Reviews

A spectacular and charmingly entertaining film. I loved it. It is visually breathtaking with scenes that were exciting and dazzling. The sound track is enchanting with catchy theme music and some excellent songs. The racing train scenes had me on the edge of my seat even knowing it was animation. As a fan of Tom Hanks, I was not disappointed; he dominates the film in many characters. Though some could see this as a negative excess, each was done with a different touch and sometimes even his voice was not recognizable. There are lessons for children throughout. My only caution--this is not for young children; though dark edges of the adventure and some elements could be scary, there are no villains or horrible creatures. Even so, the topic and scenes are perhaps best for 8-12 year olds, and old codgers like me.

There have been so many productions of Dickens' classic that it is hard to be different and good. This one surprisingly was both. Most striking was the seemingly very authentic settings--sets, decorations, costumes, characters all seem to take us back to Dickens' London. The music was quite good overall, some songs not as strong but most were hummable and the lyric captured the story and mood. Choreography though anachronistic at times had some very good moments. The women soldiers in the theater seemed a take-off on the Rockettes. The leads performed well, especially a strong K. G. in acting and (yes) SINGING (surprise). Those who hated this will find flaws to pick at, but perhaps we expect too much from an overworked Seasonal classic. It was entertaining and worth the viewing!

This was a surprisingly enchanting film with many charms--an excellent performance by Drew, a wickedly well done turn by Angelica, some fun characters and surprises, topped off with the beautiful scenery of French countrysides and castles. Who is Dougray? I've never heard of him but he was a charming prince. The realism of the production values and the performances almost made this seem true and not just a fairytale. Not a great film but well done and a delightfully entertaining evening.