0 A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Fun Facts

·         Except for Colin Firth (Fred), Fionnula Flanagan (Mrs. Dilber), Leslie Manville (Mrs. Cratchit) and Leslie Zemeckis (Fred’s wife), everyone played multiple roles.

Jim Carrey:  7 roles

§  Old Scrooge, plus younger versions

§  Ghost of Christmas Past

§  Ghost of Christmas Present

§  Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

                        Gary Oldman:  3 roles

§  Bob Cratchit

§  Marley’s Ghost

§  Tiny Tim

                        Bob Hoskins: 2 roles

§  Old Fezziwig

§  Old Joe

                        Robin Wright Penn: 2 roles

§  Belle

§  Fan

·         For his characters, Jim Carrey used different accents.

§  As Scrooge the child, teen, young adult – he begins more relaxed and loose and gets more pompous and resolute as he gets older.

§  Elder Scrooge – the Queen’s English, with a middle tone

§  Ghost of Christmas Past – An Irish accent, very light in tone

§  Ghost of Christmas present – a Yorkshire accent, strong and dependable working class sound, deep in register

§  Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – does not speak

Bob Hoskins roughed up his own accent

Gary Oldman also played with his accent:

§  For Bob Cratchit he used a “London” accent, very close to his own

§  For Tiny Tim lightened the tone and made it higher

§  For Marley he used the Queen’s English

·         Cast member Cary Elwes is actually related to the man believed to be the inspiration for Scrooge.  “John Megid Elwes is an ancestor of mine who was a renowned miser,” says Elwes.  “He was a politician who changed his name from Megid to Elwes in order to gain favor with his uncle, Sir Harvey Elwes, who he knew was going to die without an heir and he had tons of money.  And it worked.  He managed to get all Mr. Harvey Elwes’s estates and proceeded to become one of the most famous misers in English history. He was renowned for never changing his clothes.”

·         When Gary Oldman played Tiny Tim, they physically lowered the floor area over which he walked so that he would appear shorter, like a child

·         Jim Carrey worked closely with stunt coordinator Garrett Warren and did many of his own stunts, including sliding down virtual rooftops, flying over virtual chimney stacks, sliding on a virtual icicle and falling down virtual stairs.  For one of the ghost roles, Carrey was also rigged to fly.  

·         There were six young actors ranging in age from 7–16. Together these six actors played 24 roles.

·         The dancers rehearsed for five weeks with a full company of 26 dancers the first week and then a "filming" company  of 14 dancers for the next four weeks. 

·         There was no costume designer.  Vintage Victorian costumes were shipped from England and placed on mannequins that were kept in the conference room throughout prep and production.  These were used for reference and inspiration for costume design and filmmakers created them in the computer with production designer Doug Chiang at the helm.

DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL   (In Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D)        

WALT DISNEY PICTURES/IMAGEMOVERS DIGITAL     

Disney.com/ChristmasCarol

Genre:                                      Fantasy Adventure

Rating:                                      PG

Release Date:                           November 20, 2009

Cast:                                        Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes

Written for the screen and

Directed by:                              Robert Zemeckis

Producers:                                Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke

Based on the classic story by:              Charles Dickens

DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award^®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event. 

Ebenezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH).  But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late. 

Notes:

·         Jim Carrey tackles several roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge (at various ages old and young) and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. 

·         The Dickens novella was first published on December 19, 1843, becoming an instant – and enduring -- success. 

·         Launched in Los Angeles Memorial Day weekend 2009, DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL Train Tour is traveling more than 16,000 miles with stops in 40 cities coast to coast.  Visitors get to see an exclusive 3D sneak peek from “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” inside a 48-foot-wide, 2-story, inflatable 3D theatre, and are treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the making of the movie—with artifacts and character designs housed in real train cars. The whole experience is free. A list of cities is at Disney.com/christmascaroltraintour. 

Disney’s A Christmas Carol, based on the classic Dickens tale, is re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event starring JIM CARREY, GARY OLDMAN, COLIN FIRTH, BOB HOSKINS and ROBIN WRIGHT PENN.

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