Nov. 15, 2009
BECK AT THE MOVIES: 'A Christmas Carol': Unusual Animation and Voices by Jim Carrey Stand Out
By Jeff Beck
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Richmond, VA (HNN) -- Robert Zemeckis's "A Christmas Carol" is yet another version of the beloved classic story by Charles Dickens. There has been many a version of the story starring a wide range of actors including Alastair Sim, Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott, and who could forget the excellent "Mickey's Christmas Carol" starring Mickey Mouse? Now we can add yet another version to the successful list of adaptations.
The story is as familiar to people as the back of their hand. Ebenezer Scrooge (Voice of Jim Carrey) is a miserly old man who detests Christmas and everything about it. He just can't understand why his nephew, Fred (Voice of Colin Firth), or his employee, Bob Cratchit (Voice of Gary Oldman), enjoy it so much. When Scrooge returns to his large, empty mansion one night, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Voice of Gary Oldman), and warned that he will be visited by three spirits. One by one, the spirits come. Of course, these are the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (All voiced/acted by Jim Carrey) who try to help Scrooge realize the error of his ways.
What makes this version stand out from most of the others is its unusual animation. It's an interesting mix of motion-capture and animation that really makes the characters come alive. It's really quite dazzling to look at as everything looks much more real than in typical 2-D animation.
Helping out quite a bit is the motion-acting done by the actors themselves. This is the kind of technology where an actor is hooked up to a computer that reads every minute action that they do and has it programmed into a computer which, as I mentioned, gives them a lot more life.
The voice acting here is quite good as well. Jim Carrey pulls off several voices, including a few different stages of Scrooge (in the past and present), as well as the first two ghosts. However, he is able to create completely different voices, one not sounding at all like the others to keep the characters fresh. Much of the time it is hard to tell that it is even Carrey who is doing these voices because he is able to disguise it so well.
Other well-known actors lend their voice as well including Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and Jacob Marley. It is a fact that Oldman is a master actor and tends to look different in every single movie he is in. Think of his different films like "The Dark Knight," "Hannibal," "The Fifth Element," "Immortal Beloved," and "Bram Stoker's Dracula." So it is no surprise that in "A Christmas Carol," like Carrey, he is able to create very separate and distinct voices making you question who the voice-actor is. I wouldn't have been able to tell you that that was Oldman if I hadn't known already.
This version does take a few liberties near the end of the story including inserting a bizarre chase sequence where Scrooge shrinks and tries to escape from some horses, but for the most part, it is spot on as an adaptation right down to the all-so-familiar dialogue that we've heard in most other versions.
Although it is presented as a kids' film, it turns out to be a little darker than that, which is something else that we've seen with most versions of this tale. Some kids may be easily scared by the ghosts sequences, especially the ones involving Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Future, so be cautious when trying to decide whether or not to bring the kids.
If they are not scared by it, the kids will most likely enjoy it because it is an entertaining film with an interesting visual look to it. Parents, too, will be equally entertained because of the exact same reasons. All-in-all, it's a fun family film and a good start to the holiday season. 3/4 stars.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
BECK AT THE MOVIES: 'A Christmas Carol': Unusual Animation and Voices by Jim Carrey Stand Out
By Jeff Beck
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Richmond, VA (HNN) -- Robert Zemeckis's "A Christmas Carol" is yet another version of the beloved classic story by Charles Dickens. There has been many a version of the story starring a wide range of actors including Alastair Sim, Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott, and who could forget the excellent "Mickey's Christmas Carol" starring Mickey Mouse? Now we can add yet another version to the successful list of adaptations.
The story is as familiar to people as the back of their hand. Ebenezer Scrooge (Voice of Jim Carrey) is a miserly old man who detests Christmas and everything about it. He just can't understand why his nephew, Fred (Voice of Colin Firth), or his employee, Bob Cratchit (Voice of Gary Oldman), enjoy it so much. When Scrooge returns to his large, empty mansion one night, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Voice of Gary Oldman), and warned that he will be visited by three spirits. One by one, the spirits come. Of course, these are the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (All voiced/acted by Jim Carrey) who try to help Scrooge realize the error of his ways.
What makes this version stand out from most of the others is its unusual animation. It's an interesting mix of motion-capture and animation that really makes the characters come alive. It's really quite dazzling to look at as everything looks much more real than in typical 2-D animation.
Helping out quite a bit is the motion-acting done by the actors themselves. This is the kind of technology where an actor is hooked up to a computer that reads every minute action that they do and has it programmed into a computer which, as I mentioned, gives them a lot more life.
The voice acting here is quite good as well. Jim Carrey pulls off several voices, including a few different stages of Scrooge (in the past and present), as well as the first two ghosts. However, he is able to create completely different voices, one not sounding at all like the others to keep the characters fresh. Much of the time it is hard to tell that it is even Carrey who is doing these voices because he is able to disguise it so well.
Other well-known actors lend their voice as well including Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and Jacob Marley. It is a fact that Oldman is a master actor and tends to look different in every single movie he is in. Think of his different films like "The Dark Knight," "Hannibal," "The Fifth Element," "Immortal Beloved," and "Bram Stoker's Dracula." So it is no surprise that in "A Christmas Carol," like Carrey, he is able to create very separate and distinct voices making you question who the voice-actor is. I wouldn't have been able to tell you that that was Oldman if I hadn't known already.
This version does take a few liberties near the end of the story including inserting a bizarre chase sequence where Scrooge shrinks and tries to escape from some horses, but for the most part, it is spot on as an adaptation right down to the all-so-familiar dialogue that we've heard in most other versions.
Although it is presented as a kids' film, it turns out to be a little darker than that, which is something else that we've seen with most versions of this tale. Some kids may be easily scared by the ghosts sequences, especially the ones involving Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Future, so be cautious when trying to decide whether or not to bring the kids.
If they are not scared by it, the kids will most likely enjoy it because it is an entertaining film with an interesting visual look to it. Parents, too, will be equally entertained because of the exact same reasons. All-in-all, it's a fun family film and a good start to the holiday season. 3/4 stars.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
