Review of Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) by The H — 20 Dec 2007

There's no acid rain, drug addiction, international terrorism or freeway killers in this one.

Scrooge McDuck rather fittingly plays Ebeneezer Scrooge in this Disney version of a story that TV writers have been milking for years. To me, the only good movies based on Charles Dickens' classic novel are this one, Scrooged and Muppet's Christmas Carol. Though I do remember seeing something as a kid called The Stingiest Man in Town that was very similar. Or did I dream that?

As usual with Disney animation, this 25-minute short is wonderfully detailed and cosy. But I feel that it may not have as much lasting power other feature length movies. It's just not long enough. The story feels very rushed but it's no less effective. Originally produced to precede the re-release of The Rescuers in 1983 I reckon that Mickey's Christmas Carol is a classic in it's own way, even if it only familiar to Disney fans instead of the average kid who has been raised on Toy Story and Dinosaur.

I do believe that it could have been a feature length film but as a big fan of Scrooge McDuck I can just turn to Duck Tales if I want more of him. This was also his second screen appearance after appearing in a Donald Duck short years before. He's an underrated Disney character and deserves a comeback.