Canto di Natale di Topolino

Mickey's Christmas Carol is not a full-length movie, which is to it's merit.

As with any adaption of a Christmas Carol, the less seen of annoying Tiny Tim, the better.

Carl Barks' Scrooge McDuck plays Ebenezer Scrooge as various other Disney Characters teach him to be kind and not miserly with the tried and true 3-celebrity ghosts formula.

The true entertainment isn't in the plot but in the nuances of the character behavior, for example, Scrooge's first encounter with the ghost of Jacob Marley.

Since it's a half-hour Christmas special, Mickey's Christmas Carol moves at a rather fast pace, free of songs or other distractions that may bore those with short attention spans.

All in all, I highly recommend this piece of work.

Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

**** (out of 4)

Disney kept Mickey Mouse off the big screen for nearly three decades but they certainly picked the right story to bring him back in. This wonderful adaptation of the classic story has Mickey playing Bob Cratchit, the poor worker whose boss Scrooge is about to get a lesson on treating people the right way. In my opinion this is Disney greatest moment and also one of the greatest shorts ever made. Even though the film only runs 20-minutes, there's enough heart and spirit to carry a dozen feature films. I've loved this movie since first seeing it as a child and I'm pretty sure I could watch this once a day and not tire of it. What amazes me most and always has is that the animators got all the right characters in the story being played by the right Disney character. Goofy as Marley, Willie the Giant and Jiminy Cricket as a couple of the ghosts, Donald Duck as the nephew and of course Mickey and Minnie. The entire story is a very familiar one but it's given so much life by these Disney characters that one really could argue that this is the very best version of the story, which has had several good adaptations over the past hundred years. I loved all the animation, the music and of course the ending is incredibly touching and funny.

This is beautifully animated, and faithful to the much loved Dickens story. It is a bit short, but most of the Disney Christmas specials are barely over an hour, so I don't think it as an issue. Scrooge, great to hear Alan Young's voice again, is a miser who hates Christmas, much to the despair of his clerk Bob Cratchit, earnestly voiced by Wayne Allwine. He is visited by three spirits, after being warned by Jacob Marley, who convince him once and for all to change his ways! The animation is beautiful, as is the title song, an occurring motif in the mini-film. (It's only 25 minutes.)When Scrooge thinks Tiny Tim is dead, I had tears in my eyes, and that rarely happens. There are truly entertaining appearances from Jiminy Cricket, Goofy, Willy the Giant, Donald Duck and Toad from Wind in the Willows. Other than its length, I had no real quibble with the movie, so it is a 10/10. Bethany Cox

Scrooge Mcduck ( voiced by Alan Young) is the most rotten richman in town, he's as sour as a grapefruit but has no feeling about others. He is haunted by his former partner Jacob Marley ( played by Goofy) and 3 spirits ( Jimminy Cricket, Willy The Giant from " Fun and Fancy Free" and Pete) show him about his past, present and future so he can change his ways.

A highly entertaining, well done and nicely drawn animated short. It's quite a memorable short, it's also shown on the made-for-video christmas movie " House of Mouse: It snowed at the House of Mouse".

10/10.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck) is a miserly greedy duck. His clerk Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse) is overworked and underpaid. His nephew Fred (Donald Duck) invites him to Christmas dinner. He is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Goofy) who tells him about the approaching 3 spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jiminy Cricket) shows him the past and the origins of his miserable ways when he foreclose on Isabelle (Daisy Duck) for being an hour late rather than marrying her. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant) shows him the hardship faced by Bob Cratchit and his family. Then the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him the funeral of little Tiny Tim.

For such a short running time, this is a well made version of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. It is snappy and quick. It's the essential highlights. It doesn't add anything new but it's done with great sincerity. It's a nice distillation of the original material that the kids will be able to follow.