Advent Calendar 2017! - Day 18
Version: Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962, dir. Abe Levitow)
Today's analysis of a Scrooge/urchin dialogue scene from an adaptation of A Christmas Carol comes from the 1960's Mister Magoo version. Immediately, there are a lot of missed opportunities here. I mean they have a character who's whole thing is his nearsightedness and other than the urchin gesturing to the audience that he's crazy, the fact that the conversation is being had out a window to someone on street level is never part of a joke. Surely this is the one place in A Christmas Carol that most lends itself to jokes about not being able to see great distances?
Generally, Mr Magooisms aside, this is a really pleasant version of the scene. It manages to adapt the whole scene and does it with a lot of genuine heart and sincerity despite being a cartoon spoof. The aesthetic is wonderful, keeping everything simple but still colourful and lively, with enough freedom to move the angle around, unlike a lot of early animations we've looked at that seemed to be locked in to a few backgrounds by budget or time restrictions. Both characters have a lot of personality, and I like that the urchin has to have an extra dramatic think about what the date is. I'd have preferred his cap to be a little more train conductor-like, but the top hat is certainly a powerful look.
| Framing | 8 out of 10. |
| Scrooge's Reaction To The Date | 7 out of 10. |
| Urchin Accent | 5 out of 10. |
| Window Height | 9 out of 10. |
| Scrooge Nightgown Quality | 5 out of 10. |
| Urchin Cap Quality | 9 out of 10. |
| Final Score | 7.2 out of 10. A pretty solid version that does the scene faithfully while also making it fit into the complex Mr Magoo canon. |