Home » Happy Snowman

Best A Christmas Carol Films

katemiya by katemiya

My Favorite Adaptations Of A Christmas Carol

The classic Charles Dickens' story, "A Christmas Carol", has been retold in many ways in film and television. "A Christmas Carol" films and television specials are frequently considered viewing traditions for many families. I have watched many modern versions of "A Christmas Carol" and this is a list of the best "A Christmas Carol" films I have seen on the big and small screen.

"The Muppet Christmas Carol" poster can be purchased from allposters.com.

A Christmas Carol - 1984

Starring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge

This version of "A Christmas Carol" is such a classic, it is easy to forget it was actually a made for television movie in the United States and not a feature film version. In fact, this George C. Scott version of "A Christmas Carol" was released in theaters in Great Britain. It originally aired on CBS on December 17, 1984.

I must agree with the assertion that this might be the best traditional on screen telling of "A Christmas Carol".
Loading

A Christmas Carol - 1999

Starring Patrick Stewart As Ebenezer Scrooge

This made for television version of "A Christmas Carol" was produced by Turner television and therefore usually found on the TNT network during the holidays. It stars Patrick Stewart in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge and is another telling of "A Christmas Carol" that is reasonably true to the original Charles Dickens story.
Loading

A Christmas Carol On TV

Loading poll. Please Wait...

A Christmas Carol: The Musical - 2004

Starring Kelsey Grammer as Ebenezer Scrooge

A Christmas Carol: The Musical

A Christmas Carol: The Musical

Amazon Price: $5.24 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

"A Christmas Carol: The Musical" was also a made for television version of "A Christmas Carol" that debuted on NBC on November 28, 2004. It featured a cast of well-known actors, including Jason Alexander as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Jane Krakowski as the Ghost Of Christmas Past, Jesse L. Martin as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Geraldine Chaplin as the Ghost Of Christmas Future and Jennifer Love Hewitt as Emily.

You can watch the trailer for "A Christmas Carol: The Musical" by clicking here since embedding has been disabled.

Scrooged - 1988

Bill Murray as Francis Xavier "Frank" Cross

The film "Scrooged" was a takeoff of the original Charles Dickens story of "A Christmas Carol". The comedy was set in modern day, with the core plot points of a cantankerous character being visited by the ghost of a work partner and three ghosts representing the past, present and future remaining intact. The twist in this version of "A Christmas Carol" is that the main character of Frank Cross must put on a live version of "A Christmas Carol" for the television network he works for.

I must admit I only got around to seeing "Scrooged" a couple of years ago. I still don't know what took me so long!
Loading

Lens Love Widget

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

The Muppet Christmas Carol - 1992

Starring Michael Caine As Ebenezer Scrooge

Just thinking about the Muppet version of "A Christmas Carol" brings a smile to my face. The most mind boggling part to me about this version of Charles Dickens' story is that because they added The Great Gonzo in the role of Charles Dickens, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" actually ends up having a lot of verbatim content from the original "A Christmas Carol" story.

My favorite moment is when Michael Caine's Ebenezer Scrooge exclaims his joy to the Ghost of Christmas Past about his fond memories of working at the Fozziwig's Rubber Chicken Factory.
Loading

Buy These Versions Of A Christmas Carol

Loading

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol - 1962

Starring Mr. Magoo As Ebenezer Scrooge

"Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" holds the distinction of being the first cartoon Christmas special made for television. This is a fairly accurate shortened telling of "A Christmas Carol" largely because the premise is that Mr. Magoo is starring in a stage production of "A Christmas Carol".

I really like the songs featured in this special, particularly "The Lord's Bright Blessing" and "Alone In The World", which may be the saddest song in a Christmas special ever.
Loading

Mickey's Christmas Carol - 1983

Starring Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge

"Mickey's Christmas Carol" was released in theaters along with "The Rescuers" in 1983, and was the first original Mickey Mouse cartoon for theaters in thirty years. It maintains much of the original plotline of Charles Dickens story, "A Christmas Carol".

Loading

The Rest Of My Best A Christmas Carol Films

Loading

Soundtracks From The Best A Christmas Carol Films

Unfortunately, there is no soundtrack for "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" or it would be here.
Loading

Like This Lens?

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

Inspired By A Christmas Carol

Loading

What Do You Think Is The Best Version Of A Christmas Carol?

  • garyr_h Nov 17, 2011 @ 12:48 am | delete
    My favorite is Scrooged, but I still enjoy the others.
  • WriterJanis Nov 9, 2011 @ 11:58 pm | delete
    My favorite is the musical version.
  • Rankography Nov 8, 2011 @ 6:23 pm | delete
    Great lens. It is definitely a testament to Dickens that this classic is remade over and over. Scrooged is probably my favorite, then the George C. Scott version. How about adding the recent Animated Jim Carrey version.
  • katemiya Nov 8, 2011 @ 6:53 pm | delete
    I didn't add the Jim Carrey one because I haven't personally seen it. In the case of Scrooged, I think I saw it years ago but don't remember enough about it to comfortably declare it one of the best versions. :)
  • RaisedVegetableGardenBeds Nov 7, 2011 @ 3:25 pm | delete
    Seems like you have a lot of versions on the Christmas Carol here, I had no idea there were so many. When it gets to Christmas time I will have to watch a few. But that's still 6 seeks away, so I am certainly not thinking of Christmas yet!
  • Load More
Show All

More Christmas Entertainment


My Top Ten Muppet Christmas SongsThere have been a large number of Muppet Christmas specials produced over the years, most of which included musical numbers performed by Muppets. I decided to...
Muppet Christmas Specials The Muppets have appeared in a number of Christmas specials over the years, and I can't think of a better way to spend my holiday season than watching at least...
Rankin/Bass Christmas SpecialsWhether it's the stop-motion animation from Rankin/Bass Productions in specials like "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", or with their traditional animation style...
ABC Family's 25 Days Of Christmas Schedule For 2011ABC Family's 25 Days Of Christmas programming has been broadcast annually since 1996, when the network was known as The Family Channel. In recent years, the...
Under-Appreciated Christmas Specials There is no shortage of Christmas specials on television during the Christmas season. So many new ones are made each year that it is inevitable that some gr...
My Favorite Versions of Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is not a Christmas song, but it is a winter song. Frank Loesser wrote "Baby, It's Cold Outside" back in 1936. He sold the rights t...
Songs From Christmas Specials That Aren't Christmas Songs Christmas specials are part of the many modern traditions for the holiday. One of the ironies about the music featured in Christmas specials is that a numbe...

This Happy Snowman page written by

katemiya

I am obsessed with pop culture in many shapes and forms. The 80s were my generation, but I know a thing or two about the ones that came before. I even... more »

Seasons Greetings from the Wonderland

Connect with Happy Snowman

This author recommends...