Holiday Streams: Why Disney's A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey, should be a part of your holiday watch

There have been many screen adaptations of the classic story A Christmas Carol, authored by Charles Dickens and yet, it took me 30 years to finally watch one. I have read the book and never really got into the mood to watch the screen adaptations until now. I decided to give in and try it out and could get hands only onto one of the latest adaptations by Disney. I was skeptical at first since I always prefer original work and first adaptations as they have been most faithful to the story but when I saw Jim Carrey starrer, I was blown over. I realised why most people call it one of the best adaptations of the story. The story seems to have inspired many others and characters for over 170 years.

The story as you know it is about Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Scrooge then learns to be kinder and gentler. The 2009 film stars Jim Carrey as the merciless and cruel Scrooge in this seasonal story. The story is simple, yet effective. It talks about humanity, kindness, love, family and celebrations in the most entertaining way, without sounding preachy. 

The story has a dark undertone and usually, people do not prefer such stories on Christmas due to it but it shows how there needs to be darkness for there to be light and hope. Scrooge, despite being wealthy, does not care about helping the poor or wants and needs of others when they could really use some help. However, Scrooge changes after having a look at the harsh truths of his past, the sad reality of his present and the dark future. Even though the story was told originally by Dickens in 1843, it still holds relevance to this date. The character like Scrooge, who plays the central character in the story, is probably the best way to narrate the story. It shows how one cannot change his past but can always learn from it and help bring a change in future course of his action. There might not be any other such Christmas movie with such a strong message given in an effective way.

A major highlight of the 2009 adaptation is its faithful adaptation of the book and it has worked well in the favour of the film as well as it captures the dark undertones in the book. It has impressive special effects and CGI that bring alive the characters from the book. It has helped capture the whimsical moments from the book perfectly and lets the film be ambitious as the book. 

The drama is directed by Robert Zemeckis who has also helmed Christmas films like The Polar Express. He definitely knows what gives the audience goosebumps and when you add great casting to it, it becomes no less than a masterpiece.