s usual gold standard, but this Blu-ray is still better than previous releases. It’s also great to get to view the classic Disney cartoon shorts in high definition and uncut. If you are looking for something really good to watch during the festive holidays, then you should pick up this Blu-ray release. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
