# What is the best film adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

> Scrooge has met his ghosts in black-and-white, in felt, in motion capture and in a Manhattan TV studio. Some versions keep Dickens almost word for word, while others hold on to little more than the plot.

*By YPB Team · Published November 7, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-film-adaptation-of-a-christmas-carol*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **The Muppet Christmas Carol** — score 1000/1000
   1992 musical directed by Brian Henson, with Michael Caine as Scrooge, Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and Gonzo narrating as Charles Dickens.
2. **Scrooge (1951)** — score 709/1000
   British 1951 film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge; released in the US as A Christmas Carol.
3. **Scrooged** — score 446/1000
   1988 comedy directed by Richard Donner that moves the story to modern New York, with Bill Murray as cynical TV executive Frank Cross.
4. **A Christmas Carol (1971)** — score 446/1000
   Richard Williams' 1971 animated short, with Alastair Sim again voicing Scrooge, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
5. **Mickey's Christmas Carol** — score 446/1000
   1983 Disney animated featurette casting Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge and Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit; it was nominated for an Academy Award.
6. **Scrooge: A Christmas Carol** — score 378/1000
   2022 Netflix animated musical with Luke Evans voicing Scrooge and songs by Leslie Bricusse reworked from the 1970 film.
7. **Spirited** — score 378/1000
   2022 Apple TV+ musical comedy that retells the story from the ghosts' side, with Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ryan Reynolds as Clint Briggs.
8. **A Christmas Carol (1984)** — score 378/1000
   1984 television film directed by Clive Donner, starring George C. Scott as Scrooge, shot on location in Shrewsbury, England.
9. **A Christmas Carol (1999)** — score 298/1000
   1999 TNT television film starring Patrick Stewart as Scrooge, a role he had played in his own one-man stage version.
10. **A Christmas Carol (2009)** — score 203/1000
   Robert Zemeckis' 2009 Disney performance-capture film in which Jim Carrey plays Scrooge and all three Christmas ghosts.
11. **A Christmas Carol (1938)** — score 203/1000
   MGM's 1938 version directed by Edwin L. Marin, with Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit.
12. **Scrooge (1970)** — score 203/1000
   1970 musical directed by Ronald Neame with songs by Leslie Bricusse; Albert Finney won a Golden Globe for playing Scrooge.
13. **Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol** — score 0/1000
   1962 animated NBC television special with Jim Backus voicing Mr. Magoo as Scrooge and songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill.

Tags: christmas, movies, adaptations, a christmas carol, charles dickens