Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009)
Grade:
Transfiguring Adoption awarded this movie [3] Hoots out of 5 based on how useful it will be for a foster/adoptive family. [Learn more about our Hoot grading system here]
Movie Info:
- Rating: PG (Scary Sequences, Scary Images)
- Genre: Fantasy, Other, Animation, Kids and Family
- Runtime: 1h 35 m
- Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, ImageMovers Digital
From the Cover of Disney’s A Christmas Carol by Walt Disney Pictures:
Though London awaits the joyful arrival of Christmas, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) thinks it’s all humbug, berating his faithful clerk and cheerful nephew for their view. Later, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his late business partner, who warns that three spirits will visit him this night. The ghosts take Scrooge on a journey through his past, present and future in the hope of transforming his bitterness.
[Buy the PDF Verision of the Review & Discussion Guide]
About the Author: Steve Madole
I am an adoptive dad of three boys living near Grand Rapids, MI with my wife, our cats and dog. We also fostered many other children in the last 5 years! I have done many trainings with the Dr. Karen Purvis Institute and try to keep up on different trauma training’s monthly. My whole family nerds out on comic books, video games, movies and regular books! We often read a lot of the same comics and books which can lead to some awesome conversations!
Transfiguring Adoption’s Overview:
The target audience appears to be children who are 12 and older. It also appears this movie would be best for all families impacted by foster and adoption or not. This movie can relate to foster and adoption families by showing adults, as well as kids, that no matter how bad our past was we can begin to make changes to make a better future.
This is another re-telling of Dickens and done in the same vibe as The Polar Express, where the animation is lifelike and the characters resemble their voice actors. This movie is a closer adaptation to the original story than most and because of that it is a darker more mature experience. Families should be aware of the story and the grittier aspects. The director doesn’t shy away from these parts and there are some parts that can be too scary for younger viewers.
** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **
How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?
Treating others with kindness and respect is a major theme in this movie. Ebenezer is a mean old man who doesn’t care about anything besides money. It takes the three spirits to show him the many errors of his ways to get him to begin a change. Being kind can be hard for our kids because life hasn’t always been kind to them. As parents we work daily to instill these traits in our kids and show them that kindness is something we all need to work on daily.
The other major theme is showing gratitude for someone even if they do not deserve it. Multiple times in this movie a character wishes Ebenezer good health even though he goes out of his way to be terrible to all of them. Our kids can struggle with empathy and this may be a good example to show them that we still need to be nice to people when they don’t deserve it. It is almost more important in these times.
Families should care about this movie because of the mature nature of it. There are so many Christmas Carol adaptations on streaming services that we sometimes become blind to them. This one is not for little kids. It is a good re-telling of a great story and the animation is brilliant. Literary families will enjoy the movie because of its dedication to the source material and the actors’ portrayal of the characters.
Families with smaller children or less mature young adults may want to sit this one out due to the mature nature of the story. The vile behavior of Scrooge to the less fortunate and the portrayal of the three spirits is enough to scare away any younger viewer. Instead try a softer adaptation of the story.
Discussion Points:
- Rich Helping the Poor
On many occasions Mr. Scrooge is approached to give back to those who are less fortunate and until the very end of the story he rebukes these requests. Considering that some of our readers may have been less fortunate with prior families this may hit home for them. No matter their response please follow up with a why or why not to further a conversation and also to give you insight on your viewers mindset. - Compassion for Others
Treating others with kindness and respect is a major theme in this movie. Ebenezer is a mean old man who doesn’t care about anything besides money. It takes the three spirits to show him the many errors of his ways to get him to begin a change. Being kind can be hard for our kids because life hasn’t always been kind to them. As parents we work daily to instill these traits in our kids and show them that kindness is something we all need to work on daily. - Empathy
Multiple times in this movie a character wishes Ebenezer good health even though he goes out of his way to be terrible to all of them. Our kids can struggle with empathy and this may be a good example to show them that we still need to be nice to people when they don’t deserve it. It is almost more important in these times.
Cautionary Points:
- The scenes with the ghost of Jacob Marley are gruesome and scary.
For an animated film this one has some jump scares and it is very similar to the scenes in the original text. - For viewers who had little in prior homes the Cratchit family dinner scene may bring up bad memories.
The Cratchit family is poor and shares a meager meal between many people. This could bring back good or bad memories for some viewers who came from similar homes. You might get fun stories of laughter and joy or stories of hunger and worry. - The death and ensuing sadness when tiny Tim passes away.
Death is always a hard thing to see/feel and this one is hard because while you don’t get to see a lot of Tiny Tim you feel the loss that weighs on Bob and Scrooge. This event among the many may be the one turning point to get Scrooge to actually change. If your viewer reacts with sadness, remind them towards the end of the picture that Tiny Tim’s death might have been the major catalyst to the happy ending. - The ghost of Christmas future, literally is death, sets up the climax of heart racing dark scenes.
The suspense and excitement that the director conveys through the scenes with the ghost of Christmas present make your heart race and want to look away at several points. Out of this pain and heartache comes great change and you can remind your viewers that sometimes we, as humans, need to get to our darkest point before we can see the light.
Discussion Guide:
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- Who do you think Marley was?
Caregiver Note: The movie starts off with the opening line of the story stating Marley is dead. No other context is given, and you see Ebenezer in the undertaker’s quarters with a dead man. It is early to be asking questions, but this scene plays an important role in the story in about 30 minutes. This question may highlight the importance to a younger viewer. - Why do you think Ebenezer is so mean or crass with everyone?
Caregiver Note: Ebenezer is not a nice man. There is a lot of pain and anger behind his eyes that is portrayed beautifully by Jim Carey even in animation. Younger viewers may not pick up on all the mean quips, but these do come back to haunt Mr. Scrooge later. - How would you react to Marley’s prophecy?
Caregiver Note: Marley tells Mr. Scrooge to expect three spirits to show him the error of his ways. Scrooge is frightened for sure and even asks to if they can all come at once to get it out of the way. Fear is a classic response. - Who is the first spirit, and would you like to see your past Christmas memories?
Caregiver Note: Scrooge is transported to his past and has to relive the good and the bad memories of those prior Christmases. This may be a hard question for some viewers because their past may drum up a lot of bad memories. Stress that we all learn from our past and we grow out of the pain to become better people. - Who is spirit number 2? Would you be willing to eavesdrop on friends and family to see how they really felt about you?
Caregiver Note: Scrooge meets the ghost of Christmas present and is shown scenes from Bob Cratchit’s home and the home of his nephew. In both homes Scrooge is vilified and revered. Our protagonist gets a full view of how others think about him. - Why do you think that Bob Cratchit is so happy?
Caregiver Note: Bob has a large family and is very poor. He works for Mr. Scrooge for a meager salary, but seems to live his life to the fullest. He even finds joy in the life of his son who is ill and may not survive the winter. Meanwhile, Scrooge is rich, but miserable. What truly impacts happiness? - Who is spirit number 3? What does he show Scrooge?
Caregiver Note: Spirit 3 is the ghost of Christmas future. His form signifies death and he is chasing Ebenezer showing him what the future brings if he doesn’t change his ways. Short answer is death, loneliness, and pain. This is the climax of the movie and what makes Scrooge understand that he must change his ways or those around him will continue to suffer. - Do you think your past can be changed?
Caregiver Note: Scrooge wakes up from his “dream” and begins making good on all his deathbed promises. He donates to the poor, buys the largest turkey for the Cratchit family, gives Bob a raise, and even spends time with his nephew. The story wraps up with saying that these changes kept happening and Scrooge became a better person. Our viewers may feel like they can never achieve that level of “better”, but as parents we are charged with reminding them change takes time and one good decision can start you down the right path. Change is attainable, but it has to be consistent. - How would you approach Mr. Scrooge if you wanted his help?
Caregiver Note: Semi-fun question and one you may want to pose two different ways. How would you approach Scrooge prior to his change and after his change? It would be a pretty different approach depending on your placement in the story, but have fun with this question. - Would you rather be successful, but have no friends, or poor with many loved ones around you?
Caregiver Note: Scrooge is rich, but lonely while his nephew is poor, but has a room full of companions to share the holiday with. This question simply asks what is more important. For some viewers that had nothing and now have an abundance they may choose money or friendships because they understand what having little is like. While others that have some may understand that no matter how much you have it is worthless if you are alone. This can be a deep question or surface level depending on your approach.
- Who do you think Marley was?
**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.
