With anticipation surrounding the holiday season seeming to reach a fever pitch earlier each year, Robert Zemeckis’ “A Christmas Carol” is the first Christmas-themed movie released for 2009.

Using the same “performance capture” technique that characterized his interpretations of “The Polar Express” and “Beowulf,” Zemeckis gives his audience beautifully rendered characters and landscapes. 

From the smallest wrinkle on Scrooge’s face, to a sprawling recreation of London at the height of the industrial revolution, the animation in “A Christmas Carol” never failed to impress and when viewed in 3D it just highlights and accentuates the effort that went into every detail of this films animation.

Besides the animation style, “A Christmas Carol” breaks new ground by starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and the three Ghosts of Christmas.

Gone is the overdramatic, almost twitchy, Jim Carrey of  “Bruce Almighty,” “Fun With Dick and Jane,” “The Mask” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” and in it’s place, you are left with a serious performance which is delivered in a way that leaves little room for the intentional overacting and improvisation that Carrey is known for in these other roles.

His deliveries of his parts, Scrooge in particular, are very impressive. Carrey is able to smoothly transition throughout the film from the miserly sour Scrooge, to the desperate Scrooge, who, on the brink of oblivion, has to come to terms with his life’s sins and what he must do to avoid the fate he has been forewarned of.

The movie has reminded me that James Eugene Carrey is a serious and very talented actor who, although he doesn’t have to utilize it very often, is capable of playing almost any character. From a wise cracking average Joe with the powers of God, to a miserly old man who is fighting for his humanity, Jim Carrey seems to be able to do it all.  

It seems Zemeckis took the source material from Charles Dickens’ classic novel very seriously, because most of the dialogue is almost identical to the old English that is used in the original story.

This respect for the original novella gives the movie a more serious tone which may prove to be a turnoff for some families who expect a more fun, child-friendly romp from the Disney house.

Ironically, the source material is also the movie’s greatest fault.  Let’s face it, the story of “A Christmas Carol” has been told to death.  Disney, alone, has released three different versions of the classic tale in the past 30 years.  As timeless as the story may be, it still feels a bit overexposed as of late.

Yet, this film tells the classic tale well and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who is itching to get into the Christmas spirit, even though it may still be a balmy 70 degrees when they walk outside.