A Christmas Carol was
released on November 6, 2009, and was produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The
film is adapted from a book entitled A
Christmas Carol, and is said to be “one of the most faithful adaptations of
A Christmas Carol brought to the
screen” (wikia.com). However there are some differences between the book and
the film that viewers noticed during the film, but no spoilers will be revealed
here. The film used similar features, regarding the process of capturing
motion, as used in other films, like The
Polar Express for example. The film was directed by Zemeckis, and its
leading actor, Jim Carrey, took several roles within this production. The film’s
success was due to its interested marketing platform. The film went to New
Orleans in August, and traveled around the country in a themed train that
displayed exhibits informing visitors of the film. Walt Disney Studios “is also
pulling out all the new-media stops is can” (nytimes.com). There are apps,
online quizzes, and a website that are all available for people to access. The
film also used TV and billboard advertisements to spread the word of the
production. A Christmas Carol earned
$30,051,075 at the box office. The film has been available in DVD and Blur-ray
format since November 16, 2010.
I have a great amount of respect for films that are book
adaptations when they closely resemble because those types of films bring the
book to life. I find it cool when films don’t always follow the book’s story
completely because then the audience goes to the theatre to see the movie, and they
end up being surprised. I am a huge fan of Jim Carrey’s work, and it’s exciting
to see him play so many roles in one production, due to his ability to
transform as an actor to play different characters. As an actress myself, it’s
an awesome experience to be a part of. Although I was not able to witness the
train promoting the movie, I bet it was cool to interact with the film in that
unique manner.
References
Disney
Wikia. (n.d.). A Christmas Carol - DisneyWiki. Retrieved December 15, 2014, from
http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol
IMDb.
(n.d.). A Christmas Carol (2009) - IMDb. Retrieved from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067106/
New
York Times. (2009, October 25). Disney Hopes ‘Christmas Carol’ Lives Up to Its
Blockbuster Marketing. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/business/media/26carol.html?_r=0
I remember the main marketing strategy used for this film was the whole "CGI revolution" thing, and the fact that it had a spin off from the original story was so cool as well. I'm surprised it wasn't as successful as The Polar Express.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, this movie's CGI had kind of a little unsettling for me- it produced a creepy, "uncanny valley" effect that is so close and yet so far from appearing life-like. Polar Express had this problem as well, and I was so intrigued by this that I did some research on it. Turns out, there is a scientific basis for this revulsion at CGI-enhanced humans. (Source: http://www.livescience.com/16600-cgi-humans-creepy-scientists.html). I'm very curious as to how this impacted the marketing of the film, and whether or not previews of this form of animation deterred moviegoers from seeing the film.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they marketed this movie in a great way as i remember it to be highly successful. The animation techniques added that eerie vibe which i thought worked well.
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