Line #107 WesternAnimation/MickeysChristmasCarol


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MickeysChristmasCarol_4945.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Joy to the children far and near\
4	What a wondrous time of year\
5	Isn't it just grand to say\
6	Merry, Merry Christmas\
7	Merry, Merry Christmas\
8	Oh, what a merry Christmas day!"''
9
10	For years, WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, a once-mighty force in animation, was but a memory. After his fall from popularity in the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1940s]], and his final appearances in the 1950s, it seemed like there was no future for the mouse save as a corporate symbol for Creator/{{Disney}}, which had its animated output put into a slump since the passing of its [[Creator/WaltDisney legendary namesake creator]] in 1966.
11
12	But then, in [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation 1983]], this film came along and changed that -- well, sort of.
13
14	''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' is a 24-minute film, and a fairly straightforward adaptation of [[Literature/AChristmasCarol that one classic story]] [[YetAnotherChristmasCarol everybody knows about by now]]. Despite the short being billed as Mickey's comeback, he serves only as the character of Bob Cratchit. Scrooge [=McDuck=] (in the role of—take a wild guess—[[TheDanza Ebenezer Scrooge!]]) carries the bulk of the film instead, making his first animated appearance since the 1967 educational short ''Scrooge [=McDuck=] and Money'' (Otherwise, up to this point he'd only appeared in the Creator/CarlBarks ''Uncle Scrooge'' comics and this short's precursor, a storybook album from TheSeventies.), along with the debut of Creator/AlanYoung as his primary voice actor.
15
16	Debuting as a supporting feature with the 1983 theatrical re-release of ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'' (after an animators' strike delayed an intended 1982 premiere on television), this adaptation was fairly well-received and nominated for an Academy Award as Best Animated Short Film. In 1984 it began airing annually around Christmas on network and cable television and remains a holiday season favorite to this day. In 2001, it was included in the Christmas special ''WesternAnimation/MickeysMagicalChristmasSnowedInAtTheHouseOfMouse'', but did not feature the original opening title cards or credits. As of 2023, the special can be seen in its entirety on Disney+.
17	----
18	!!This animated short features examples of:
19	* AccidentalBargainingSkills: Subverted after Scrooge's reformation. When he finds the alms collectors, he starts giving them money, using their stunned reactions as an excuse to give them more despite knowing they're not actually bargaining.
20	-->'''Scrooge:''' Good morning, gentlemen. I've something for ya.\
21	''[Puts a bag of coins on the second collector's head]''\
22	'''First Charity Collector (Mr. Rat)''': Twenty gold sovereigns! Oh, no!\
23	'''Scrooge:''' Not enough? Here.\
24	''[Puts another bag on the collector's pants]''\
25	'''Scrooge:''' Fifty gold sovereigns!\
26	'''Second Charity Collector (Mr. Mole)''': Really, Mister Scrooge. It's...\
27	'''Scrooge:''' Still not enough? You drive a hard bargain. Here you are.\
28	''[Throws several bags at the collectors]''\
29	'''Scrooge:''' One hundred gold pieces, and not a penny more!\
30	'''First Charity Collector (Mr. Rat):''' Oh, thank you, Mr. Scrooge! Thank you! And a merry Christmas to you!
31	* AdaptationDistillation: The result of telling an already short novel in a half-hour runtime. Some plot points are lost and others condensed and/or simplified; Tiny Tim's BadFuture fate for instance, is shown in a few seconds, without dialogue.
32	* AdaptationalJerkass:
33	** In the book and most adaptations, Scrooge (because it's a social custom) reluctantly agrees to give Bob Cratchit Christmas Day off, with expecting him earlier the following morning. This version of Scrooge, on the other hand, only gives Cratchit half a day off, docks his pay by half, and makes him wash his laundry for him. In the book, Scrooge really does want to marry Belle, but she sees his love for money before he does. In this version, Scrooge is already miserly and turns her away with his hostility.
34	** In most adaptations, the Ghost of Christmas Future is simply NecessarilyEvil and a VillainyFreeVillain, or CreepyGood at least; here, he actually finds {{sadist}}ic enjoyment in forcing Scrooge through his potential BadFuture. Of course, this one's portrayed by [[{{Jerkass}} Pete]], so what else did you really expect? Although his goal is still technically heroic by [[ScareEmStraight scaring Scrooge straight]], but he hammers the message stronger by acting more villainous.
35	* AdaptationalNationality: Scrooge is described as an Englishman, in line with the original novel, whereas Scrooge [=McDuck=] has always been Scottish (migrated to America) in the comics. He still has his usual Scottish accent, though.
36	* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Willie the Giant, the villain of the ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' half of ''Fun and Fancy Free'', plays the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present, whose intent is to help Scrooge become a better person.
37	* AdaptationalVillainy: PlayedWith Goofy as Jacob Marley. Goofy is usually portrayed as a heroic, bumbling character. But Jacob Marley is someone who was evil enough in life he's sentenced to damnation, though his role here is to [[JacobMarleyWarning give a warning message so Scrooge won't follow his footsteps or else he'll suffer eternally]], which is technically a rather heroic role despite his evil past. At least Goofy still kept his bumbling attitude.
38	* AdaptedOut:
39	** Fred's wife isn't seen or mentioned, presumably since Daisy is already playing Young Scrooge's love interest, Isabelle.
40	** Scrooge's childhood is never shown, which means his sister Fan never appears either.
41	** The Cratchits have only three children instead of six.
42	* AgeLift: Downplayed in that she's only seen as her usual self in the past, but Daisy Duck plays the role of Belle, Scrooge's ex-fiance, which would imply she's much older here than in any other media.
43	* AllJustADream: What Scrooge is very thankful for, given his nightmare's conclusion.
44	* AndStarring: Clarence Nash gets this billing as he was the only one of the Disney characters' original voice actors to return for the special. It wound up being his last time voicing Donald Duck.
45	* AnimatedAdaptation: This is an adaptation of Disneyland Records' 1974 audio [[TheMusical musical]] entitled ''[[http://www.mousevinyl.com/content/dickens-christmas-carol-disneyland-records An Adaptation of Dickens's Christmas Carol]]''. The biggest difference is that the first and third ghosts in the animated short are played by [[Characters/TheSwordInTheStone Merlin]] (Past) and [[Characters/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs the Evil Queen/Witch]] (Future), while Willie the Giant still played Present. The alms collectors are played not by [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole]], as in the animated short, but by [[Characters/{{Pinocchio}} J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon]].
46	* AnthropomorphicShift: Inverted with Cyril Proudbottom the horse. He is a PartiallyCivilizedAnimal in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad'', but he's a NearlyNormalAnimal in this featurette.
47	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: At the very beginning of the short, we see the Big Bad Wolf ringing a bell next to a pot, which is way too much like the Salvation Army (which was founded in 1865, 22 years after the novel's 1843 publication). What's really bad, however, is that he's wearing a modern Santa Claus suit - it wasn't until Creator/NormanRockwell drew numerous pictures of him in the 1920s that his current appearance really solidified. Anyone dressed like that in the 1840s would have looked more like a clown than St. Nick.
48	* BlackComedy: The Ghost of Christmas Future cracks an ironically cruel joke at Ebenezer's impending demise.
49	* BookSnap: Scrooge is working on his ledger when Donald Duck (as Fred) comes in and wishes him a Merry Christmas. Scrooge slams the ledger shut and asks him "What's so merry about it?".
50	* BurialAtSea: Marley left Scrooge enough money to buy him a tombstone. Scrooge pocketed the money and buried Marley at sea. This is not book accurate, as the book describes Marley's tombstone and Scrooge as his only mourner.
51	* TheCameo: Several classic Disney characters make appearances, including WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs, [[WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}} Jiminy Cricket]], [[WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad Mr. Toad]]. And just about everybody at Fezziwig's appeared in a Disney feature (''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'' in particular) or short.
52	* CarnivoreConfusion: A suckling pig makes an appearance when Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Present after the Three Little Pigs have a cameo as carolers in the opening scene on the city streets. Donald also invites Scrooge to have goose for dinner despite having at least two cousins who are geese.
53	* ChewbaccaDefense: Scrooge confounding the charity workers.
54	* CigarChomper: Pete as the devilish Ghost of Christmas Future.
55	* CompositeCharacter: The Ghost of Christmas Past's (Jiminy Cricket) line about being measured by kindness, is similar to when the Ghost of Christmas Present retorts Scrooge's "surplus population" remark in the original book.
56	* DangledByAGiant: The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Willie the Giant, dangles Scrooge over his bed and eventually over several succulent Christmas pies, meats, and fruits. He dangles Scrooge again while he's gripped at the end of a grape branch.
57	* DarkerAndEdgier: In the novel, the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge dying alone and unmourned. In this version, the Ghost explicitly shows a fiery pit opening in Scrooge's open grave, laughing hysterically as Scrooge pleads for mercy. As crazy as it sounds, out of all the adaptations of Literature/AChristmasCarol out there, one of the only ones with Scrooge ''falling into hell'' is the ''Mickey Mouse version''. (The others being [[Film/{{Scrooge1970}} the 1970 version]] with Albert Finney and Alec Guinness and [[Film/AChristmasCarol2009 the 2009 version]] with Jim Carrey, which was ''also'' distributed by Disney.)
58	* DarkReprise: The background music starting at Scrooge's arrival at the graveyard through Bob's exit is mostly an instrumental sad reprise of the opening credits song.
59	* DeadpanDoorShut: Scrooge opens the curtains of his bed to find the Ghost of Christmas Present (played by [[WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]]) sitting in his bedroom. He quickly closes the curtains, then peeks through to check if he was just seeing things, and is met with Willie's gigantic eye staring back at him.
60	* DecompositeCharacter: Willie the Giant as the Ghost of Christmas Present is an AdaptationalNiceGuy compared to how in the Original story he gleefully mocked Scrooge with IronicEcho's, Pete as the Ghost of Christmas Future instead becomes the mocking ghost after his SuddenlySpeaking moment at the end.
61	* DemotedToExtra: Fred is a bit less important in this adaptation. Scrooge chews him out in the first act, then reconciles and promises to go to his party in the ending, but the Ghost of Christmas Present doesn't take him to see Fred's party in progress.
62	* DevastatingRemark: Isabelle (played by Daisy Duck) asks Scrooge if he's made his decision on whether or not he wants to marry her. [[HopeSpot He says he has]], and her face lights up as [[CardiovascularLove hearts float around her]]. He then clarifies that he's made up his mind about foreclosing the mortgage because Isabelle was an hour late to pay him. The hearts around her then fall to pieces as she trudges out of there, sobbing. She then gives him an angry look, having lost all love she ever had for him, and [[DoorSlamOfRage slams the door]].
63	* DigitalDestruction: The 30th Anniversary Edition home video releases have digitally smeared picture, which also looks zoomed in too closely. The Digital HD release of ''WesternAnimation/MickeysMagicalChristmasSnowedInAtTheHouseOfMouse'' does provide an un-cropped, more filmic-looking alternative, albeit without any credits.
64	* DoorSlamOfRage: After Scrooge breaks up with Isabelle, the heartbroken girl walks out the door, slamming it and causing Scrooge to lose count of his coins.
65	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: When Isabelle asks Scrooge about his decision, she means whether they get married, while he thinks it's about the mortgage on their honeymoon cottage, which he forecloses. Needless to say, she walks out on him forever.
66	* EvilLaugh: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come laughs after shoving Scrooge into his own grave.
67	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Scrooge's reaction to meeting the Ghost of Christmas Past, played by Jiminy Cricket. The Ghost's response is that if men were measured by kindness, Scrooge would be no bigger than a speck of dust.
68	* ExpospeakGag:
69	-->'''Mr. Rat:''' Sir, we are soliciting funds for the indigent and destitute.\
70	'''Scrooge:''' For the what?\
71	'''Mr. Mole:''' We're collecting for the poor.
72	* TheFaceless: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has no face visible under its hood except for his eyes. Averted when the ghost reveals himself as Pete.
73	* FireAndBrimstoneHell: In the scene where Scrooge is confronted by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he is shown a newly dug grave, and told that nobody came to the funeral of the man who will be buried there. Upon learning that it is ''his'' grave, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shoves him into the grave. Scrooge screams for mercy and vows to change, but he loses his grip on a twig and falls into a casket whose interior is on fire, implying he is about to enter Hell.
74	* GentleGiant: The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by [[WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree Willie the Giant]]. At least he ''tries'' to be gentle.
75	* GoodIsNotNice: While all of the Ghosts are meant to change Scrooge into becoming a better person, they make it no secret that they think he's a despicable miser who has done nothing but choose money over love and the needy.
76	* GotMeDoingIt: Mickey almost says "And a Bah Humbug to you" to Scrooge, but catches himself and wishes Merry Christmas instead.
77	* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: When Isabelle leaves Scrooge, her dress, {{parasol\|of prettiness}}, and [[PrettyInMink fur cape]] are all dark purple.
78	* InsaneTrollLogic: Scrooge pulls this on the two charity collectors as an excuse to avoid giving them any money for the poor.
79	-->'''Scrooge:''' You realize if you give money to the poor, they won't be poor anymore, will they?\
80	'''First charity collector:''' Well, I--\
81	'''Scrooge:''' And, if they're not poor anymore, then you won't have to raise money for them anymore.\
82	'''Second alms collector:''' Well, I suppose--\
83	'''Scrooge:''' And if you don't have to raise money for them anymore, then you'd be out of a job. Oh, please, gentlemen, don't ask me to put you out of a job. Not on Christmas Eve.
84	* {{Jerkass}}: The whole point of the Ghosts visiting Scrooge is to tell him what a mean, miserly, all-around creep he really is, and that he had better change or else his future won't be good. The Ghost of Christmas Future out-jerkassing him is what finally sets him straight.
85	* KickTheDog: The first five minutes is one long line of these moments for Scrooge, starting with Marley's funeral. Marley left Scrooge money specifically for funeral arrangements, which Scrooge shirked out on by having Marley buried at sea.
86	* LaymansTerms: This happens when the two charity collectors ask Scrooge to donate some money to the poor:
87	-->'''Scrooge:''' And what can I do for you two gentlemen?\
88	'''Charity collector 1:''' Sir, we are collecting funds for the indigent and destitute.\
89	'''Scrooge:''' For the what?\
90	'''Charity collector 2:''' We're collecting for the poor.
91	* LittlestCancerPatient: Tiny Tim is terminally ill. In the bad future, Tim has died of his illness and Bob is deeply in grief.
92	* LonelyFuneral: The weasel gravediggers say that nobody showed up for Scrooge's funeral.
93	-->'''Gravedigger 1:''' Boy, you ain't never seen a funeral like this one!
94	-->'''Gravedigger 2:''' Aye! No mourners. No friends to bid him farewell.
95	* MicroDieting: The Cratchits have little more than a tiny little turkey for Christmas dinner due to their poverty. Tiny Tim apparently doesn't know any different, sincerely declaring, "Oh my, look at all the wonderful things to eat! We must thank Mr. Scrooge."
96	* MindYourStep: Happens as [[WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} Marley's ghost]] bids farewell to Scrooge and walks through the bedroom wall:
97	-->'''Scrooge:''' Marley, watch out for that first--!
98	-->'''Marley:''' Whoooa! [[StockScream YAAAAAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEY!]]
99	-->'''Scrooge:''' ...step.
100	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When visiting his past, Scrooge expresses regret for foreclosing his would-be home with Isabelle, thus driving her out of his life. When he sees the potential future, he also expresses horror over the thought of [[spoiler:Tiny Tim dying at a young age because he wasn't paying Bob enough.]]
101	-->'''Scrooge:''' Spirit! I canna bear these memories! Take me home...
102	-->'''Ghost of Christmas Past:''' Remember, Scrooge. You created these memories yourself... ''(echoing)''
103	* MythologyGag: The younger version of Scrooge when he meets Isabelle is based on Donald in the 1950 short "Crazy Over Daisy".
104	* NeverSayDie: ''Almost'' averted. The Ghost of Christmas Present tells of Tiny Tim: "If these shadows remain unchanged, I see an empty chair where Tiny Tim once sat." To which Scrooge says, "Then that means Tim will..." but gets cut off when he realizes that the Ghost of Christmas Present [[StealthHiBye has vanished]]. The next scene makes the conclusion abundantly clear, though.
105	* NeverTrustATitle: While the special is named ''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' and he is a huge part of it, the true main character is Scrooge [=McDuck=].
106	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Will Ryan's voice for the second Weasel Gravedigger in the Future scene is an impression of Creator/PeterLorre.
107	* OffscreenCrash: Happens to Goofy (playing Marley) along with MindYourStep. Scrooge tells him to "watch out for that first..." Step. Cue ''[[StockScream YAAAAAA-HA-HA-HA-HOOEY!]]''
108	* OutOfFocus: Despite [[SpotlightStealingTitle getting title billing]], Mickey has a relatively small role in what was hyped as his comeback film, portraying a sympathetic and likable Bob Cratchit.
109	* PinkMeansFeminine: Isabelle's first dress is bright pink.
110	* PorkyPigPronunciation: As in ''WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree'', Willie still can't say "pistachio".
111	* TheReveal: As in all adaptations of the story, the Ghost Of Christmas Future's is hidden in his cloak -- until he strikes a match on Scrooge's grave to light a cigar, whose light reveals his identity: it's Pete.
112	* RuleOfFunny: Some of the greedy stuff Scrooge brags about, Marley's pratfalls, and the giant walking around town.
113	* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Even though it's called "Mickey's Christmas Carol," it's Scrooge [=McDuck=] who takes the lead as Ebenezer Scrooge. Mickey's presence as Bob Cratchit is pretty limited.
114	* SecondFaceSmoke: Done by Pete (as the Ghost of Christmas Future) to Scrooge, who chokes on the cigar smoke.
115	* SilenceOfSadness: When Scrooge sees Bob mourning Tiny Tim and placing his crutch at his grave, not a word or sentence is spoken aloud, instead being conveyed through the dreary background music.
116	* SpinOff: The success of this short paved the way for Disney to put together ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', with Creator/AlanYoung returning as the voice of Scrooge [=McDuck=].
117	* StockScream: Marley ''is'' played by Goofy, so of course Goofy's iconic holler can be heard as Marley's ghost leaves and falls down the stairs.
118	* SuddenlySpeaking:
119	** The Ghost Of Christmas Future never speaks in the book and most adaptations, but here Pete has one line after being silent for most of his scene as he tells Scrooge whose grave they're in front of.
120	-->"Why, '''yours''', Ebenezer! ''The richest man in the cemetery!''"
121	** In the original Disney record version, Foulfellow and Gideon are the alms collectors, with Gideon at one point speaking in unison with Foulfellow. May double as a MythologyGag, Gideon was meant to speak in ''Pinocchio'', voiced by Creator/MelBlanc (yes, ''that'' one), but all his lines but a few hiccup sound effects were cut.
122	* ThriftyScot: Subverted. Although Scrooge is described as an Englishman, he retains his usual Scottish accent and starts the film as cheap as he usually is.
123	* TinyTimTemplate: One of Mickey's nephews plays the role of Tiny Tim. In this universe, Tiny Tim appears as a poor boy walking with a crutch, who is in need of assistance.
124	* TokenHuman: The Ghost of Christmas Present (portrayed by Willie the Giant) is the only human-looking character in the film (even though he [[OurGiantsAreBigger isn't strictly speaking a human]]).
125	* UniversalAdaptorCast: Every character is played by an established Disney animated character.
126	* UnmournedDeath: The Spirit of Christmas Future takes Scrooge to a graveyard. Several weasels remark about how nobody ever came to mourn this man's grave before departing. Scrooge asks the Spirit who the grave belongs to. The Spirit then [[SuddenlySpeaking speaks for the first time]], revealing himself to be Pete, and drops a WhamLine: "Why, ''yours'', Ebenezer. ''The richest man in the cemetery!''"
127	* VillainSong: Not in the short, but on the original LP, Scrooge sings about how "the only thing that counts for [him] is money".
128	** The same song has a "[[TheVillainSucksSong villain sucks]]" section that's sung from Bob Cratchit's perspective.
129	** Also on the original LP, Marley's Ghost has a "villain sucks" song about himself and how he was wrong to rob and swindle as he did in life.
130	* TheVoiceless: Bob and Tiny Tim are the only members of the Cratchit family who speak. Though Mrs. Cratchit does speak in the record version. Fezziwig also doesn't get any lines.
131	* WhamLine: A famous one, coupling perfectly with the WhamShot from the original story.
132	-->'''Scrooge:''' Spirit... whose lonely grave is this?\
133	''(The ghost lights a match to reveal the name on the gravestone is "Ebenezer Scrooge")''\
134	'''Ghost:''' (''removes his hood to reveal a maniacally grinning Pete'') Why, ''yours'', Ebenezer! (''pushes Scrooge into the grave'') ''The richest man in the cemetery!'' (''laughs wickedly'')
135	* YetAnotherChristmasCarol: An adaptation of the book.

Context WesternAnimation / MickeysChristmasCarol