Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol

Plot synopsis:
Dickens divided the book into five chapters, which he labelled "staves".
=== Stave one ===
The story begins on a cold and bleak Christmas Eve in London, seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley. Scrooge, an old miser, hates Christmas and refuses an invitation to Christmas dinner from his nephew Fred. He turns away two men who seek a donation from him in order to provide food and heating for the poor, and only grudgingly allows his overworked, underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off with pay to conform to the social custom.
At home that night, Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost, who wanders the Earth, entwined by heavy chains and money boxes, forged during a lifetime of greed and selfishness. Marley tells Scrooge that he has one chance to avoid the same fate: he will be visited by three spirits and he must listen to them or be cursed to carry chains of his own, much longer than Marley's chains.
=== Stave two ===
The first of the spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of Scrooge's boyhood and youth, reminding him of a time when he was more innocent. The boyhood scenes portray Scrooge's lonely childhood, his relationship with his beloved sister Fan, and a Christmas party hosted by his first employer, Mr. Fezziwig, who treated Scrooge like a son. They also portray Scrooge's neglected fiancée Belle, who ends their relationship after she realises that Scrooge will never love her as much as he loves money. Finally, they visit a now-married Belle with her large, happy family on a recent Christmas Eve.
=== Stave three ===
The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to a joy-filled market of people buying the makings of Christmas dinner and celebrations of Christmas in a miner's cottage and in a lighthouse. Scrooge and the ghost also visit Fred's Christmas party. A major part of this stave is taken up with Bob Cratchit's family feast and introduces his youngest son, Tiny Tim, a happy boy who is seriously ill. The spirit informs Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die soon unless the course of events changes. Before disappearing, the spirit shows Scrooge two hideous, emaciated children named Ignorance and Want. He tells Scrooge to beware the former above all and mocks Scrooge's concern for their welfare.
=== Stave four ===
The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge a Christmas Day in the future. The ghost shows him scenes involving the death of a disliked man. The man's funeral will only be attended by local businessmen if lunch is provided. His charwoman, his laundress, and the local undertaker steal some of his possessions and sell them to a fence. When Scrooge asks the ghost to show anyone who feels any emotion over the man's death, the ghost can only show him the pleasure of a poor couple in debt to the man, rejoicing that his death gives them more time to put their finances in order. After Scrooge asks to see some tenderness connected with any death, the ghost shows him Bob Cratchit and his family mourning the passing of Tiny Tim. The ghost then shows Scrooge the man's neglected grave, whose tombstone bears Scrooge's name. Sobbing, Scrooge pledges to the ghost that he will change his ways to avoid this outcome.
=== Stave five ===
Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning a changed man. He spends the day with Fred's family and anonymously sends a large turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner. The following day he gives Cratchit an increase in pay and becomes like another father to Tiny Tim. From then on Scrooge began to treat everyone with kindness, generosity and compassion, embodying the spirit of Christmas.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
The thought of being alone on Christmas deeply saddens me, and I think it goes back to seeing little Ebenezar Scrooge left behind in boarding school while all the other kids had families to go home to for Christmas.I cried just like Mr. Magoo's older Scrooge did when he saw himself as a kid singing:When you're alone, alone in the world When you're alone in the world Blown-away leaves get blown in the world Swirled-away leaves get swirledA hand for each hand was planned for the world Why don't my fingers reach?
I could still remember the "razzleberry dressing" lines and the disembodied mouths singing the "Despicable" song some 30 years later when I finally saw it being broadcast again, and was able to record it off the air.
Over the past ten years I've watched that tape repeatedly, and never cease to be amazed at the portrayal and the remarkable music and lyrics.But it wasn't until I got the DVD version as a Christmas gift that I realized nearly ten minutes had been cut from that broadcast version.
Imagine my delight to watch the DVD and "discover" three whole scenes (including two complete songs) that I'm sure I hadn't seen since the original prime time airings in the 60's.
I saw this last year for the first time in at least 30 years, and also still remember parts of it from when I was a child (razzleberry dressing, the "Despicable" song in the junkshop, and the achingly poignant "All Alone in the World").
My 8 year old really enjoyed it, a great intro to the classic story.
I join the many other writers who remember and treasure "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" with great fondness.
I just watched the new DVD of `Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol,' and it seems as good a representation of the program as we're ever likely to see.
Those of us fortunate enough to grow up in the late 50's remember Mr. Magoo with a special warmth, and this version of "A Christmas Carol" is the main reason.
Mr. Magoo, thanks to the avant-garde UPA animation and the unparalleled voice talents of Jim Backus, emotes as effectively as a real person.
The songs could not be better; they are Broadway quality and are sung with a heart-felt enthusiasm that adds as much to the film as the actor's voices.
The film has been released on DVD, and this offers an extremely good-looking presentation of "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.".
It has a certain nostalgic  flavor that its creators could not have forseen.Like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" should become part of the annual Christmas TV programming tradition..
I half-joked to my wife that they should just call it Jim Backus's Christmas Carol.In any case, the one scene that I looking forward to seeing has been cut out of this version.
Commissioned and sponsored by Timex, it first aired on NBC on December 18, 1962.[4] Although the special led to The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo television series, the studio ultimately found it could not adapt to the rigors of mass-producing cartoons for television.The program was broadcast as a TV special many times during the Christmas season from the 1960s through the 1980s—though not always on NBC—before being released on VHS in 1982 and on DVD in 2001.
For the 2012 holiday season, NBC, which last telecast it in 1969, announced it would return the special to the air for the first time since the 1980s; it aired on NBC on December 22, 2012 even though it was heavily edited for the addition of more commercials including opening and closing wraparounds scenes, the finale scene of the musical as well as the end credits and other crucial scenes being cut from broadcast.
While my favorite live action version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is George C.
Scott's 1984 version I would have to say that even that good film comes in second to this wonderful film.Charles Dickens certainly wrote a story that would be retold in various forms 100's of times.
However, MISTER MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL really captures the viewers imagination both young and old alike.
Children, much like myself 25 years ago, really respond to this films animation and great songs.
Also, for all those that think RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER was the first animated Christmas special, think again it was this film.Lastly, I firmly believe you will like this film.
I was four years old when this cartoon film premiered on television, but even though I am now 48, I still recall being transfixed by Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.
It's part of the staple of Christmas shows I watch every Christmas...Home for the Holidays, Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Miracle on 34th St and Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol.
Here is the first animated one, after reading the original last year(cost 25 cents)I was surprised to find out that the cartoon version took great pains to preserve much of the exact wording of the novel.
One particular scene always gets me- the ghost of Christmas past's(a young boy or girl)face turns profoundly sad when Scrooge/Magoo sings "why such a lonely beach" and it seems like the ghost understands Scrooge's sadness.
When you are a kid, there is NOTHING scarier than the ghost of Christmas future, and nothing more desolate than Scrooge/Magoo on the grave singing "I'm all alone in the world" with the camera panning the cemetery.
I just recently saw again this old beloved (for us baby boomer generation) Mr. Magoo cartoon version of "A Christmas Carol".
The moment when Mr. Magoo sings "and on the tree a star of shining Christmas gold...", well I just felt this lump in my throat, and the tears well up....what a beautiful, beautiful version of this fable....improbable as it seems...it is the best version of "A Christmas Carol" ever made!
There are even some acting and dramatic details that outshine the previous classic versions...This is the only Scrooge that in the beginning shows his rapturous love of money- -in the very catchy song celebrating the jingle/jangle of coins.
This all adds up to an adaptation of the Dickens story that is joyful, heartbreaking and surprising real: the cartoon characters--including the simple/poignant depiction of the Cratchit family seems somehow more real and affecting than the other adaptations portrayed by Real people!!) In the versions with real people portraying these Dickens characters--they often come across as cartoonish, artificial and over-the-top.
Funny thing is, the Magoo version was the FIRST version I ever saw of "A Christmas Carol', shortly after it's original airing.
If you think you wouldn't like it because Mr. Magoo isn't one of your favourite animated characters, please think again and give it at least one viewing.
Scott films are easily the best live-action versions of the Dickens classic, but this one has a special place in my heart, partly because I was seven when it was first broadcast and therefore pretty susceptible (I remember crying at "The Lord's Bright Blessings" at the end), and partly because as an adult I can appreciate the first-rate songs by Broadway giants Jule Styne and Bob Merrill (they also wrote "Funny Girl").
The musical score by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne is the very best set of songs ever to accompany the tale.
The BEST musical version of Dickens' classic!
Jule Styne's score ( and he wrote 70 Broadway musicals during his lifetime) achieved an unforgettable blend of Barbara Chain's "freely adapted" Dickens classic into a perfect 52-minute holiday entertainment.
All these years later, this is very likely the best animated version of the Dickens classic you'll ever see.
It has just the right combination of laughter and tears, and Jule Styne and Bob Merrill's songs, written concurrently with their work for "Funny Girl," are the icing on the cake.Jim Backus left the world an indelible legacy of laughter when he created Quincy Magoo, but proved here that he could wring more than a few tears with him, as well.
Her song, the bittersweet "Winter was Warm," is one of Jule Styne's best and has become something of a semi-standard over the years.Again, this is a great Christmas treat, and a perfect introduction to Dickens classic for the youngsters, as it was for me..
All the voice performances in this production were wonderful and Jim Backus as Scrooge, Jack Cassidy as Bob Cratchit and June Foray as The Ghost of Christmas Past were especially fine.I urge all fans of animation and Christmas specials to give "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" a second or third look and discover the wonder, warmth and originality of this often overlooked animated classic.Happy Holidays!.
Mr. Magoo had his own cartoon show when I was a child seeing the character in this movie brings back memories of a simpler time.
And some of our happiest memories involve this humorous and entertaining Mr. Magoo version of the Charles Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol." In the 70's the show was broadcast on what was then known as the Superstation, TBS.
Many times we'll be talking, then for no reason whatsoever, slip into a scene from "Magoo." For example, if a breeze comes up, we'd say, "Must have forgotten to lock the cellar door..." Overall, "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" is one of two holiday classics I absolutely HAVE to see each Christmas (the other being "A Charlie Brown Christmas").
As a small child I loved Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol.
It's too bad that the major networks don't show this true classic each year at Christmas time.
From reading the user comments, it is nice to hear that so many other people enjoy this classic animated Christmas story as much as I do.
A great cast headed by Jim Backus combined to make this one of the all-time best animated Christmas TV specials ever.
The only thing that's a little off-putting (This may be a spoiler) is that the Ghost of Christmas Present appears before Christmas Past, but that's a minor detail and they made it work.Anyway, this is a very good adaptation of A Christmas Carol and I highly recommend it, especially now that it's finally on DVD..
Last thing it is just great a true Christmas classic to enjoy!.
Jim Backus uses his voice as Mr. Magoo, the four eyed actor, in this special where he plays Ebenezer Scrooge, the Charles Dickens character, forever immortalized in all sorts of holiday tales.
Just like the story of a Christmas Carol, there are three ghosts and Marley, the predecessor who warns Scrooge to change his ways.
Okay, this version is not the best out there but it's timely and good for kids and adults and fans of classic animation.
Another delightful animated rendering of the famous Ghost story with a Christmas message for everyone, especially the young in heart.
He plays the role fairly straight and is still amusing as that old skinflint who develops a love for mankind after visited by three spirits.JACK CASSIDY makes a fine Bob Cratchet, especially since he's gets to lift his splendid voice in song in tunes that have a definite Broadway sound to them.
No competition for the Alastair Sim version, but a great way to introduce the kids to a timeless story -- my 4 and 2 year-olds love it!.
For over twenty years my Grand-daughter and I have watched this film every Christmas Eve. Too bad they don't produce more like this..
I know this will sound hard to believe for those familiar with Mr. Magoo, but this is the best filmed version of the Dickens classic.
Best kid's Christmas Carol, animated or otherwise..
Even those who are not Magoo fans (like me) will enjoy this version.
Definitely belongs on the shelf with other animated classics like The Grinch and Charlie Brown's Christmas.
An animated, magical, musical version of Charles Dickens' timeless classic "A Christmas Carol", starring the nearsighted Quincy Magoo (Jim Backus).In 2002, TV Guide ranked Mr. Magoo number 29 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.
Truly one of the most amazing versions of the classic Charles Dickens story....at the ripe middle age of 45 it  moves me as  if I was still  that young child so many years ago.I was lucky enough too own it on laserdisc and last year i got it on DVD....truly a must have.
I've had a VHS copy of this wonderful version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL for as long as I can remember--or at least as long as I've had a VHS player ;)--and I watch it every year on Christmas Eve.
MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL is, to me, the absolute best musical re-telling of this story.
He is then visited by three spirits of Christmas.This is a straight forward version of the classic Dickens.
When the camera pulls back in Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol to reveal the "audience", it does distance us from the source material.And the source material, for what it's worth, is surprisingly faithful to Dickens.
It doesn't really effect things too negatively, but it does feel like a rather obtuse decision.There are better animated offerings of A Christmas Carol (seek out the Oscar winnings 1971 version with Alastair Sim for one) but this is a nice, gentle, introduction to the story for youngsters..
Christmas reminds me of Mr. Magoo because I LOVE watching the video my dad got when I was a little girl.
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962).
Not Xmas Without Watching It. I love Mister Magoo and this is My favorite animated Christmas movie!!
There are many great, even classic, animated Christmas specials, like the best of Rankin/Bass and 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'.
'Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol' is, as well as one of the first (the first?), among the best ones for me and one that has always held dear to my heart.
All the important details are here and it captures the spirit of the story perfectly, so it doesn't disappoint as an adaptation even with its own spin (very like the Muppet and Mickey Mouse versions of 'A Christmas Carol', also have a fondness for them).'Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol' fares quite well in the animation.
Furthermore, the writing is very funny, as well as heart-warming and very touching, like 'A Christmas Carol' should be.
'Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol' adapts the story incredibly well, despite having Mr. Magoo in it the spirit of the story is intact as well as its heart and the impact of the best scenes.
Unlike most folks reviewing this film, I did not grow up in the 1960's as a kid, and so I did not really watch much of Mister Magoo at all as a child.
And yet despite that, there's something about "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" that keeps me coming back year after year, ever since I first discovered it, as an adult no less.
But there's also something else about Magoo's Christmas Carol, something timeless; heart.
From hearing the little Tiny Tim utter the famous line, "God bless us, everyone", to the emotional lyrics of the radiant songs of the film, this little short has all the things that make Christmas special.
If you're looking for a nice, little version of "A Christmas Carol" for your kids or even for yourself, check it "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol." You'll be glad you did.
Mr. Magoo is one of my favorite cartoons characters, and this special is now another Christmas favorite; I had watched it two times.
In the first TV special for Christmas, Mr. Magoo plays the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical stage production of "A Christmas Carol," one of my favorite Christmas stories.
I thought the songs were great, and so is the animation.I'm afraid there is nothing else to say about this special other than I really love it!
I love it better than "A Flintstone Christmas Carol," when it comes to a Christmas special about a stage version of Dickens' holiday story..
Somehow over all these years I never knew that there existed a Mr. Magoo version of "A Christmas Carol".
So, it was with great expectations and excitement that I sat down to view my DVD version of "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol".
Now if you forget what Mr. Magoo's eccentricities are supposed to be and don't expect a comedy, you are left with an animated, musical version of "A Christmas Carol".
I caught this version of Christmas Carol just last year, at the age of 38.Normally I like the first versions I will see of a story.
Now I do like the Albert Finney musical from 1970.there are also two animated versions; one I believe is from 1972 (both Past and Present are represented by Father Time characters), the other is an utterly creepy version with the scariest jacob marley I have ever seen.I am also completely unfamiliar with the original Magoo cartoons.
I state them in reference to the titular work under review and, mind you, I have seen every film and telefilm 'straight' version of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, plus almost every humorous take on it- be it spoof or satire, from lame musical adaptations to modernized updates to the brilliant reworking of the tale in the first season of the great American television sitcom, The Odd Couple.
But, the animated Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is the best version ever of the tale, and that includes Dickens' own often too heavyhanded morality play itself.
I just stated that Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is 'one of the finest examples of television cartoonery ever made,' and that is incorrect.
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol.
Unlike a lot of Magoo fans, I actually didn't grow up with "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol", and so this was a delightful special to be experiencing for the first time.
Besides that, this Christmas Carol adaptation (with even songs performed; my favorite is "We're Despicable (Plunderer's March)") is surprisingly faithful.
*Spoiler/plot- Mr. MaGoo's Christmas Carole, 1962.
Famous actor, Quincy MaGoo is in a Broadway show playing Ebeneezer Scooge in the Dicken's Christmas Carol play.