MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL - DVD review

As a reviewer, I've never felt it's my job to tell anyone what to buy or what not to buy, but rather to present the "facts" as I see them so people can make their own decisions. But I'm tempted to break that informal rule with "Walt Disney Animation Collection Volume 7: Mickey's Christmas Carol." Not only do you get Disney's warm-hearted (and considerably more family-friendly) version of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, but you also get Disney's excellent adaptation of the Charles Tazewell book about an abused and undervalued little donkey who finds his place in life by carrying the pregnant wife of a certain kind man to Bethlehem. That's two wonderful Christmas 26-minute shorts in the same package, with two cartoon short-shorts ("Pluto's Christmas Tree" and "Santa's Workshop") thrown in, all for the suggested retail price of $14.95. At that price, and with this quality of transfer and presentation, it's hard not to recommend it.

The fun of watching "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983) is two-fold. First, of course, there's the curiosity of seeing how Disney handles each scene of the famous Dickens' tale about Ebenezer Scrooge, the miser and miserable boss who's visited by the ghost of his crooked partner, then the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future--all of which are designed to help him reform before it's too late. But just as visitors to the Disney theme parks have fun looking for "hidden Mickeys" everywhere, families will get a kick out of looking for familiar characters in this lavishly drawn and peopled adaptation. Scrooge is played by, who else? Scrooge McDuck, while the ghost of Marley (that's Jacob, not Bob) is played by Goofy--no doubt so his silly antics can help children get past the fear factor of the haunting. Likewise, lovable Jiminy Cricket plays the ghost of Christmas past, the big-but-benign Willie the Giant plays the ghost of Christmas present, and Pete plays the ghost of Christmas future. Mickey is Bob Crachit, Scrooge's loyal employee, while Minnie is Mrs. Crachit and Ferdy and Morty Mouse play the Crachit children, including the crippled Tiny Tim. But street scenes yield up sightings of the Big Bad Wolf and Three Little Pigs, and characters ranging from Disney's tortoise and the hare to movie "stars" from "The Aristocats," "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," "Robin Hood," and "Wind in the Willows" have cameos. Careful eyes also will spot Goofy not only as Marley's ghost, but as a street-corner Santa. Just about every major Disney character makes an appearance except Pluto, for reasons that no one has yet explained. But aside from that, it's a cast of thousands. Well, dozens, at least.

The story is so well-known that it hardly requires a summary, but Disney's version is so well-drawn and animated that it's a pleasure to watch. Traditional presentations of Dickens' tale can be quite frightening and grotesque, but the Disney version is softened so that even the youngest children can watch without being traumatized. How a wonderful Oscar-nominated cartoon short like this could lose to the claymation "Sundae in New York" is beyond me. Then again, I can see where familiarity may have worked against this title. Disney blazed no new ground with "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and everyone knows Dickens' tale. But Disney did a really fine job of it, and when you compare it to other animated versions (the Flintstones come to mind), it's like the difference between pre-ghost Scrooge and the reformed old skinflint. For Disneyphiles, the film has a few distinctions as well. It's the first film in which Wayne Allwine took over the voice of Mickey Mouse, and the first time that Alan Young voiced Scrooge. But it's the last film in which Clarence Nash gave voice to Donald Duck. It's also the first animate short starring Mickey Mouse in 30 years, so it was quite an event when it was released.

Meanwhile, "The Small One" (1978) incorporates a familiar animation style and a boy whose facial features, body build, and expressions are a lot like Mowgli's from "The Jungle Book" (1967). As with "Mickey's Christmas Carol," the backgrounds are pleasingly detailed. The palette is mostly yellows and browns, since it's set in Judea, and the donkey itself is drawn as cutely as can be. There's music here too, including a fun number involving three turbaned businessmen who sing about making deals. The plot is akin to "Jack and the Beanstalk," insomuch as the boy whose favorite donkey is the oldest and most useless is told by his father that he has to take the donkey into town to sell it. They can no longer afford to keep it. And so the bulk of the plot follows the boy's attempts to find a humane buyer, with a narrow and harrowing escapes at the tanner's shop and an auction block. The "magic"--the Bethlehem twist--comes in right at the end. While the story itself is tied to Christian mythos, it would be a stretch to call it overtly religious. "The Small One" is a sweet, animated tale that underscores the love between a boy and his "pet," and the underlying message that every living creature (well, except for that crummy tanner and mean-spirited auctioneer) has some worth.

"Pluto's Christmas Tree" (1952) kind of reminds me of the Christmas we brought a tree inside the house and a praying mantis egg case that was hidden among the branches hatched, and we had dozens of insects decking our halls. In this seven-minute color cartoon it's chipmunks (Chip 'n' Dale, naturally) who come inside with the tree and give Pluto a hard time, with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy also appearing.

"Santa's Workshop" (1932) is a seven-minute color short in the old "Merry Melodies" style, with an interesting take on Santa's workshop. The aurora borealis is shown, and in the land of the midnight sun so is old Sol, smiling in the sky as Santa takes off on his sled. It's just a glimpse into the toy-factory process, with singing and marching toys and precious little in the way of plot.

Video:
I was blown away by the picture quality on the title feature, especially considering it's a DVD and not a Hi-Def Blu-ray. The picture looks absolutely gorgeous, which brings the Dickens' tapestry to life all the more. The colors are bright and true-looking, and the edges are uncommonly distinct for standard definition. So why isn't it presented in the original 1.78:1 aspect ratio? Three of the four cartoons on this disc appeared previously on "Classic Cartoon Favorites Vol. 9" and were in uniform 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and so I suspect that the FastPlay option won out over redoing the film in 1.78:1 and then having other features on the same disc playing in 1.33:1. Still, with "Mickey's Christmas Carol" looking as good as it does, you can't help but wish that Disney had gone the extra mile on this one. It makes you wonder what details we're missing on the margins. The other cartoons vary in visual quality because, let's face it, they span 51 years. "Pluto's Christmas Tree" is next sharpest, and then "The Small One." The only one that really shows its age is "Santa's Workshop."

Audio:
The audio is also "dumbed down" to be uniform, with a Dolby Digital 2.0 delivering okay sound but nothing special. Again, I suspect that the oldest cartoon, "Santa's Workshop," might have something to do with the decision, to minimize the distortions and imperfections of the old Mono. Subtitles are in English, French, and Spanish.

Extras:
The only bonus feature is a "collectible litho print" inside (pictured here).

Bottom Line:
With two wonderful Christmas features and two Christmas shorts, Volume 7 of the Walt Disney Animation Collection ought to find a warm spot in families' holiday movie rotations. And the price is right.