In 1983, the Disney company was at its lowest point--or darn close. The once-great studio appeared to be very stagnant and nearing the end of its run. Little did folks realize that a rebirth was awaiting in the mid-late 1980s--with great cartoons such as "The Great Mouse Detective", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "The Little Mermaid". So, it is nice to see "Mickey's Christmas Carol"--as the artwork is just lovely and shows that the studio still had it. Because of this, it's a very impressive film--and worth seeing. Now this IS a qualified endorsement--as despite the great animation and the use of classic characters, the subject matter is dull stuff indeed. After all, there must have been about a bazillion different versions of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". In fact, to me it's like a lost opportunity where Disney COULD have achieved greatness with this cartoon but because of the overly familiar subject matter it is just 'nice'. Nice wouldn't save the studio.

This is beautifully animated, and faithful to the much loved Dickens story. It is a bit short, but most of the Disney Christmas specials are barely over an hour, so I don't think it as an issue. Scrooge, great to hear Alan Young's voice again, is a miser who hates Christmas, much to the despair of his clerk Bob Cratchit, earnestly voiced by Wayne Allwine. He is visited by three spirits, after being warned by Jacob Marley, who convince him once and for all to change his ways! The animation is beautiful, as is the title song, an occurring motif in the mini-film. (It's only 25 minutes.)When Scrooge thinks Tiny Tim is dead, I had tears in my eyes, and that rarely happens. There are truly entertaining appearances from Jiminy Cricket, Goofy, Willy the Giant, Donald Duck and Toad from Wind in the Willows. Other than its length, I had no real quibble with the movie, so it is a 10/10. Bethany Cox

Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck) is a miserly greedy duck. His clerk Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse) is overworked and underpaid. His nephew Fred (Donald Duck) invites him to Christmas dinner. He is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Goofy) who tells him about the approaching 3 spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jiminy Cricket) shows him the past and the origins of his miserable ways when he foreclose on Isabelle (Daisy Duck) for being an hour late rather than marrying her. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant) shows him the hardship faced by Bob Cratchit and his family. Then the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him the funeral of little Tiny Tim.

For such a short running time, this is a well made version of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. It is snappy and quick. It's the essential highlights. It doesn't add anything new but it's done with great sincerity. It's a nice distillation of the original material that the kids will be able to follow.