Tonight I watched another newer adaptation that I still haven’t viewed often. This adaptation is ZogHogg Studios’ A Christmas Carol and Scrooge interpretation released in December of 2018.  It’s available to rent or buy digitally.

This adaptation takes place mostly in Scotland, thus giving us the first live-action Scottish Ebenezer Scrooge.  If we want to be nit-picky, the first Scottish Scrooge was the animated character Scrooge McDuck in Disney’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol.  It joins the growing list of modern-day adaptations. Like many of the non-traditional adaptations, it attempts to put some twists to some characters and/or situations.  The musical score is by Queen’s Roger Taylor.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Stuart Brennan) owns a whiskey distillery in Scotland that employs many local townspeople.  He has messy hair that includes a messy man-bun. Later in the movie, we learn it’s an “online distillery” allowing customers to “mix their own whiskey.”  Scrooge is a young man that is more interested in making money and “crunching numbers.”  His assistant is a woman named Bob Cratchit (Sarina Taylor).  The story never explains why she has the name “Bob,” such as it’s short for another name or some type of nickname. We learn that Bob’s husband is Tim (not her child) and is very sick.

On Christmas Eve, he tells Bob to send out the layoff notices for 500 employees to receive on Christmas Day.  Because of current profit, Scrooge is upset when Bob reminds him that he’s contractually obligated to give Christmas bonuses to all employees. The bonuses amount to over £250,000.  In this version, Scrooge actually gives a donation to the charity collectors when they visit his office; he decides to give the employees’ bonuses to the charity collectors. By doing so, he increased profit by writing it off as tax while not having to give his employees a bonus.

The relationship between uncle and nephew is reversed in this version. Scrooge’s uncle Fred (Alec Westwood), who partially raised him, visits him in his office.  When Uncle Fred visits Scrooge, he is in formal Highland dress!  As expected, uncle invites nephew to Christmas with him; nephew declines. We learn from Uncle Fred that Scrooge used to know how to enjoy himself; this seems to be an odd theme in this adaptation.

The ghost of Marley (Mark Paul Wake), Scrooge’s dead close friend and business partner, appears to Scrooge while he rides home in his chauffeured car. What’s unusual about this Marley visit is that is begins while it is still daylight. Marley tells Scrooge three ghosts will be visiting him.  Marley never appears to be suffering, has no chains, and never gives a clear reason why this is happening at first beyond the insinuations Scrooge used to be a different person. 

Scrooge arrives at his Scottish manor house and the voice of Marley literally haunts him. Marley hides in a painting as Scrooge searches for him in vain. His voice then explains to Scrooge: I was never a good man, Mr. Scrooge. And we both know that I am chained to my past. But you? You always had that kindness.

Before the ghosts even start their visits, Scrooge blames Marley for his becoming a hard person; he is angry Marley died.

The Ghost of Christmas Past is a young woman in an outfit that makes her look like a figure skater in an ice show. Scrooge relives losing his parents when he was in school and his uncle taking him in. There is a twist with Scrooge’s past love, named Nell (Bonnie Wright of all Harry Potter movies) instead of Belle. In the past, Scrooge has slightly less messy hair with a slightly less messy man bun.  For our benefit, the Ghost of Christmas Past reveals Nell died a year after she broke up with Scrooge. Scrooge and Marley first run their business in Philadelphia, PA in the U.S. where they have a partying friend named Fezziwig. Ebenezer learns from Marley how to be harsh when running the business. Scrooge convinces Marley to move the business back home to Scotland.

The next ghost calls himself the “Goose” of Christmas Present.  The “Goose” shows Scrooge the Cratchit family during Christmas, learning about Tim Cratchit’s cancer. He views various townspeople and his Uncle Fred at Christmas. All through his present visit, he begins learning what people actually think of him.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is not visible. Scrooge seems to be aware of the Ghost’s presence.  Ebenezer occasionally hears the Ghost in strong, loud whispers since he cannot see him. The Future sequence is short having only brief revelation scenes that Tim Cratchit and Scrooge, himself, have died. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come speaking is most unusual and rare for any future ghost adaptation!

The problem that Marley, the Ghosts, and those that have known Scrooge for a long time seem most concerned with is that Scrooge used to know how to enjoy himself and have a good time.  Everything will be resolved once he learns to loosen up again.

The feel-good ending with the townspeople, and then Scrooge, doesn’t go over the top and is pleasant to watch. This is an enjoyable version if you don’t mind the liberties necessary for a modern-day adaptation.