The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live [DVD]

This animated retelling of the Charles Dickens classic makes for light holiday viewing. The familiar tale begins with the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge (voice of Tim Curry), who would rather count his money than celebrate the season with his put-upon employee, Bob Cratchit (voice of Michael York). In the middle of the night, the ghost of Scrooge's dead partner, Jacob Marley (voice of Edward Asner), warns him that he will be visited by three spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood, the Ghost of the Present takes him to visit the poverty-stricken Cratchits, and the Ghost of the Future is merely a silent cloaked figure, representing his death. Upon seeing the error of his ways, Scrooge reforms and attempts to bring good cheer to the Cratchit family.