‘Scrooge: A Christmas Carol’ is an animated adaptation of the classic novella by Charles Dickens. It follows the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises Christmas. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Ebenezer Scrooge is an old, miserly individual who makes a living by lending money. He is greedy and hates Christmas, often getting annoyed by others’ enthusiasm for the festival.
On Christmas Eve, his nephew, Harry, asks him to join his family for a Christmas dinner. Scrooge’s sister, Jen, died after giving birth to Harry on Christmas Day.
Scrooge rejects Harry’s offer and sends him away, partly blaming him for losing his beloved sister. He is also harsh with Tom Jenkins, who owes him money. When he is unable to repay, Scrooge asks for 50 pounds instead of 25 in two days.
Even his employee, Bob Cratchit, doesn’t escape his ruthlessness. Scrooge happily cuts money from his wages despite his son, Tim, getting sicker by the day.
On the same day, Scrooge is with his dog, Prudence, when he is paid a visit by the ghost of Jacob Marley, his old business partner who died on the same night seven years ago.
He has been chained with regrets in the afterlife and has reached out to Scrooge to save him from the same fate. He states that Scrooge will get three visitors at exactly one, two and three o’ clock respectively.
The first visitor is the ghost of Christmas past. She takes Scrooge and Prudence back in time. Scrooge worked tirelessly to provide money to his sister and mother during childhood. In fact, he loved Christmas as a kid and shared the enthusiasm with his sister, whom he loved dearly.
As he grew up, he stopped working at Fezziwig’s warehouse to take up a role at Jacob Marley’s business. Scrooge was in love with Fezziwig’s daughter, Isabel.
Although they never got married because Scrooge changed after working with Jacob Marley. He became greedy and even took advantage of Bob Cratchit’s family when he was just a child.
Isabel started to feel neglected by Scrooge. Despite her attempts, she could see that Scrooge wasn’t free anymore and left him. The ghost of the past shows him that she eventually got married and is happy today.
Next, the ghost of Christmas present visits him. He shows him that Harry cares about Scrooge deeply, despite his mannerisms. He believes that the man who was close to his mother is still somewhere inside.
Similarly, Bob still thinks highly of him, despite his wife not agreeing. Scrooge is touched by his loyalty, as well as concerned by the conditions of his household.
Finally, the ghost of the Christmas future arrives. What’s in store for Scrooge if he doesn’t change his ways?
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol ending explained in detail:
What happens in the future?
The ghost of the future, who is silent, shows Scrooge events that are yet to happen. He can see a huge crowd cheering for him, along with Tom Jenkins.
He assumes that everybody eventually understood that he is a good person and decided to pay off their debts. He is left overjoyed.
However, a visit to the cemetery completely changes his mood. Tim, Bob’s son, succumbed to his sickness because of Scrooge’s reluctance to pay him full wages and help with medical expenses.
Scrooge is left sorrowful and with regret. He questions whether he could have done more to save the boy. The cheer for him has been dampened by this event.
Does Scrooge survive?
Another tragic truth awaits Scrooge. The crowd he presumed to be cheering for him was celebrating his death. He is devastated and wants to change as a person. But the ghost of the future shows up and summons the chains to capture him.
No matter how much he pleads, the ghost does not respond. Scrooge vows to save Tim and become a better person but the chains drag him into the grave anyway.
To his surprise, he is actually transported to the present day. While he wonders whether it was all a dream, traces of the ghosts prove otherwise.
Although he does not survive in the future, Scrooge is very much alive today and ready to begin again. He is content that Isabel found happiness, and it might not be too late for him.
Does Scrooge change his ways?
He asks children on the street to send invites for a dinner for the town’s residents and rewards them generously for completing the task.
Everyone shows up. Scrooge writes off Tim Jenkins’ debt, saving his business in the future. He provides women with funds of 1000 pounds every Christmas to play on the streets.
Harry gets the doll that his mother made when she and Scrooge were children. By mending their relationship, Scrooge would no longer be alone every Christmas and instead spend the festival with his family.
To Bob, he offers a contract to become his partner. This leads to a better lifestyle and saves Tim’s life in the process as well.
In the end, Scrooge sings about his desire to begin anew and change his own life, along with those around him. A peek into the past, present and future allowed Scrooge to transform for the better.
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