10 Adaptions of “A Christmas Carol” That Missed the Mark

Since the book’s release in 1843, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has been adapted over 300 times. With that many versions to choose from, there’s a tale that suits everyone’s needs. Whether you want your Scrooge to be a duck or a puppet, a cartoon or a human, a woman or a man, the list is endless.

But some versions are better than others. Part of the appeal of A Christmas Carol is that everyone knows the story, so it can be changed quite a bit without the audience getting lost. Unfortunately, sometimes this gets taken too far. By changing some aspects of the classic story, the tale can be turned into something else entirely.

Here are ten adaptions of A Christmas Carol that don’t quite hit the mark.

Related: Top 10 Christmas Movie Moments

9 Scrooge and Marley (2012)

Inclusivity and diversity are growing concerns in the world today, as they should be. But maybe these themes don’t need to be the crux of every piece of media, particularly ones that already have a very strong message to share.

Scrooge and Marley is retold as a gay love story between the Scrooge character (called Ben) and his boyfriend, Bill. The two con Fezziwig out of his gay disco club, and then Bill dies of AIDS. Other than that, the story is essentially the same as the one we know and love, but with a few LGBTQ+ twists. The problem is that the movie is so focused on telling the tragic love story between Bill and Ben that it seems to forgo the original themes of poverty and wealth.

Many critics considered it a “niche” film that would be enjoyed by those who love camp and “syrupy empowerment messages,” but not by people looking to actually hear the story of A Christmas Carol.^[1]

9 Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001)

Changes to classic stories generally don’t fare well, but this one seems to do the impossible.

Simon Callow’s Scrooge gets a second chance at love with his childhood sweetheart Belle (played by Kate Winslet) in Christmas Carol: The Movie, making this stand out a bit from other versions of the story. And, in general, it works, giving the audience even more reason to root for the protagonist.

But some other changes aren’t so seamless. For some reason, Bob Cratchit, the epitome of kindness, is kind of… mean in this version. When Tiny Tim starts hacking from whooping cough, Bob sarcastically encourages him: “Cough it up, Tim. It might be a gold watch!”

The ending also doesn’t hold up. Though, as always, Scrooge has a change of heart, much of it comes from Belle, who begs him to be better. This is fine, but not really in the spirit (ha!) of the three ghosts, as they are rendered all but obsolete by the final scene.^[2]

8 Carol for Another Christmas (1964)

This 1964 TV movie was written by Rod Serling and is a bit divisive. It was one of a series produced to build public support for the United Nations, and it definitely shows. Rather than focusing on Scrooge’s individual problems, the ghosts present the victims of internment camps, nuclear war, and imperialism to the protagonist.

The anti-capitalist message sparked controversy, and the John Birch Society announced the movie was “pro-communist,” which further alienated it. Ironic, considering the original story is also fairly anti-capitalist. Our Scrooge (called “Grudge” in this version) does go through a change at the end but doesn’t apologize to Bob Cratchit or hug Tiny Tim. Instead, he pronounces his support of the United Nations and international diplomacy as a way to prevent war.

While there’s certainly a political message to the overall theme of A Christmas Carol, many felt this movie was just too harsh, depressing, and “an exercise in heavy-handed sermonizing.”^[3]

7 A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004)

Based on the 1994 stage musical A Christmas Carol, this 1994 movie stars Kelsey Grammar as Scrooge and a colorful cast of celebrities as other characters. Unfortunately, even Jane Krakowski (as the Ghost of Christmas Past) and Jason Alexander (as Jacob Marley) couldn’t save this one.

The silliness of the movie is grating, as it barely seems to take itself seriously. While Marley’s ghostly appearance is meant to be the first moment of true fear, the appearance of Jason Alexander simply doesn’t inspire fright. Well, maybe he could, but the movie doesn’t really try to make him scary. Marley cracks jokes left and right, and bad puns are brought to a whole new level with the headless ghost who wanted to get “ahead” and the armless man who “never lent a hand.”

Humor and terror can go well together, but this musical movie features over-the-top performances that make it feel more like a cartoon parody with nothing to say rather than a faithful adaptation.^[4]

6 Ms. Scrooge

What place and time period could compete with the horrors of Victorian London?

How about modern-day Providence, Rhode Island?

In 1997, the made-for-TV movie Ms. Scrooge premiered on the Hallmark Channel. It follows elderly miser Ebenita Scrooge on her familiar journey. This is a basic retelling of the story, with a few differences in Scrooge’s backstory. Her father was a poor man who died in a fire, leading Scrooge to internalize the idea that poverty killed her father. Her desperation to never be poor again is what drives her greed, and it is meant to elicit some sympathy from the audience.

But, as many people who grew up poor can tell you, there’s no reason to not be wealthy and kind. Sure, we might understand why Scrooge is a bit of a miser in this version, but that’s no reason for her to abuse her employees. Furthermore, the movie changes a few key parts of the plot. Traditionally, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge his own grave and emphasizes that if he doesn’t change, he’ll die alone and unhappy. Ms. Scrooge takes a different approach, as the ghost simply shows her a world where she’s… still mean. Which, for some unknown reason, is enough to elicit the grand change at the end.^[5]

5 Scrooge (1935)

Only the second-ever screen adaption of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge stars Sir Seymour Hicks, who had been playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in various versions of the story since 1901. So it’s obviously not his portrayal that brings this movie down.

Rather, the film attempts to condense the story by ignoring large parts of character backstories and omitting some, like Fezziweg, entirely. Worst of all, none of the ghosts appear on screen at any time. They’re only heard, leaving the audience wanting a bit more creepiness and fear. While some argue this could have been due to budgetary restrictions, critic Robert Keeling suggests it was simply a “foolhardy artistic decision” that only succeeds in making the movie a more dulled-down version of the story.^[6]

4 Mickey’s Christmas Carol

No hate to the mouse, but Disney’s 1983 retelling of A Christmas Carol just doesn’t cut it.

One of the main reasons for this is that the film follows Scrooge McDuck, not Mickey. Now, no one’s saying that Mickey must be the center of attention, but when you title the movie “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” there’s an expectation that the kiddos will get to see their favorite cartoon rodent. Instead, Mickey plays Bob Cratchit. While Cratchit is an essential part of the story, he only appears in two scenes.

The movie only runs 26 minutes—perfect for children, but not so enjoyable for adults looking to see some character development. Each ghost is played by a recognizable Disney character, taking away any sense of fear or unease that the spirits are meant to bring to both Scrooge and the audience. And before you say, “Well, it is a children’s movie,” take a moment to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol, which remains one of the most popular adaptions of Dickens’s story and features ghosts so scary director Brian Henson recalled seeing children “crying in the theaters.”

Now that’s an adaption.^[7]

3 It’s Christmas, Carol! (2012)

Whether you watch them to make fun of the insane plots and odd dialogue or out of genuine love for the simplicity of the stories, Hallmark movies are a staple of the holiday season. In 2012, the company released a modern version of Dickens’s classic tale that follows a workaholic CEO (named Carol, of course) who is visited by the ghost of her dead boss, played by Carrie Fisher. Just the one ghost plays all three roles of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, due to “budget cuts in the afterlife.”

Apparently, there were budget cuts at Hallmark as well because despite leading lady Fisher’s charisma, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. As is expected from Hallmark, it’s a nice and simple retelling, but it lacks the charm and bite of the original and best adaptions.^[8]

2 A Christmas Carol (2019)

Charles Dickens is famous for his social critiques of Victorian London. Think about Oliver Twist, which follows the young orphan as he struggles to survive after escaping from an abusive workhouse. Or David Copperfield, the moral of which aims to show that being kind should be valued above all else.

A Christmas Carol is no different. Ebenezer Scrooge represents the wealthy in Dickens’s society who continually value their money over the well-being of others. One of the ways this is shown best in most adaptations is through light and darkness. Scrooge lives in darkness in his home even though he can afford lighting and heat because “darkness is cheap.” But when we look at Bob Crachit’s home, it’s filled with light and warmth, even though they have no money.

The 2019 BBC miniseries A Christmas Carol fails to deliver on any sort of redemption level. Every single scene is dark and depressing, even those that should show Scrooge the happiness he’s missing out on. Though there’s something to be said for truly leaning into the darkness of A Christmas Carol (both literally and figuratively), critics agreed that the tone of the show was much too depressing. It even eschews the traditional hopeful ending in lieu of one where Bob Cratchit’s wife does not forgive Scrooge and tells the ghosts they still have a lot of work to do.^[9]

1 Scrooged (1988)

In this version of the classic story, Bill Murray plays the same character he does in pretty much every movie he’s in: a cynical jerk. This time, he’s a TV executive, Frank Cross, who has lost his sense of Christmas spirit, driven away his wife, and fired his most loyal employee on Christmas Eve. I think you can take a guess at the rest of the plot.

Despite the fact that the modern-day setting was praised as making the story more relevant than ever, Scrooged was panned by critics, who mostly agreed that the movie was simply too “mean-spirited.” While it’s true that there’s humor in Cross’s cruel jokes and antics, the film focuses too much on these rather than the magical transformation he’s going through. What starts as an uproarious farce ends as a half-hearted moral tale that seems to come out of nowhere. Critics agreed it lacked heart, and Roger Ebert claimed it “continues at an embarrassing length and seems like an onscreen breakdown.”

It doesn’t help that, apparently, no one on set was having a good time. Bill Murray described filming as “misery,” and director Richard Donner was open about his difficulties working with Murray.^[10]