The Stingiest Man in Town

There were three main reasons why I wanted to see The Stingiest Man in Town. One was that I simply adore the story A Christmas Carol, for me the quintessential Christmas story and easily the most accessible of Charles Dickens' work. Two was that I have loved a lot of what Rankin/Bass have done, Rudolph The Red Nosed, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, Frosty the Snowman and The Year Without a Santa Claus are classics. And three, anything with Walter Matthau, Tom Bosley or both are well worth watching. I found myself loving The Stingiest Man in Town, it doesn't quite surpass the 1969, 1971 and Disney animated versions of the story, but it is miles ahead of the 2001 one. The animation is similar to the style of Twas the Night Before Christmas, which is a good thing as that special was beautiful to look at as well with character designs that are distinctive traditional-animated Rankin/Bass and simple but atmospheric colours and backgrounds. The music is also great, with whimsical scoring and songs that are guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings in some way or another, Yes There is a Santa Claus is very touching. The dialogue is sweet and well-meaning while never falling into the over-sentimentality trap, while the story is charming, heart-warming and moving as well as true in spirit to the Christmas Carol story. If there was any complaint I had of the special actually, it was that I did find the Ghost of Christmas Future, admittedly though that part is not as lengthy as the past and present parts in the first place, part too brief and rushed. The characters all engage, Scrooge's change from miser to humble is very convincing as it ought to be, B.A.H.Humbug was a good narrator-character, the spirits are imposing and the Cratchit family you can always relate to. The voices are spot on, Walter Matthau isn't the best singer in the world but he still makes for a brilliant Scrooge, and Tom Bosley's voice work as Humbug is done with a lot of warmth. All in all, a lovely special and a more than worthy animated adaptation of the timeless story. 9/10 Bethany Cox