Charles Dickens' well-known Christmas story is retold with Uncle Scrooge
taking the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Goofy as Jacob Marley's ghost, Donald Duck as
nephew Fred, and many other Disney favorites who were returning to the silver screen after quite a long absence.
Mickey, for instance, had not been seen in a theatrical cartoon since "The Simple Things" in 1953.
The idea for the film came from a 1974 Disney record album of the same name. Director Mattinson was inspired to
begin the project, with the OK from Disney president and chief executive officer Ron Miller in May 1981. One of
the difficult tasks in bringing back such favorite characters as Mickey and Donald was finding the right voices.
Clarence "Ducky" Nash was still available to voice Donald, as he had since Donald's debut, but a new talent,
Wayne Allwine, would be introduced to provide Mickey's voice.
Mickey Mouse cartoon featurette, premiered in England on October 20, 1983. Directed by Burny Mattinson. 25 min.
Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Short Film. The song "Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day" was written
by Frederick Searles and Irwin Kostal. Released on video in 1984. Began an annual television airing in 1984
on NBC.
Starring: the voices of Alan Young, Wayne Allwine, Hal Smith, Will Ryan, Eddy Carroll, Patricia Parris, Dick
Billingsley, and Clarence Nash.
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