Mickey's Christmas Carol

Yeah I was having a good time not confronting the Christmas but this is all for grander purposes next week.

For a special 25 minutes in length and somehow able to effectively condense Charles Dickens' classic tale is no small feat and admittedly it probably helps we have such recognizable characters to fill in the roles. Speaking of which it was actually a fun game to try to guess who would be who, with Mickey being Bob Cratchit, Goofy being Jacob Marley, and Scrooge being well...Scrooge McDuck. Next thing you'll tell me Owl is an owl. Ludicrous. But anywho, the animation while far from theatrical quality is still filled with personality and style with some simple but nice backgrounds along with some imaginative twists with the three ghosts. Pretty solid voice cast too with Alan Young as Uncle Scrooge who actually has quite a fun scottish accent, Wayne Allwine as Mickey who though doesn't speak much does have an impact near the end, and Hal Smith as Goofy somehow kinda had an eerie moment and this is from someone who loves Goofy's laugh so props to him! Thankfully the story doesn't move at a break neck pace and indeed can take it's time to linger on a shot for atmosphere, with expertly crafted dialogue that gets the point perfectly across in such a short runtime and shock of all shocks doesn't feel like three ghosts fearmonger an old man to do what they tell him! It feels like a legit change cause Uncle Scrooge shows plenty regret and undercurrents of kindness to where it feels earned. I know this is probably one of those treasured household traditions for many but I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw it. I personally give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and I may have a more recent holiday film for you tomorrow.

Halloween Is Grinch Night

Well at least I'm happy I saw it.

I mean a concept like this is brilliant, take one of the most well known characters in children's media and swap out the background of Christmas for Halloween, and just tell a fun little story. Made an entire 11 years after the beloved Christmas classic, Grinch Night centers around a dark and blustery night in the town of Whoville which signals the eternal grump on Mt. Crumpit to descend to the town and bring a wagon filled of creepy and surreal monsters to celebrate the night. But a young Who by the name of Eucharia is intent on halting the Grinch from his macabre dance, and I actually really wish he wasn't in the movie. I mean think about it, we could have another Night On Bald Mountain with Dr. Seuss visuals and crazy music, that would be an incredible thing! I kinda have a love/hate relationship with this short, it has wonderful visuals perfectly encapsulating a dark autumn night where the moon is shining bright, with crisp colored leaves and orange filled lands. But I wish it did focus more on Halloween like the other one focused on Christmas, throw some costumes or bobbing for apples in and not some severely lacking Halloween iconography which to be frank is a sin! They never even bring up Halloween, it's only Grinch Night, so they have Christmas but not Halloween. I've never been more horrified in all of my years. But it almost is made up entirely because of the Grinch's paraphernalia wagon which is easily the best part of the short, with some comparing it to the Pink Elephants from Dumbo but I see more of Heffalumps And Woozles from Winnie The Pooh in terms of music and tone. It is a trippy, surreal, and even a bit creepy freakout, almost something Dr. Jonathan Crane would create with such interesting designs and wild music. This is the reason you should watch this special! And it actually won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program, plus was favored above all other adaptations by Dr. Seuss himself. I really did like it but I wanted so much more of that Halloween goodness, but I'm sure kids and adults can enjoy it just the same. It may be for more little kids, but they deserve something fun and spooky to watch next month. But now I desperately want some animation with love and attention to Halloween and all it encompasses....next time.