So, this was a feature that I saw once, and when coming back to this featurette to review it, this confused me slightly because I thought it was a full movie, not 26 minutes long.
“Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and many more of your favorite characters join the cast in this adaptation of a classic holiday tale. Scrooge is too greedy to understand that Christmas is the time for kindness and generosity. So, with the help of some wise ghosts, and the examples set by his clerk Bob Cratchit and nephew Fred, Scrooge learns how to embrace the true spirit of the season.”
This was a beautiful featurette; the fact that it still looks so lovely even now is a credit to the Disney animators. Now I know that this featurette is many people’s childhood favourite. I have some issues, but that has more to do with how I wish it could be better.
For this feature, I have three thoughts.
Firstly, I would like to talk about my favourite casting in the featurette. Firstly, Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge. So, I only just found out that Scrooge McDuck was not created for this feature because he is so perfect for this role, even though in that context, the name is a little on the nose. Secondly, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchet, now this makes sense because he matches the general and nice, also let’s be honest, they needed him to be in the featurette, and this was the only role that he would make him prominent and paint him in a good light. Thirdly, Jiminy Cricket, as the Ghost of Christmas Past; this works the best. This is because the Ghost of Christmas Past is the most judgmental of any of the ghosts and Jiminy spends a lot his other movie telling off Pinocchio.
Secondly, I have a few characters I wish had been cast differently. Firstly, Goofy as Marly, yeah, he feels too nice to take money from the poor; this feels like they should have picked a more villainous character. For example, this feature was made after Robin Hood, so it would have been so easy to have the Sheriff of Nottingham as Marly. Secondly, making Pete as the Ghost of Christmas Future. I don’t like the idea that any ghost is a villain, after all, he is just doing his job. But then again, this version also decided to send Scrooge to hell.
Thirdly, ok, the amount that they cut out to make it 26 minutes. But I have one thing that I wish I saw more of: the build-up of not caring that Scrooge is dead. In the book, we see multiple people not caring that Scrooge is dead and some even celebrating. In this featurette, the only people we see talking about his death are two grave diggers.
For what it is this is a lovely featurette, although I do wish for an alternate universe where this was a full movie. Any way, until next week with the Muppets.
Happy reading to all and to all a good night.
The Last One To Talk 
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