A Christmas Carol

"It only takes one night to change your life."

2009 1h 36m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🥫

52%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 5,010🥫52%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 136,559

AnimationDramaFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.

“It only takes one night to change your life.”

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Cast

Jim Carrey
Scrooge / Ghosts of Christmas (voice)
Gary Oldman
Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim (voice)
Colin Firth
Fred (voice)
Robin Wright
Fan / Belle (voice)
Cary Elwes
Portly Gentleman / Dick Wilkins / Fiddler / Business Man (voice)
Bob Hoskins
Fezziwig / Old Joe (voice)
Daryl Sabara
Apprentice / Caroler / Beggar / Peter Cratchit (voice)
Steve Valentine
Funerary Undertaker / Topper (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Robert Zemeckis, Diego Garzon
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Budget of $200M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

288+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, shot by Robert Presley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeremiah O'Driscoll shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman and Colin Firth carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It only takes one night to change your life.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Zemeckis directs. Robert Presley behind the camera. Alan Silvestri scores. Jeremiah O'Driscoll cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Budget of $200M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.
2Released 17 years ago.
3288+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Robert Zemeckis, shot by Robert Presley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jeremiah O'Driscoll shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman and Colin Firth carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "It only takes one night to change your life.".
9IMDB entry: tt1067106 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "london, england", "based on novel or book", "holiday", "greed".
11Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Presley
Original score: Alan Silvestri
Editing: Jeremiah O'Driscoll
Production design: Doug Chiang
Costume design: Dermot Power
Makeup / hair: Bill Corso
VFX supervisor: Huseyin Caner
Sound: Colette D. Dahanne
Stunt coordinator: Garrett Warren
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000,000
Box office: $325,286,646
Return: 163% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: A Christmas Carol (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 55/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 136,559 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

3 wins & 5 nominations total

Also by

Robert Zemeckis

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

The Movie Diorama2020-01-16
★ 5/10
A Christmas Carol sings the haunted verses of Dickens through disjointed emotionless motion capture. “Bah! Humbug!” Zemeckis had always been fascinated with digital cinema. ‘The Polar Express’ was technological innovation at its more pure, yet ‘Beowulf’ stabbed itself through contrived art direction that failed to suit the dark environment it was showcasing. So when he heard the “House of Mouse” were adapting Dickens’ universally known tale (again...), he clearly joyfully jumped at the chance of producing more digital art. The inevitable question though is: why? Does a Victorian-era Christmas story warrant the unrefined technological advancement of motion capture? Yes and no, is the answer. The tale itself remains intact, following closer to Dickens’ words than any other adaptation that preceded this. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge encounters various spirits that show the repercussions of his selfish acts, in a bid to rid the evils of ignorance and want. I’ve seen it. You’ve seen it. Your nan has definitely seen it. And probably your pet dog too. Whether it be live-action, Mickey Mouse or The Muppets, you have almost indefinitely seen an adaptation of this famous novella. It’s an important moral that warrants the several iterations over the course of cinema, teaching families the significance of generosity and Christmas spirit. Much like its source material however, it’s a dark tale. Ghostly ghouls visiting an elderly lonely man, including his deceased business partner entrapped in shackles and the shadow of Sauron succumbing Scrooge to the depths of Mordor’s burning fires. Zemeckis took the core tone of Dickens’ novella and merged it with Disney’s typical holiday whimsicality. The end result? Inconsistent. It’s either too dark for children or too joyous for adults. The two jarring tones rarely worked, producing a conflicting adaptation. One moment Scrooge is dealing with a prostitute dragged away in a straining jacket. The next scene? Children having a snowball fight to the merry notes of Silvestri’s score. Neither producing an entirely cheerful Christmas flick or faithful replication. I’d rather have a 15-rated horror adaptation of A Christmas Carol, as intended of course. Now for the motion capture. It is what it is I suppose. A technical achievement for its time, utterly outdated a decade later. Character models were stilted. Eyes lacked any expression whatsoever. When close to candle lighting, resembled waxworks. The Ghost of Christmas Past just looked terrible, with its face mismatching the rest of its anthropomorphic candle body. Environmentally speaking, the scenery and inanimate objects were stunningly designed. It really felt like Christmas in Victorian-era London. Just a shame that Zemeckis only tested the limitations of animation through scenes of padding. Scrooge chased by a grim reaper for five minutes. Scrooge flying around London for three minutes. Scrooge slowly becoming Jim Carrey for the film’s entirety. Seemed like additional efforts for gimmicky 3D extravaganza than actual substance. Fortunately the voice acting was perfect. Carrey and his multitude of personas rarely matched Scrooge’s mundane lifestyle. But that’s why it worked so well! The various voices of the ghosts as well tested his voicing talent remarkably. Oldman as Cratchit added a touch of humility to the story, and again, suited the character perfectly. A Christmas Carol is a smorgasbord of tonal clashes and technical anomalies. For every fantastic aspect is a tiresome trope. The gorgeous scenery design is counteracted by horrific motion capture. The source material’s darkness is restrained by forced whimsicality in an attempt to appeal to the masses. It’s not the ideal Christmas present I asked for, but I can make do with its contents. Bah! Humbug!
r96sk2020-08-17
★ 7/10
A tale that almost feels as old as time itself, one that is very much overtold. However, this <em>'A Christmas Carol'</em> is a good retelling of Charles Dickens' work. Jim Carrey isn't necessarily firing on all cylinders, but is entertaining enough as Scrooge. Gary Oldman (Bob) and Colin Firth (Fred) are welcomed members of the voice cast, also. I quite like the tone of the film, as well as the design of the animation - which isn't amazing, some parts look like what you'd see in a video game, but it works well to set up the ambience of the London surroundings. There's good music from Alan Silvestri, too. Overall, I'd recommend it - admittedly I do enjoy the story of Ebenezer a lot.
CinemaSerf2023-12-01
★ 6/10
It takes a bit of getting used to the rather angular style of animation, but thereafter this is quite an enjoyable adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale of the wealthy miser "Scrooge". He hates Christmas with a vengeance - all that good will malarkey - humbug! Luckily for his eternal soul, his long-dead partner "Marley" mysteriously appears and forewarns him of three visits he is going to receive in the early hours of Christmas morning. His past, his present and his future are going to flash before his eyes - all with a view to him realising the errors of his ways and changing for the better before it's all too late. The story is told in a similar fashion to Ronald Neame's version from 1970 - only without the music - and it's well paced with plenty of creative and expressive use of the animator's art to re-create a Victorian world of poverty, cold and generosity of spirit - even in the least likely of places. Robert Zemeckis has assembled a solid vocal cast to compliment the eerily life-like characterisations and although they can look a little sterile at times, this is still a worthwhile reimagining of an oft told story that keeps a tight hold on the reins for ninety minutes of dark festive fantasy with a message of joy and hope.