Disney's A Christmas Carol (Blu-ray)

A high-tech retelling of Charles Dickens' beloved tale about a penny-pinching Scrooge (Jim Carey) and his encounter with three ghosts who take him on an eye-opening journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas.

It's a story that's been told countless times throughout cinematic history but Robert Zemeckis puts his own spin it and delivers a technological marvel that bored the hell out of my family. The story can easily be told in under an hour but the 95 minutes felt like nine hours, especially when Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. I'm surprised the film received a PG rating due to some scary images of the ghost's visits. Regardless, the beautiful animation couldn't make up for the shortcomings of the screenplay.

Video Highlights

  • AVC/1080p encode
  • Phenomenal depth and detail
  • Inky blacks
  • Occasional banding

Audio Highlights

  • DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
  • Outstanding dynamics
  • Deep bass
  • Aggressive surround activity
  • Intelligible dialog

The true star of the show is the audio and video presentation. The audio is extremely aggressive and compliments the story and although the video is 2D, there are times you would swear you were watching it in 3D because of the depth. I don't have a 3D display yet, but I can only imagine how good this would look. (3D version is available from Disney although I wasn't sent it for review purposes.)

Bonus Materials

  • Behind the Carol: The Full Motion Capture Experience PIP
  • Countdown to Christmas Interactive Calendar
  • Capturing a Christmas Carol
  • One Set with Sammi
  • Deleted scenes
  • Discover 3D with Pumba and Timone
  • DVD Copy

I feel like a Scrooge because of my criticism but my entire family felt the same way. Our favorite retelling of the classic tale is Mickey's Christmas Carol from 1983 that only runs for 26 minutes. Maybe we would have gotten more out of it by watching in 3D, but I doubt I'd be willing to purchases it given my 2D experience.

Release Date: November 16, 2010
Studio: Disney

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 10/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics

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