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Rating: Seemingly (?) Out of Place Premise:
On the day of the Solstice (from Solis statio, "The Sun that stands still") of Winter, to the eyes of us poor little ants positioned on the third rock of the solar system, our star reaches the lowest point along the ecliptic.
This astronomical event has always fascinated human beings to the point that the birthdays of many deities (Mithras and Jesus Christ are the most famous) have been placed near this date over the centuries: not to mention the various pre-Roman civilizations that celebrated the feast of the "Sun that dies and is reborn." Just think of the Germanic Yule which is still remembered today in the English term "Yuletide" meaning precisely "Christmas Period."
This is to say that, atavistically, "Christmas" doesn't belong only to Christians but a little to all humans who see on that day the light (in every meaning you want to read into it) winning over the darkness (ditto).
Remember this premise at the end of the review.
Already More Sensible Premise:
Personally, I'm not like Saul Kripke who at three years old claimed that if "God were really everywhere, to enter a room we'd have to push part of him out," but already at the age of 8-9, I began to think of myself as an "atheist" (though I must say that over time this atheism has transformed into a healthy pantheistic paganism of a literary-scientific nature). This created no small issues for me with the "Christmas" celebration which (for the atavistic reasons mentioned above) attracted me but at the same time I felt as a symbol of a religion I found senseless (unfortunately back then no one explained the Solstice story to me and I had to figure it out on my own, but by that time I was already a bit older). Amid all the Christmas "claptrap," aside from the anticipation for presents (also, unfortunately, Santa Claus "died" for me when I was 7 years old), what I loved most was the television programming that aired cartoons non-stop from morning till night: above all, the various "Asterix" films, and this one I'm about to discuss.
You must have realized by now that this is just a way to extend my wishes to you, but back to the topic, this (sensible?) premise was to explain why I didn't choose other more "culturally relevant" Christmas works, like Capra or Dickens (though about the latter, here, I absolutely must talk about!), but this one (which here, here, and here you can watch in full).
Would you like to talk a bit about this Cartoon?
Yes, here I am: So, it certainly can't be considered a "Disney Classic" by definition, both for its duration (a little over 25 minutes) and its distribution (it was only on television), but since its first appearance (1983, in Italy '84) it has become, in the imagination of most children, the "Christmas Cartoon" par excellence.
The reasons are quite simple: first of all, the story, which is a reinterpretation of one of Dickens's most beautiful and famous works (guys, it may be idealistic, but find me something more genuinely moving, not to mention the modernity that transpires between the lines) and then the explosive power of seeing almost all the historical characters created by Walt Disney (but also, I remind you, by the "Duck Man" Carl Barks: in this regard, I recall that the original name of Scrooge McDuck is not, so strangely, Scrooge McDuck).
I don't think, for obvious reasons, it's worth telling the plot, and the review could end here because there aren't many "critical" things to say aside from pointing out the pedagogical nature of the message (which derives directly from Dickens and was adopted by Disney), but if you have some time, I strongly recommend watching at least a small piece, if only to notice the quality of the animation which, in my opinion, in those years at Disney was at the peak of style and taste and which would progressively be lost in favor of too "futuristic" traits (I don't use the term "avant-garde," for heaven's sake, we are talking about Disney, and I risk you wanting to "kill" me afterwards...).
Well, now conclude and justify yourself!
I'm not sure if this review of mine will end up (deservedly) in the cases but if by chance (pardon the play on words) you read it (and manage to finish it, getting to these words), I just want you to receive my wish for Merry Christmas (in the "expanded" meaning I talked about in the nonsensical premise: see, it was needed?) and maybe (putting aside, for a moment, the fact that Disney can only be seen as the money-guzzling monster it became after its founder's death) the moral (less idealistic than it might seem but if you've read Dickens you know it already) of this little cartoon can bring you serenity.
That Christmas should be for everyone... in short.
Happy Winter Solstice DeBaser!
Mo.
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