Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #21 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Just a little something different and a way for me to show off the diversity of holiday stories I've collected in the encyclopedia Tis the Season TV (the updated and expanded 2nd edition will be released soon).
In honor of the release of the summer blockbuster movie today, let's indulge ourselves and talk about the 2008 feature-length story Barbie in A Christmas Carol. This CGI animated movie for children was originally released directly to video but has since aired on TV as well. The film brings the plastic toy doll Barbie by the Mattel toy company to life. This lavish story interprets the familiar Scrooge plot to the female character Eden Starling, a nineteenth-century London songstress who focuses on her career at holiday time. This tale is told by Barbie as a lesson to her younger sister Kelly as a means to inspire her Christmas spirit.
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| The story of Eden as Scrooge is told by Barbie to her younger sister Kelly. |
Barbie’s story unfolds the life of the demanding Eden, visited by three ghosts after insisting that her staff work for her on Christmas day. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Eden a vision of her girlhood holidays, a reminder of the joy of friendship and the passion behind her talent. The Spirit of Christmas Present shows Eden how her co-workers truly feel about her and she learns about her friend Catherine’s selfless work with orphans. The third ghost convinces the singer that her future will be filled with coldness and loneliness if she doesn’t choose to make changes today. This is similar to A Diva's Christmas Carol--but much less campy and intended for young viewers. (Click HERE to see the discussion again on A Diva's Christmas Carol).
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| Eden and the Ghost of Christmas Present. |
The strength of this retelling of the Dickens’ book lies in the lessons learned from the Ghost of Christmas Future. Eden is shown the consequences of her own selfish life by the corruption of others around her who become selfish, making the same mistakes she does. This interestingly serves as a powerful message about making choices and considering the consequences of one’s actions. The original Dickens’ story only considers the consequences to Scooge’s own individual life, not a projection of a more selfish world.
This animated movie contains musical segments of traditional carols including “O Christmas Tree,” “Deck the Halls,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” and “Joy to the World.” Music performed by The Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
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| Yes--Mattel released a tie-in Barbie with Eden's white cat Chuzzlewit. Clever, huh? |
The voice cast includes Kelly Sheridan as Barbie, Morwenna Banks as Eden Starling, Kandyse McClure as Catherine, Tabitha St. Germain as the Spirit of Christmas Past, Lisa Roth as the Spirit of Christmas Present, Gwynyth Walsh as the Spirit of Christmas Future, Amelia Henderson as Kelly, Melissa Lyons as the singing voice of Eden Starling, and Shauntia Fleming as the singing voice of Catherine.
If you're going to see Barbie today--have fun!! Eat some popcorn for me.
Joanna Wilson is a TV researcher and book author specializing
in Christmas entertainment. More about the TV programs mentioned on this website can
be found in her book "Tis the Season TV: the Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies." Her latest book "Triple Dog Dare:
Watching--& Surviving--the 24-Hour Marathon of A Christmas Story"
was released in 2016. She is currently updating and expanding the
encyclopedia for an upcoming release. Her books can be found at the publisher's website:
1701 press.com
*Support this website and its research by purchasing the books at 1701 press.com
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