Before watching this production of Dickens's classic story, I was of the opinion that it would not be possible to successfully condense A Christmas Carol into a runtime of less than 45 minutes. After watching this, I'm perhaps still of this opinion...yet relatively satisfied by the efforts here.
A Christmas Carol 1971 manages to cover almost every major aspect of the novella (even the oft-forgotten "Want and Ignorance" sequence) but does so in breathless fashion so there's little time for elaboration of finer details. The biggest casualty is Scrooge's sister Fan, who does not merit a mention and his unhappy childhood is merely hinted at.
The major asset is having Sim reprise his Scrooge, although I found his performance perhaps a little inferior in comparison to his live-action one from twenty years earlier. His Scrooge here is lacking a little in the sharpness and, to no great surprise, seems older and perhaps more harmless.
I would not recommend this to newcomers to the story, but for those who need a (very) quick fix of Scrooge, it doesn't really put a foot wrong. In terms of animated versions, it's far superior to either the 2001 monstrosity or the overblown 2009 Disney effort. I just wish it was maybe 15 minutes longer so it could expand on some elements.
A Christmas Carol 1971 manages to cover almost every major aspect of the novella (even the oft-forgotten "Want and Ignorance" sequence) but does so in breathless fashion so there's little time for elaboration of finer details. The biggest casualty is Scrooge's sister Fan, who does not merit a mention and his unhappy childhood is merely hinted at.
The major asset is having Sim reprise his Scrooge, although I found his performance perhaps a little inferior in comparison to his live-action one from twenty years earlier. His Scrooge here is lacking a little in the sharpness and, to no great surprise, seems older and perhaps more harmless.
I would not recommend this to newcomers to the story, but for those who need a (very) quick fix of Scrooge, it doesn't really put a foot wrong. In terms of animated versions, it's far superior to either the 2001 monstrosity or the overblown 2009 Disney effort. I just wish it was maybe 15 minutes longer so it could expand on some elements.