Favorite Christmas Carol Version

Heresy.

Muppets A Christmas Carol is my absolute favorite.

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

The Muppets is one of the most faithful adaptations! All others try to change or add to the story but don’t improve it.

The songs in A Muppet Christmas Carol are GAWDAWFUL! I love Michael Caine is terrific though.

I prefer the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim. His Scrooge has a bit of humor about him that I really like.

I also love Albert Finney in 'Scrooge' and the songs are slightly better. 'Thank You Very Much' still cracks me up.

Here's a great animated version voiced by Sims from '71.

They add a lot of flat jokes. Don’t get me wrong, I love some of the Muppet Movies (Muppets take Manhattan is a masterpiece) but this one isn’t one of their best.

I agree with R4 that the 1951 British version starring Alastair Sim (originally titled "Scrooge") is the finest movie adaptation. The finest musical version isn't the one with Albert Finney, it's "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," cited by R2. It was the first animated TV Christmas special (it predated "A Charlie Brown Christmas"), and its Broadway-style songs are wonderful. They were written by Jule Styne, the composer of "Gypsy," with lyrics by Bob Merrill, with whom Styne later wrote "Funny Girl."

Watching the Albert Finney version now. I like how he plays Scrooge as much older in makeup. So we see the real handsome Finney as the younger version rather than a different actor.

A Carol Christmas (2003), of course! How could anyone not like a film where Tori Spelling plays Scrooge and William Shatner, Gary Coleman and James Cromwell play the Xmas ghosts?!

The George C. Scott version is my favorite by far. It was truest to the original script by Dickens and had the best set design and supporting players.

[quote](Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fonzi)

FONZI? Seriously?

Lest we forget ....

A Diva's Christmas with Vanessa Williams and Kathy Griffin.

Debbie Gibson does the best version of Sleigh Ride - seriously.

I'm r13 - time for me to go to bed. Oops, misread the post title! I'll see myself out.

Thank you R10z. It was a total brain fart.

I love the 1938 version. I also love Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. And have a soft spot for Ebbie.

Alastair Sims in the 1951 version, which incorporates a bit more into the screenplay from the original Dickens work and of which not as much is found in the other screen versions.

Best Christmas Carol is a question on par with Best Broadway Musical. You'll never get a consensus, and the queens will duke it out until there's no more blood left to spill...

For me, the best one is 1951's Scrooge (retitled A Christmas Carol in the US) with Alastair Sim, George Cole, Mervyn Johns, Michael Hordern, and Kathleen Harrison. Overall it is most faithful to the original Dickens, and Sim's portrayal of Scrooge is nigh on perfect.

Mr. Magoo has always been the best one. Close to book, good tunes, real actors etc. I have it on DVD.

Magoo version is magical and tuneful. One of the best.

Scrooge 1951 (of course) because Sims is perfection. Mickey's Christmas Carol - my Xmas childhood indulgence still holds up.

Haven't seen the other adaptations but I adore Albert Finney. Will make a point of watching that musical sometime this season.