Deep into this trailer for Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit (Johnny Flynn) sings a song whose lyrics seem to consist solely of the phrase “I love Christmas!!” so it’s very, very easy to relate to Scrooge on this one.
Voiced by Luke Evans in this version for Netflix, everything seems like it follows the original Dickens tale to the letter. Scrooge is mean, sees some ghosts, and gets a lesson about changing his crotchety ways before he dies alone and smothered in ectoplasmic chains. Familiarity is comforting! Plus, writer/director Stephen Donnelly and his design crew have come up with some cool looks for the three ghosts. The best is the flame-headed Ghost of Christmas Past (voiced by Olivia Colman), but they’ve even run a little wild with Jacob Marley (voiced by Jonathan Pryce).
And that cast is solid. In fact, Evans’ voice work here should make all red-blooded movie fans want a live-action version where he plays Scrooge, shoving his way past joyful children and being smarmy to other-worldly mentor figures.
In a case of great minds thinking alike, even the other new iteration of the classic tale (Ryan Reynolds’ Spirited) includes musical numbers. Maybe it’s a matter of having to throw the kitchen sink at an old favorite to renew its relevancy. Or maybe people just like singing and dancing. I know what Scrooge would say.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol hits Netflix December 2nd.