“The bells are ringing, it’s Christmas. They resonate up to the sky. » The credits music, composed by Irwin Kostal, behind the melodies of “Mary Poppins” (1964) or “The Apprentice Witch” (1971), seems to keep its promise. There is no risk that “Mickey’s Christmas” will be just another tale for the end of the year festivities. However, Disney is far from suspecting that with this twenty-five minute short film, he is about to traumatize an entire generation of children.
Adapted from Charles Dickens’ tale “A Christmas Carol”, a classic of British literature, this film, released on October 20, 1983, marks Mickey’s first screen appearance since 1953, thirty years after his adventures at the beach directed by Charles August Nichols. With the forthcoming opening of Eurodisney in France (the park will open its doors in 1992), the American firm intends to shed light on its famous little mouse. Interfering in homes around the world on December 25, but also surfing on the French popularity of the character Scrooge, placing this antihero at the center of these adventures, directed by Burny Mattinson (who will sign the screenplay for “King Lion” in 1994 and “Pocahontas” in 1995). The intuition is good: the film is nominated for the Oscar for best animated short film in 1984.
Picsou summoned to repent
But very quickly, it goes off the rails. From the first seconds, the elegiac tone dominates. Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge, Misery
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