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Mickey's Christmas Carol a Derivation That I International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) ISSN(P): 2249-6912; ISSN(E): 2249-8028 Vol. 6, Issue 2, Apr 2016, 77-82 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL: A DERIVATION THAT IS NOT DERIVATIVE AYANA BENJAMIN Department of English Language and Literature, University of Kerala, Kerala, India Department of Creative Writing, University of Aberystwyth, Wales, Kerala, India ABSTRACT My research paper titled Mickey’s Christmas Carol: A Derivation That Is Not Derivative is a comparative study of Charles Dickens’s novella A Christmas Carol and the screenplay of the 1983 movie, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”. I will be looking into aspects such as the voice of the narrator, character introduction, humour and exaggeration. Disney compresses the story to a 25-minute short film, with the dialogues almost completely rewritten. Unlike many other productions of A Christmas Carol, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” also lacks a narratorial voice which often necessitates the characters to take up the responsibility of the narrator in the novella. I am also interested in how Burny Mattinson and team, who adapted the story, has altered the dialogues to suit the nature and identities of the Disney characters who play the roles. A large proportion of the screenplay has strong intertextual elements Article Original suggesting concepts and themes introduced at length in previous Disney movies. Do sthey impede with the style and message of Dickens, and whether it is an undesirable effect is a question I would like to discuss. In Literature through Film Stam writes ‘An adaptation is automatically different and original due to the change of medium.’ Derridean deconstruction dismantled the hierarchy of ‘original’ and ‘copy’ and Bakhtinian ‘proto-poststructuralist’ conception of the author suggests a devalourisation of artistic ‘originality’. I will try to establish the screenplay of “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” as a creative work in its own right despite its origin in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. In Linda Hutcheon’s words, ‘an adaptation is a derivation that is not derivative – a work that is second without being secondary’. KEYWORDS: Disney, Adaptation, Intertexuality, Originality, Film, Dickens Received: Mar 10, 2016; Accepted: Mar 25, 2016; Published: Apr 07, 2016; Paper Id.: IJELAPR2016013 INTRODUCTION The Canadian academic Linda Hutcheon in her 2006 book A Theory of Adaptation attempts to describe what an adaptation is. She writes that it is (a) An acknowledged transposition of a recognizable work or works (b) A creative and an interpretive act of appropriation/salvaging (c) An extended intertextual engagement with the adapted work. Her conclusion is that ‘an adaptation is a derivation that is not derivative – a work that is second without being secondary.’ Dickens’ writing has been seen by critics such as Eisenstein as very filmic. A Christmas Carol is a major example, a work that has proved to be very adaptable with recurring reworkings and reproductions for almost two centuries. Dickens was concerned about the situation of the poor and children in the Victorian society which finds expression in A Christmas Carol . Dickens was facing bankruptcy at the time he wrote A Christmas Carol , and had been thinking of quitting the writing profession. However, the popularity of the novella saved his career. www.tjprc.org [email protected] 78 Ayana Benjamin The earliest adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Disney is the 1983 movie, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” directed and co-written by Burny Mattinson. The movie was advertised as Mickey’s great come back to the big screen. This is interesting as Mickey is not given the role of the protagonist or any character which particularly stands out from the rest. However, the movie is still known as ‘the movie that returned Mickey Mouse to the big screen’. For the purpose of this research I have used the movie script available at www.springfieldspringfield.com, and the Hazell, Watson & Viney edition of the novella. It should be noted that as I am using a movie script and not an original copy of the screenplay, any authorial or directorial instructions included in the screenplay by the team of writers who worked for the movie will be missing in my discussion. In fact, as per the information in the video, “The Making of Mickey’s Christmas Carol” no such single complete formal document was written. Numerous internet resources, both academic and non-academic, defines originality as ‘the aspect of created or invented works by [which they can be identified] as being new or novel, and thus can be distinguished from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or derivative works. It is a work created with a unique style and substance.’ In William Verrone’s view, film adaptations ‘are intrinsically new texts wherein the spectator forms meaning based on the immediate experience of watching the film. Some prior knowledge of the adapted text may be helpful, but it is not necessary to enjoy the film as its own new thing.’ In the next section, I will be discussing some of the characteristics of the movie script that makes it different from the novella. FEATURES OF THE SCRIPT Absence of a Narratorial Voice : Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has a very prominent narratorial voice. The voice converses with the readers – gives opinions, makes comments, wonderfully paints the atmosphere and backdrops, contributes towards the portrayal of characters and gives suggestions to the readers as to what opinions or feelings they should form of various situations and characters in the story. The voice adapts its rhythm, tone and speed to the events it narrates. For instance, there is a world of difference between the style in which Mr Fezziwig’s Christmas party is described and the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is described. Unlike some productions of A Christmas Carol , like “The Muppet Christmas Carol”, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” does not have a narrator. So the weight of the narration is taken up by various characters and the visuals in the movie. For instance, the character of Jacob Marley and the very important information that he has been dead for seven years when the story begins are presented to the audience by Ebenezer Scrooge in a soliloquy. Many of the characters take upon themselves to reveal their own nature and attitudes either through dialogues or through actions. For example, rather than a narrator telling the audience how ruthless a moneylender was Scrooge, we hear him go over his books: ‘Let's see now, 50 pounds, plus his 80% interest compounded daily…’ Exaggeration : The story that Dickens narrates in almost seventy pages is presented in just 25 minutes by Disney. This means that each scene should have an intensity that can quickly reveal characters and situations rather than reinforcing certain features by presenting them at work in various contexts or elaborating on a situation. Dickens’ Scrooge gives his employee Bob Cratchit a whole day of on the 25 th of December with full pay. However Scrooge McDuck’s character gives only a half a day off to Mickey’s Cratchit, and docks half a day’s pay. In A Christmas Carol , Belle releases Scrooge from their engagement as his nature has altered and priorities have changed. While Scrooge does not behave like a Impact Factor (JCC): 4.4049 Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1 Mickey’s Christmas Carol: A Derivation that is Not Derivative 79 sensitive lover, he isn’t an outright brute in the novella. However, Disney’s Scrooge is approached by an Isabelle who has bought a honeymoon cottage and is waiting to be married. Scrooge forecloses the mortgage as her last payment was an hour late. These scenes help portray the character of Scrooge within a very limited time. Another example is the events during the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, which finally transform Scrooge completely. In the novella, the ghosts take Scrooge to numerous places, some described in details and some just mentioned or listed out. Dickens’ Scrooge is witness to a variety of experiences during the visits. However, Disney had to create verisimilitude regarding the transformation of Scrooge within a very short time period. Hence, they have made the final scene involving the spirit rather terrifying, with the evil laugh of Pete who plays the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the taunting remark that Scrooge is ‘the richest man in the cemetery’ and Scrooge almost falling into a burning hell. In the novella, we find that the ghost feels kindness towards Scrooge when he weeps at the knowledge that he is the dead man buried in the cemetery. But McDuck’s character does not receive any sympathy from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Humour : Dickens’ work is largely didactic while Disney, true to its role as an entertainment industry, provides a fun-filled package in “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”. Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is an emotional journey, with empathising readers going through pains, regrets, merriment, excitement, fear, repentance, hope and a lot more. “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” is so full of humour that the spectators are not likely to remain sorry or frightened for more than a couple of minutes when they will find themselves smiling at a dialogue, an intertextual reference or physical comedy. It is not likely to have the sort of impact Dickens work had although it does convey the same message. It is said that Thomas Carlyle was so touched by Dickens’ story that he ‘rushed out to buy a turkey with which to entertain his friends’. When the portly gentlemen visit Scrooge, the first person played by Ratty says, ‘we are soliciting funds for the indigent and destitute’, which Moley paraphrases for a puzzled Scrooge, ‘We’re collecting for the poor’.
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