My favorite film adaptation of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” is the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim. Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and adapted by Noel Langley, the movie captured the dark yet whimsical tone of the Dickens classic.

Disney's new animated version from writer-director Robert Zemeckis attempts to reinvigorate this classic but fails to find the right balance between dark and whimsical.

The movie, though, is faithful to Dickens' work, including some images that may terrify younger children.

An old, bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey), finds redemption when he is visited by ghosts on Christmas Eve. Carrey also voices Scrooge at various ages, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Christmas Yet to Come.

The Ghost of Christmas Past appears in the form of a flickering flame, which is a fitting representation of what Dickens described as a “bright, clear jet of light.” The ghost takes Scrooge on a journey back in time, revisiting moments in his past. We see Scrooge as a bright-eyed apprentice of Fezziwig (Bob Hoskins), as a man in love with Belle (Robin Wright Penn), and the caring brother of Fan (also voiced by Penn).

The most entertaining of Scrooge's visits is the Ghost of Christmas Present. He's a merry giant who presents himself atop a Christmas tree decked out in robes and shows Scrooge what his life is really like in the present. Underneath his robes are two scary looking kids named Ignorance and Want.

The chapter that will terrify some children features the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. He is death incarnate and takes Scrooge into his horrible future. There's a scary scene where Scrooge is being chased by a carriage pulled by black horses with red, beady eyes.

Zemeckis has nearly perfected the performance-capture animation technology he utilized in 2004's “The Polar Express” and 2007's “Beowulf.”

The cinematography of the film is excellent.

Carrey's performance as Scrooge is credible, but it seems the actor is more at home with the ghost characters.

Gary Oldman as Cratchit, Scrooge's assistant, steals the show. Oldman also voices Marley, Scrooge's partner, and Tiny Tim, Cratchit's sick boy.

My main complaint is Scrooge's characterization. He isn't presented nearly as evil as the film hoped for. Sure, Scrooge wishes for poor people to die, but then the next scene shows him getting his comeuppance.

Also, Scrooge's transformation toward the end wasn't as joyful as I remember other “Christmas Carol” adaptations. But I did like the surprise narrator in the end, and Zemeckis still captures the spirit of Christmas.

I also enjoyed Zemeckis' take on the ghosts. By using Carrey to voice the phantom visitors, this film version questions whether the ghosts are merely extensions of Scrooge.