Go see 'A Christmas Carol' and think 'Yellow Submarine'

November 9, 6:15 PMBeatles ExaminerSteve Marinucci

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     Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge in a scene from "A Christmas Carol."
     (AP Photo/Disney, ImageMovers Digital LLC)

When the whole idea of the "Yellow Submarine" remake hit the news, being Beatle traditionalists, we were skeptical about the idea.

Today, we caught Disney's new version of "A Christmas Carol" at a local theater. It's directed by Robert Zemeckis, who'll helm the new version of the Beatles movie for the Mouse House.

Our skepticism hasn't disappeared. However, seeing "A Christmas Carol" made for some interesting thoughts. If they do the new "Yellow Submarine" like they did "A Christmas Carol," the effects should be amazing, maybe beyond amazing. ImageMovers Digital, who did the animation in "A Christmas Carol," will also be working with Zemeckis for "Yellow Submarine." So Pepperland won't be cartoonish -- it will live on the screen and be as real as animation can get.

That's the kind of stuff you see in "A Christmas Carol." We're imagining the characters will jump out at you -- and we're not talking about the 3-D effects. The Beatles' animated characters will probably transcend what you see in "The Beatles: Rock Band." And the Blue Meanies will probably be more than "bluish" and a bit cute. They'll be as mean and nasty as they can be.   

As beautiful as the Yellow Submarine looks in "The Beatles: Rock Band," you can expect the new movie Yellow Sub to be a work of art. There will be a new dimension to the Sea of Time as it will probably add an element of 3-D time travel. The Sea of Holes won't be flat black circles. And the Sea of Monsters will be a scary place to visit.

If this sounds like a wholesale endorsement of the remake, it's not. Jim Carrey, for all his superb work in becoming Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts, looks otherworldly as the old miser. His face couldn't be more craggy nor his body any thinner. We hope the Beatles don't look like that.

And we had the fortune (or misfortune) to see it first on a regular screen, then later on an IMAX when the projector broke down at the first showing. The characters all looked robotic with uneven eyes on the regular, though they looked a little more lifelike on the IMAX. And some kids who have loved the story in the original movie could find parts of the new new "Yellow Submarine" frightening if those same type of realistic effects in "Carol" are used for "Submarine."

Finally, do we really want the Beatles to look in the style of the characters from "Shrek" if Zemeckis lightens the story up? Or do you prefer "Polar Express" if he stays serious? Either one could what future audiences remember about living in a "Yellow Submarine."

So go and see "A Christmas Carol." It's great, honestly. And you'll get an unscheduled preview of a coming attraction besides the trailers you see on the screen.  

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