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Rating: 3.5 stars

All movies seen on 12/05/2007

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A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)

Directed by Joanna Romersa

Animation | Holiday

Overview

Fred is cast as Ebenezer Scrooge in a stage adaption of the classic Christmas story, but is acting a bit stingy in real life.

Length 70 minutes

Actors

Henry Corden | Jean Vander Pyl | Frank Welker | B. J. Ward | Russi Taylor | Don Messick | John Stephenson | Marsha Clark | John Rhys-Davies | Brian Cummings

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

This originally appeared as a DVD review for PopSyndicate in 2007.

Celebrate Christmas Bedrock-style

The Flintstones were never a family to shy away from Christmas, through both original series episodes and tv specials. In the early nineties animated icons like Looney Tunes and The Jetsons were making a strong comeback through movies, apparel and even baseball cards. In 1994 Hanna-Barbera decided to do another Flintstones Christmas special after having just done one in 1993, but this time they tackled Charles Dickens. Or is that Charles Rockens? Or Rockles Dickens?

It’s Christmastime in Bedrock and Fred has been cast in a community theater version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As any glimmer of power is wont to do, the star role goes straight to his head. Fred’s forgotten to buy presents, he’s ignoring his wife, being rude to his friends and co-workers. He even forgets Pebbles at cavecare. He thinks he’s headed straight for Broadrock. When actors in the play start coming down with the Bedrock Bug, Wilma takes up the roles and helps Fred learn that he’s become a real Scrooge.

The tv movie is a mix of The Flintstones old guard and new. Jean Vander Pyl, who would remain the only Wilma until her death 1999, is reunited with Henry Corden who resumes his role as Fred. Corden took over for the original Alan Reed in the late seventies and is most recognizable for the memorable Fruity Pebbles cereal commercials in the 1980s and 1990s. Frank Welker returns as a second generation Barney and Flintstone relative newcomer B.J. Ward (Scarlett in GI Joe) takes on Betty, as original Bea Benaderet had passed in 1968.

Really, these roles were old hat for most of the cast by this point and they had them nailed. The only one among the main cast that doesn’t ring true is Ward as Betty, who sounded more like Betty had been smoking a few too many cigarettes and lost that girly coquettishness that was Benaderet’s signature. Some of the extras also don’t fit, as most of the roles are played with American accents (being played by American cavemen, natch), but then there’s the odd Cockney that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Unfortunately the transfer from the original video views as a pan and scan; the colors are rather dull and the film grainy. The issue is obviously meant for the younger set, but it would be nice to see Hanna-Barbera take the time to punch it up and make it the best it can be. Still, the animation maintains the crisp lines, detailed backgrounds and brighter colors that had been its trademark since the early Eighties in that Flintstone Kids era.

The only real bonus on the DVD aside from trailers for other Hanna-Barbera Christmas features is an original series episode featuring the entire original cast where Fred takes a job playing Santa but gets wrapped up in helping the real Santa deliver presents. The transfer of the episode is about the same as the TV movie, but more expected given the age of the cells. Fortunately the laugh track was left in, when it had been stripped out in many remasters that I remember from the Nineties. As much as I despise laugh tracks in modern sitcoms, it’s a signature of a past, more innocent era and should be left untouched.

Past the crummy transfer, there’s not much to say for the DVD, other than it warms my chestrocks to see The Flintstones on DVD in any form. Unlike most of the anime-skewing toons chunked out today, The Flintstones can speak to any generation through minor tweaks, provided the right vocal actors can be found. The original series has been released on DVD; now it’s time to complete the collection with all of the assorted short-lived series and TV specials. That is, until the next format comes along.

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