Cosmoeticadotcom The best ever.Let those words penetrate. I state them in reference to the titular work under review and, mind you, I have seen every film and telefilm 'straight' version of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, plus almost every humorous take on it- be it spoof or satire, from lame musical adaptations to modernized updates to the brilliant reworking of the tale in the first season of the great American television sitcom, The Odd Couple. But, the animated Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is the best version ever of the tale, and that includes Dickens' own often too heavyhanded morality play itself. The reason is that the cartoon takes on all the best elements of the source work, mitigates that work's flaws, deepens its positives, and adds a goodly amount of its own improvements. It is, in short, one of the finest examples of television cartoonery ever made, and, interestingly, try as I might, I cannot find a single objective flaw in it. But, there is a flaw, albeit in my own criticism. I just stated that Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is 'one of the finest examples of television cartoonery ever made,' and that is incorrect. In fact, it is THE finest example of television cartoonery ever made, with the caveat that I have only a great knowledge of American cartoonery. It is also a great example of pop art made for children that succeeds on other levels, not unlike such films as The Curse Of The Cat People and Godzilla's Revenge.

gavin6942 An animated, magical, musical version of Charles Dickens' timeless classic "A Christmas Carol", starring the nearsighted Quincy Magoo (Jim Backus).In 2002, TV Guide ranked Mr. Magoo number 29 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list. And he has won an Oscar. And this was the first animated holiday program ever produced specifically for television, predating the classics like Charlie Brown. And, yes, it features the original songs of the Broadway team of Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics), who collaborated on the musical "Funny Girl". So I really need to give Magoo some credit for his importance to cartoon history.But, I am sorry. The animation is outdated, choppy and not very funny. I can give it credit for what it was, but I can not give it credit for what it is. I find it hard to believe that today's audiences would be too excited about this (although I will give them credit for the largely faithful adaptation they did).

amexspam I'm afraid my memories are biased by being age 8 when it premiered in 1962. This show was magical! To my eyes it felt like going to the theater instead of a TV production with the use of curtains and distinct acts. The cartoons were not cartoonish, but made me feel more like I was watching a grown up show. The spirits, and tiny Tim, may have been the first show that made me less egocentric. And in addition, it is a good story well told.The Scrooge character was believable as were the others. The musical numbers held my attention at age 8 and age 50. The themes were scary but not frightening. This set the bar for the holiday cartoons that followed.

Neil Doyle Another delightful animated rendering of the famous Ghost story with a Christmas message for everyone, especially the young in heart. It's JIM BACKUS behind the voice of Scrooge, having fun with his Mr. Magoo characterization despite the lack of "blind as a bat" jokes. He plays the role fairly straight and is still amusing as that old skinflint who develops a love for mankind after visited by three spirits.JACK CASSIDY makes a fine Bob Cratchet, especially since he's gets to lift his splendid voice in song in tunes that have a definite Broadway sound to them. Surprisingly, no one has thought of turning this into a stage show for Christmas presentations. The material and the songs are there for the asking. There's a wistful sound to some of the ballads.Worth watching for the good blend of story, animation and music, although the George C. Scott version of '84 cannot be topped for bringing the Dickens story to the screen in the most faithful fashion.