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DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROLMovie Reviews
Animated tale based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella. Cast:Jim Carrey, Robin Wright Penn, Gary Oldman, Colin FirthDirector:Robert ZemeckisRelease Date:November 6, 2009DVD Release:November 16, 2010From:Walt Disney PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr 38 minIn 3D
NOVEMBER 16, 2010
Disney's A Christmas Carol, Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed
Disney's A Christmas Carol played to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "...a fable that is by turns antic, scary, sweet and, in the end, slightly soulless. In other words, it's a heartwarmer that doesn't have much of a heart itself." • And Steve Persall wrote in the St. Petersburg Times, "...too familiar to excite beyond the technology." More Reviews Below...
Disney's A Christmas Carol Positive Reviews (38 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a marvelous and touching yuletide toy of a movie, and the miracle is that it goes right back to the gilded Victorian spirit of those black-and-white films of yore."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 11/06/09
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...the film feels suffocated by its design, and the liveliness of Carrey and the rest of the cast (including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Cary Elwes) struggles to shine..."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 11/05/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: WEAK(cg) "...over-the-top 3-D fantasy... Rated PG, the horrifying flick will scare kids younger than 8 as Scrooge falls into a grave and gets chased by a demon-drawn hearse. Yikes!"(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 61 words, 11/05/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "Dickens was hardly a master of subtlety, but it's hard to imagine he would appreciate this frenetic, in-your-face and vapid interpretation of his classic holiday tale..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 11/06/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...the surprise of this movie is that, in the midst of obeying the rules of modern-day spectacle, it sticks close to some of the sturdy virtues of the source material."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 869 words, 11/06/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "While Carrey's animated performance as the old miser is serviceable, he wasn't born to play him.... And while Dickens' message isn't lost, this retelling never soars."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 11/06/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Zemeckis places these characters in a London that twists and stretches... Animation provides the freedom to show just about anything, and Zemeckis uses it."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 690 words, 11/05/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Rampaging goblins, a man being skeletonized, a chase with satanic stallions and a plunge into an infernal grave aren't what you expect from a family holiday picture."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 551 words, 11/06/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The most fluid individual passages reveal a director who knows how to keep his roving, restless camera eye on the right story details."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 11/06/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an astoundingly rich tapestry of London skylines, fire-lit interiors and characters who look and move much like their actors... Still, they are not the real thing."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 255 words, 11/06/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Zemeckis deploys 3D claustrophobically to imprison the audience. Like poor Bob Cratchit, we're hemmed in by humbug and trapped in a cage of meanness..."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 802 words, 11/06/09
Josep Parera, La Opinion: GOOD(cg) "Un 'Cuento' sin novedades. La versión tridimensional del clásico de Charles Dickens, con Jim Carrey, es tan distraída como predecible."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 11/06/09
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...a fable that is by turns antic, scary, sweet and, in the end, slightly soulless. In other words, it's a heartwarmer that doesn't have much of a heart itself."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 11/06/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "For all of its loop-de-loop kineticism and newfangled visuals, this is, in some ways, one of the more accurate and authentically gothic Christmas Carols..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 11/06/09
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a worthy stab at mixing old and new, a vintage tale done with some fresh dazzle and a reminder that the movies can still bring the wow."(See all of Chris Vognar's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 600 words, 11/06/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...looks like it might be something special. But the director loses faith; he and Carrey decide to give us what they think we want, not what the story needs."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 11/06/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...emotionally uninvolving... Carrey's performance as the miserly misanthrope is lost amid effects more typically encountered in theme-park and video-game adventures."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 551 words, 11/06/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "You feel like you're witnessing the ghost of cinema's past and getting alluring, unnerving glimpses of movies yet to come."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,014 words, 11/06/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Director Robert Zemeckis favors thrill-ride effects that are more often the star than the servant of the story. It's like 'Silent Night' played by Led Zeppelin."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 600 words, 11/06/09
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Scrupulously faithful to the book, Zemeckis' visualizations can be uncannily close to Dickens.... it's a visual treat that respects and artfully enhances its source."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 11/06/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "Carrey's Scrooge is deliciously pinched and credible. As, indeed, is this film -- that is, when it feels like Dickens and not a theme park ride."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 11/06/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "Although the classic story is set in the London that inspired so many holiday traditions, there's little cheer in this borderline-creepy, computerized version."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 363 words, 11/06/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "...too familiar to excite beyond the technology.... A Christmas Carol will make money, for sure. Making lifelong fans may be another story."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 11/06/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...another epic achievement in motion-capture animation... [but] lacks and needs -- desperately -- that human touch."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 569 words, 11/06/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...the surprise of this movie is that, in the midst of obeying the rules of modern-day spectacle, it sticks close to some of the sturdy virtues of the source material."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 869 words, 11/06/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...a calamity. The pace is predominantly glacial... the tone is joyless... This sad excuse for family entertainment tries to enshrine a classic while defacing it."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 11/06/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...in its essence, a product reel, a showy, exuberant demonstration of the glories of motion capture, computer animation and 3D technology."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 11/02/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...the surprise of this movie is that, in the midst of obeying the rules of modern-day spectacle, it sticks close to some of the sturdy virtues of the source material."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 869 words, 11/06/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...a calamity. The pace is predominantly glacial... the tone is joyless... This sad excuse for family entertainment tries to enshrine a classic while defacing it."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 11/06/09
20.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Disney's A Christmas Carol's reviews are separated by an average 20.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Disney's A Christmas Carol (38 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Disney's A Christmas Carol's reviews cover 77.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,893 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 524 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Disney's A Christmas Carol Coverage, Volume & Length (38 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 8.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Disney's A Christmas Carol's reviews on average broke 8.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Disney's A Christmas Carol's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Disney's A Christmas Carol (38 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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