Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

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Summary: MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL-FORGOTTEN CLASSIC
Review: The Public is right Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is a forgotten classic, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer is still in the public eye, its still telecast on one of the major networks in prime time but not this holiday tale. For some reason theyre seem to be people who want to relegate this to cinema history. P.S. If this is printed the words why no voting buttons will be at the bottom of this review, how to add them, YOU TELL ME.

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Summary: Great Musical Score!
Review: To say Amazon's editorial review of this perennial holiday favorite is off-base would be a gross understatement. "Minimally animated"? Yes, but limited animation can be rewarding when the design work (for which the UPA studio was famous) is as beautifully executed as the work done here - the graveyard scenes and the changing visual landscapes that accompany the song "Winter Was Warm" (more about that below) are particularly striking and memorable. "...forgettable songs by Jules Styne and Bob Merrill"?!! First off, the man's name is JULE Styne - a "professional" critic might at least get the composer's name right. Secondly, the score is the most wonderful part of this thoroughly entertaining film, as noted by every single Amazon customer that has lovingly recommended it. JULE Styne and Bob Merrill ("Funny Girl") were at the peak of their creative powers when they wrote these songs, many of which have resonated with viewers through the years. "All Alone In The World," sung by the neglected child Scrooge, beautifully and poignantly expresses the emotions of many a left-behind child. Particularly gorgeous is "Winter Was Warm," a ballad of loss and heartbreak wistfully sung by Jane Kean, and long overdue for rediscovery by the cabaret set. One could buy this JUST for the score! The story has of course been edited to fit a one-hour tv time slot, but the dialogue is surprisingly faithful to Dickens, and the voice work (including of course Jim Backus, Jack Cassidy and June Foray) is top-notch. This little gem will still be watched and rediscovered for years to come.

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Summary: A great introduction to Dickens' classic
Review: When I was little, I was introduced to Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, et al through two productions: an LP record version starring the great Lionel Barrymore, which scared the heck out of me, and this sometimes silly, often moving version. The old Mr Magoo cartoons, of course, were pure slapstick, and the flavour of that survives through the framing story -- the bumbling, near-sighted Magoo, who terrorizes the poor director of this "Broadway play" version of Scrooge. But once the main story gets rolling, you forget it's Magoo and think more of Thurston Howell from "Gilligan's Island" (Jim Backus' other great creation). The songs are in part touching ("I'm All Alone in the World"), hilarious ("We're Dispicable", with the gap-toothed lalala chorus) and totally enjoyable (the Cratchit's singing "We'll Have the Lord's Bright Blessing"). I hadn't seen this animated TV feature since I was little, until my kids and I caught it on TV last week -- and I went right out and ordered this DVD so my kids could watch it over and over. The story is, for the most part, true to Dickens, although it reverses the visits of the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present (Present comes first in this version) and we don't see one of the most haunting images from the book -- the two ghost children "Ignorance" and "Want". However, this doesn't really detract from the movie, and at the end, when the "cast" comes out and takes their bows after singing about the Cratchit's family blessings, the audience breaks out in applause. And then, to break the mood, in true Magoo style -- or true cartoon style I guess -- the nearsighted bumbler drags the hapless director out onto the stage and then causes the entire set to come crashing down on top of him, while the oblivious Magoo congratulates himself for "bringing down the house". The kids will get a giggle out of it (oh admit it, you did too!) A great Christmas classic for the family! PS: I don't hear June Foray's voice anywhere in this cartoon -- I think you may have made an error listing her as the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Rating:
Summary: Magoo excels as Scrooge
Review: First broadcast on NBC in 1962 (sponsored by Timex), "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" was the first version of the Charles Dickens classic that I saw. Along with the Alastair Sim live-action film, it remains my favorite. This cartoon achieves a nearly impossible task by being true to both Dickens and the character of the bumbling near-sighted Magoo. The songs, co-penned by the great Jules Stein, are a delight and so is the cast. It's sad to realize that in today's climate of "political correctness," some overly sensitive and humorless viewers may regard the Magoo offensive, so fans of this innocent cartoon are advised to buy a copy as quickly as possible before the Thought Police succeed in having it it banned.

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Summary: The Most Interesting of all the Scrooge Christmas Carols"
Review: How delighted I was to see "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" on DVD for the holiday season 2002. My children grew up with this since 1962 when it first aired on TV. Then my grand children when they came along. At our house, it was not Christmas without viewing Magoo's Scrooge at least once.
A few years it was on TV 2 or 3 times. Some years not at all. We were always disappointed when it wasn't shown. When the DVD came out, I bought us all a copy for Christmas.
The telling of Scrooge and his tight fisted ways became more understandable in this version with Belle, his long ago sweetheart who had released him from their engagement when he became more and more interested in money making and hoarding wealth.
Dickens tells how young Ebeneezer was left alone at school when everyone else had gone home for the holidays. His loneliness was made even more apparent by the song, "A Hand for each Hand was Planned for the World." More than any scene I've watched in other Scrooge movies, this song tells how being by himself so much changed him, why he withdrew over the years, more and more away from people and into money, which provided his warmth and security blanket.
Music can be such a vital element to any scene, binding it together. "The Lord's Bright Blessing," "Ringle, Ringle, Coins make such a Jingle," "Razzleberry Dwessing," and "We're Despicable" are wonderful songs too, really fun to sing and bringing to life the feelings of each scene. Belle singing "The Winter was Warm," tells of their love and why it grew cold. How his growing concern for making money had replaced feelings.
I've wished that all the music scenes were provided separately in the "special features" section and that it should be done with every DVD. We love these songs and would SO MUCH enjoy being able to sing along with all the music together.
Jules Styne and Bob Merrill did such a wonderful job with these songs, that it made "Magoo's Christmas Carol" very special. The catchy tunes and lyrics convey action and feelings better than words spoken in other versions. Thank you, Jules and Bob for this fabulous music you provided over 40 years ago.
Because of the songs, it holds up well even after all this time and makes the cartoon version alive and meaningful. How I wish the sheet music of all the tunes and lyrics were offered!! I would want at least 2 or 3 songbooks.
I recommend this movie highly, especially while children are young and have so much mediocrity and sometimes sleaze thrown at them. It's still one of our favorite family attractions during the holiday season each year and I watch it several times myself. It never grows old.

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Summary: Adorable!
Review: ...Albert Finney's Scrooge and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, are my favorites as well.
They are mainly the only two Christmas Carol's, I watch.
The animation in Magoo is so well done, and also is so adorable.

Rating:
Summary: Magoo makes for fond memories...of childhood.. and now!!
Review: I first saw Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol as a child.. many years ago now.. loved it!! especially the music... and the animation. "Were despicable" is my favorite, the dancing.. the toothless grins singing!!!. The animation is excellent, still holds up after all these years. After not seeing it for many years, I was able to buy the video. After years of family enjoyment, the tape wore out and it was hard to replace. So glad to see that it has been rereleased and can be enjoyed by many other generations. 2nd only to Scrooge the musical with Albert Finney!

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Summary: Simply The Best
Review: Since I was a child I have watched Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. One year when it was not coming on television my sister, my daughter and I went to the movies to see it. Mr. Magoo is like comfort food...you just feel good when you watch it. The songs are great. The image of a young Scrooge singing..."I'm All Alone in the World" is not only touching but the tune and words will stay with you. This movie is so good and children of all ages love it. I think it would be a great buy for anyone. Gather the family together, sit down...take some time out from the shopping to enjoy this wondeful movie.

Rating:
Summary: Loved the movie as a child!
Review: However, the copies I received (which I was going to give to my brother for a Christmas present) had terrible audio. I had to send them back. What a disappointment!

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Summary: Finally! The Classic Comes To DVD!
Review: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol has always been a favorite of mine, and for the past decade it's been virtually impossible to see on TV, and when it does pop up, it's always edited (For time reasons), and the "La La La" and "Ringle Ringle" songs are usually cut. The DVD delivers the entire uncut cartoon, text features about Magoo's history and the composing team of Jules Styne & Bob Merrill (who wrote the cartoon's excellent songs, which you'll be humming for weeks), a look at the movie poster (On the DVD; There's NOT a poster included with the DVD), and a bonus cartoon: "Magoo meets McBoing-Boing", where Magoo babysits Dr. Seuss's character Gerald McBoing-Boing. There are two different versions of this DVD (One by Goodtimes and one by Sony); Both DVD's are identical in content, but the Sony version seems to have sharper colors and better sound.