It's Christmastime, and many of you reading this have undoubtedly been exposed to the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge at some point in the recent past. Whether that's Charles Dickens' original, Patrick Stewart's cruel and cold portrayal, or Michael Caine's iconic performance alongside Kermit the Frog, you know the story.
As much as The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) continues to dominate our feeds over 30 years later, how soon we forget how a certain mouse paved the way before Jim Henson ever signed a contract with Disney. Before we were chanting "light the lamp not the rat," Scrooge McDuck was our first introduction to the holiday favorite.
The Ghost of Disney Past
If you're anything like this writer, Mickey's Christmas Carol was your first exposure to the Dickensian story. The haunting of Ebenezer Scrooge and his three ghosts has been told and retold for decades, but Mickey's was more than iconic, it was instrumental to Disney's identity in a post-Walt world.
Disney's D23 summarizes it in the following,
"Dickens’ well-known Christmas story is retold with Uncle Scrooge taking the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Goofy as Jacob Marley’s ghost, Donald Duck as nephew Fred, and many other Disney favorites who were returning to the silver screen after quite an absence. Mickey, for instance, had not been seen in a theatrical cartoon since The Simple Things in 1953. The film features the voices of Alan Young, Wayne Allwine, Hal Smith, Will Ryan, Eddy Carroll, Patricia Parris, Dick Billingsley, Clarence Nash. "
Not only did the short film bring Mickey Mouse back to the silver screen and feature the final appearance of Clarence Nash (the original Donald Duck), but it established many other Disney mainstays who have since influenced the studio even today.
The short marked the first appearance of Ray Allwine as Mickey Mouse (who would voice the character until his death), and it was also instrumental in the career of Disney Legend Burny Mattinson, who became an absolute icon of Walt Disney Animation. That's all great for film historians and armchair Disney critics like yours truly, but why should this one tower over the Muppets?
To be fair, the Muppets' take is undeniably one of the most beloved versions of the classic story. With it's brilliant one-liners, music by Miles Goodman and Paul Williams, and puppet wizardry by the Jim Henson Company, there's certainly a lot to love.
That all being said, it's safe to say that there likely wouldn't be a Muppet version without Disney's influence. While the later adaptation features no appearances from Mickey, Donald, or Goofy, there's definitely a certain Disney flavor that saturates the entire production.
The Muppet Christmas Carol might follow the original story a lot closer, but Mickey's variant hits on the exact same story beats in a lot less time. For a more in-depth analysis of the two, this writer highly recommends listening to Paul J. Hale's coverage on the Cinema Story Origins Podcast, you won't be disappointed.
In short, Mickey's Christmas Carol might be brief, but it's more than the sum of its parts. Looking back, Mickey Mouse himself might not be as popular as he is in our current culture if he hadn't made a comeback of this magnitude. Of course, being a key player in a Christmas special aired on repeat each year will do wonders for anyone's career.
Mickey's Christmas Carol is a timeless classic currently available on Disney+.