8mm Forum: Mickey's Christmas Carol

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Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on October 27, 2013, 11:56 AM:

Mickey's Christmas Carol
1 x 600ft Color, Stereo sound

I recently purchased a stunning print of Mickey’s Christmas Carol and am really surprised that there is no review of it on this forum. So here goes.
This is a 30 minute Walt Disney film based on the Charles Dickens classic story, albeit in a very abbreviated form. It is a totally charming film, with Mickey mouse playing the part of Bob Cratchit, Donald Duck is cousin Fred, and Goofy is Old Marley. The animation is fully up to the standards set by Snow White, and all the scenes are wonderful to behold. You just can’t beat this for a Christmas film show.
If ever there was a film to show why people love super 8mm film collecting, this is it. Whatever that undefinable thing is, that film has over digital DVD and yes Blu Ray, this super 8mm print has it in spades. I do not say this lightly, having in my possession one of the best home high definition digital projectors connected to Blu Ray . But show this superb 8mm print on something like a GS1200, and it is so different from anything that digital can do. It is truly closer to the original art, with glorious color, contrast and depth, and razor sharp throughout. It looks and sounds so good that you are totally captured in its magic from the first frame.
I looked at the leader on my print, but no clues as to who printed it, although I assume it was a Derann print on low fade stock, because the color is glorious.
One thing I found out, quite by accident, was that the film has a stereo sound track. I had no idea until I saw the track 2 meter on the GS1200 flickering. When I switched the lever to Stereo, WOW what a great recording!
If you don’t have this print, fight tooth and nail to get it. Super 8 never looked better than this!

P.S. My film came in a white box, so I had to create my own box artwork above.
Anybody got the original box art?

Posted by Bruno Heughebaert (Member # 2756) on October 27, 2013, 12:29 PM:

Hi Paul,
I have a scan of it.
Give me your email and i will send it to you
Best Regards from Belgium
Bruno

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on October 27, 2013, 12:36 PM:

Thank's to Bruno for supplying the original Derann box art:

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on October 27, 2013, 01:49 PM:

Hi Paul,

I totally agree with you this is an amazing print. One of Deranns very best with rich colour and you are totally correct that this print will equal or better digital projection. I purchased this print many years ago and when watching for the first time I thought it was the sharpest print in my collection. Awesome. I think I read somewhere that this was the next film after the very poor little mermaid and Derann wanted to get better quality. I dont have any disney features in my collection just shorts. Even if you're not a disney fan get this just to see how good that little super 8 frame can be.

Graham S

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 27, 2013, 08:04 PM:

Was this issued in Letterbox, (as was "Prince and the Pauper") or is full frame (as was "The Small One")?

Posted by Maurizio Di Cintio (Member # 144) on October 31, 2013, 03:39 PM:

It's full frame, Osi and one cennot but agree with the previous judgements. Albeit I think this is on par with "The Prince and the Pauper": excellent printing!!!!

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on October 31, 2013, 06:37 PM:

I have "The Small One", Derann/Disney 600 foot, which came out around the same time as this one. It is perfect in every way- colors, sharpness, sound- all perfect. Derann and whatever lab they were using at that time was certainly on top of their game. Early 90's I believe.

James.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on November 01, 2013, 04:24 PM:

The Blu Ray of Mickey's Christmas Carol was released this week (Oct 27 2013), and according to Blu Ray.com the restoration is an unmitigated disaster.
Read this to realize why the Super 8 print reigns supreme, even in this HD age:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mickeys-Christmas-Carol-Blu-ray/76164/#Review

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on November 01, 2013, 07:21 PM:

Thanks for that link Paul. Yes just comparing those two shots you can see how horrible the restored image is. Not even worth buying for the bonus content. Super 8 still wins even in 2013 blu ray era.

Graham S

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 01, 2013, 10:42 PM:

I have both "Christmas Carol" and "Prince and the Pauper" and can only guess that both were released around the same time.

The depth of colour on those Super8 prints is simply stunning and the Blu-ray screen shots shown look flat and uninteresting.

The same goes for many of the Derann "Silly Symphonies" like The Grasshopper and the Ants and Woodland Café also with stunning depth of colour that cant be equalled. [Smile]

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on November 01, 2013, 11:05 PM:

In fact 'Mickey's Christmas Carol' was released right at the start of the Derann Disney deal - possibly the very first release. Therefore it was a while before 'Prince and the Pauper' and (later) 'The Small One' appeared. It's good to see that Disney are doing their best to ensure our Super 8 prints increase in value, due to their "restoration" abominations! They must be mishandling their master material very badly if a 1983 film needs to be restored!

Posted by Mark Williams (Member # 794) on November 02, 2013, 08:33 AM:

Probably the best Super 8mm print I have ever seem 😊

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on November 02, 2013, 09:07 AM:

IMO the beauty of the best Derann Disney prints cannot be equalled by blu ray. You can't define the difference, but you know it when you see it, and Mickey's Christmas Carol is probably the prime example. Those blu ray screen shots are crap compared with what I see from the S8 print.
I have a print of Woodland's Cafe and I agree with Graham that it also is a stunning print.

Posted by Maurizio Di Cintio (Member # 144) on November 03, 2013, 03:52 PM:

Paul, I agree 100% with you. I think what the BD image lacks is that photographic quality that is inherent to film-generated images, featuring deeper colors and a thighter image/shade texture with no "staccato" in shaded areas. It's not got to do with resolution but with the overall "warmth" and structure of the image.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on November 04, 2013, 12:52 PM:

I totally agree. I have a print of "Cookie Carnival" (a silly symphony) that Derann printed, and it's just stunning!

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on November 04, 2013, 06:16 PM:

This film is totally magical, Absolute Disney!Totally "Up my street" and stunning print quality. If your children or, (as in my case very soon no doubt)have not witnessed Super 8 at it's very best, it's either this (given the time of year)or Madagascar's Christmas Penguin to showcase just how FANTASTIC super 8 can be!!

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on November 05, 2013, 09:41 AM:

I agree Andrew. The Madagascar Penguins Christmas Caper is another stunning print. It's just like looking at 35mm.

Posted by Maurizio Di Cintio (Member # 144) on December 27, 2018, 03:33 AM:

You made me eager to screen my own print once again. I am going to do that tonight. Thank you for reminding me how excellent this specific Disney/Derann print is.
Happy holiday sesaon to everybody.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on December 28, 2018, 12:12 PM:

Beauty and the beast is not really like the BR as it's not in 3D. 😎
Do love my super 8 print tho
Back in the day most top end collectors purchased 2 prints at a time from Derann. One to project one to basically archive. My second Mike Carol is still in its wrapper.
We must have been either bonkers or dead keen. I'm probably both loving super 8 so much.

We often call to pay our respects to Derek recalling memories of all those open days and especially the Christmas film show which was magical.

[ December 29, 2018, 03:07 AM: Message edited by: Lee Mannering ]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on December 29, 2018, 10:46 AM:

I gree with Maurice about "The Small One"

In fact, I had a download of "The Small One" (Letterboxed version, and the super 8 flat version is better because there is no image on the left and right lost on the super 8, but the letterboxed version DOES lose a lot on the top and bottom), which I watched and compared to the Derann super 8 release, and the color and sharpness were actually better on the super 8. One of the many triumph's for Derann, beautifully pin sharp.

Posted by Simon McConway (Member # 219) on December 30, 2018, 10:37 AM:

Where is Derek’s tree?

Posted by Paul Barker (Member # 4318) on January 03, 2019, 05:11 AM:

hi Simon. PM sent.

Posted by David M. Ice (Member # 6777) on February 18, 2019, 11:54 PM:

I had no idea PRINCE AND THE PAUPER (Disney) was issued in Super 8mm...which means it's the only film I worked on that I'm aware of that was issued in Super 8! Anybody know where I can get a print of that?

I'm listed under Sound Editors.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 19, 2019, 11:18 AM:

Boy, you will REALLY want to get this, David! The image quality is truly outstanding! You'll think that you are watching a top notch 16MM, or better (no kidding) AND make sure that you find a stereo copy of this! it was one of Derann's best prints in every category, sincerely! Good sharp stereo sound, (at least, on my print, and I haven't re-recorded it).

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on February 19, 2019, 11:36 AM:

I Also have a print of this! You are right its a great print! And I'm not a big Disney fan! I had it for a few years! Rarely played it!

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 20, 2019, 12:01 PM:

Paul ...

I looked at that link to the bluray release of this short! Good Gosh!! That "clean-up" of the film was totally BOTCHED!!

Stick with film, you clean it, it looks better!

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 22, 2019, 12:07 PM:

I know that I may well have mentioned this before ... but why not again? (who knows how long it was since the last time).

Another one of the big problems with Disney (most notorious for this), getting rid of the "film element" out of the equation for they're blu-rays (and actually earlier, as i first noticed this problem on some of they're later DVD releases) ...

As is foten the case, when a character pauses on screen and doesn't move, the artists will use upwards of 24 or perhaps 48 frames for the "pose" to register. Now, on actual film, with the film grain, this pause does not register as a "freeze frame" in the film, as you have grain ...

... but without the grain, this freeze frame is obvious and something that a person notices.

The best example of this in a Disney film (that I have personally noticed), is when Snow White first approaches the Dwarves house. She and the animals peer through some brush, with the very next shot being the dwarves house. On the DVD and bluray, when the individual animation cels stop with a "pause" on the "pose", we obviously see a freeze frame and it's almost like the DVD or bluray is pausing there, when it isn't ...

Hence, the need for actual film elements like film grain! [Smile]

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on February 22, 2019, 12:23 PM:

That's right! Stick with film! Its the best! Leon.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 22, 2019, 12:42 PM:

As well as owning the Super 8 print I was lucky enough to have and run the 35mm print just last Christmas.

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on February 22, 2019, 12:45 PM:

It sure looks good!nice and sharp!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 22, 2019, 01:47 PM:

35mm Leon [Wink]

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on February 22, 2019, 04:51 PM:

WOW! 35MM sure looks awesome! Boy there's nothing like film! Enjoy!

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