more Xmas Carol

[Wilmer Rivers]

One more comment about Mickey's Christmas Carol, if you can tolerate my
whipping what is by now a thoroughly dead horse.  In previous postings
to this list, many people have commented on the Pirandello-esque "play
within a play" concept of having one set of fictional characters (from
the Disney universe) play another set of fictional characters (from the
Dickens universe), concentrating on what they consider the miscasting of
Scrooge McDuck as Ebeneezer Scrooge.  I understand their objections, but
I consider this particular example to be by far the least egregious case
of miscasting.  I had much stronger feelings of dissatisfaction with
Donald as Ebeneezer's good-natured nephew Fred.  I suppose it was OK to
use Mickey as Bob Cratchett (a "mousey" little character, when you get
right down to it), but it was a complete disaster to use Goofy as the
ghost of Jacob Marley!!!!  What in heaven's name were they thinking of?

Wilmer Rivers