kinder man, and is praised by the ghosts of the Past and Present. However, Scrooge becomes guilt-ridden when the children's hospital that Belle and Dr Lambert work at evicts its child patients due to his previous wickedness, prompting him to fire Old Joe. Scrooge is confronted by Belle, and Scrooge promises her that he will make up for his sins and the pair reunite as a couple. The next day, Scrooge promotes Bob to become his new partner, replacing Marley, and promises to help his family as well as, giving him a raise and becomes a stepfather to a now-well Tiny Tim, and everything returns to normal, thanks to Scrooge changing his ways. Voice cast Simon Callow – Charles Dickens/Ebenezer Scrooge (voice) Kate Winslet – Belle (voice) Nicolas Cage – Jacob Marley (voice) Jane Horrocks – Ghost of Christmas Past (voice) Michael Gambon – Ghost of Christmas Present (voice) Rhys Ifans – Bob Cratchit (voice) Juliet Stevenson – Emily Cratchit (voice) Robert Llewellyn – Old Joe (voice) Iain Jones – Fred (voice) Beth Winslet – Fan (voice) Colin McFarlane – Albert Fezziwig (voice) Arthur Cox – Dr. Lambert (voice) Keith Wickham – Mr. Leach/Undertaker (voices) Joss Sanglier – Choir Master (voice) Sarah Annison – Mice Voice No. 1 (voice) Rosalie MacCraig – Mice Voice No. 2 (voice) Production A Christmas Carol was directed by Jimmy Murakami, who helmed the Oscar-nominated The Snowman and When the Wind Blows in the 1980s. The animation was carried out by several companies across Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Spain and South Korea. It is bookended by live-action sequences featuring Simon Callow as Charles Dickens, who reads his tale to a Boston theatre audience. However, in certain DVD releases, the live action scenes are cut. Callow would play Dickens again three years later in 2005 in the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead". Release and reception Christmas Carol was released on 7 December 2001 by Pathé in the UK, although it was originally slated for 30 November. In the United States, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released it straight to video on VHS and on Region 1 DVD on 7 October 2003 in full screen. The film was largely panned by critics, holding a rating of 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. After viewing it at the Toronto International Film Festival, Variety's Todd McCarthy wrote: "[The] character animation is dully inexpressive, and two obnoxious mute mice do more scampering