With the turn of the season comes a return to familiar holiday traditions. Some families go out to pick up a Christmas tree together and others set aside time to decorate the house in red and green.
One endearing tradition that many families engage in is watching Christmas-themed movies like “Elf”, “The Polar Express”, “The Grinch”, or “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
Yet another great story to get you in the Christmas mood is Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”. But which one of the around 40 movie adaptations is the best?
Physics major Elia Stelzer is a staunch advocate of the Disney animated version of “A Christmas Carol” starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge. She is especially fond of the animation style used in the 2009 film.
“I really like how lively they made the Ghost of Christmas Future,” said Stelzer. When watching the film, “I am reminded of of childhood me being so scared of the Ghost of Christmas Future’s appearance that I cried hysterically and could not finish the movie at first. It’s truly a beautifully shot movie.”
The animated movie was made using motion capture, which led to the signature motion of the characters.. The movie was nominated for Favorite Animated Movie and Jim Carrey won an award for being the Favorite Voice for an Animated Movie at the Kid’s Choice Awards.
Myra Main, a sophomore Classics major, claims that the best film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s beloved holiday story is the 1992 adaptation called “The Muppet Christmas Carol”.
“What’s not cool about Muppets?” said Main.
She went on to say that this adaptation was particularly good because “I just think that Muppets are cool.”
This adaptation is typically critiqued for being a loose representation of Charles Dickens’s original work but is praised simultaneously for its lovable characters that fit the roles they are cast into.
A somewhat older adaptation, called “Scrooged,” which released in 1988, stars Bill Murray in what is considered a cult classic Christmas movie. This version is near and dear to freshman Nick Ramirez.
“Watching this version […] always scores with a sense of nostalgia,” said Ramirez. “I love the fact that it’s less serious than other versions and you can just sit and laugh together.”
Initially, “Scrooged” was not well received by critics. However, it gained so much traction and was so well-loved by audiences that it has remained a staple of many families’ Christmas traditions.
Again, there are around 40 movie adaptations of Charles Dickens’s superb Christmas novel about redemption and the true spirit of Christmas. Which is your favorite?