MANILA, Philippines ? ?Disney?s a Christmas Carol? has one big thing going for it?a story. And, it?s not just any story, it?s a Charles Dickens classic, a good old chestnut that has resonated with generations for more than 150 years. With a good story at its core, it?s hard for a movie to go wrong and, indeed this one manages not to, though it doesn?t seem to be hitting the right notes occasionally.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on the Dickens novella, this film showcases the filmmaker?s favorite technology: Performance capture. A fancier term for motion capture, it?s in a slightly more refined state here than it was in Zemeckis? previous efforts, ?The Polar Express? and ?Beowulf.? Shot in 3D and overflowing with impressive CGI enhancements, the film is a visual spectacle.

Sometimes, all those effects are too much, overwhelming the viewer and deadening the story. They?re best when employed subtly or when used as a means to convey an actual idea or emotion, and not as a piece of gimmickry designed to appeal to children with five-second attention spans.

For example, it?s exhilarating to see Victorian London spread out in all its snow-draped, slightly murky glory, and to see snowflakes dancing past your nose. But when there?s nothing happening in the story, that?s when it begins to get tired. Also, for those who are already wearing glasses, putting the 3D glasses on top of your own specs can be uncomfortable.

Technology

In ?Disney?s A Christmas Carol,? you?ll be able to see how technology can enhance your viewing experience?and also detract from it. Performance capture, for one, is still not perfect. While it is improving, you?ll still notice a wax-doll quality to some of the characters onscreen. There just doesn?t seem to be anything behind their eyes, and it?s a soulless quality that can be discomfitting to watch.

Fortunately, there are other aspects of the movie to focus on: The actors behind the expressions and voices of the characters give solid performances. Jim Carrey, who plays Scrooge, enlivens his stooped, bitter, miserly character with glee and a manic edge. That Carrey also plays the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future is a nice twist.

Other actors voice multiple roles here, as well. Gary Oldman is Scrooge?s dead partner Marley, the long-suffering clerk Bob Cratchit, and Tiny Tim. Cary Elwes takes on almost half a dozen of the minor roles. Also lending their talents here are Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn and Fionnula Flanagan.

Experiment

What saves the production from being a not-quite-successful experiment with performance capture is Zemeckis? decision to stick as close to the original tale as possible. Even the dialogue here is almost always pure Dickens.

Neither does Zemeckis shy away from delving into the darker aspects of the tale, nor from showing things that can be truly terrifying. (As such, very young children might get too scared.) He doesn?t forget what most people do?that ?A Christmas Carol? is actually a ghost story and that the chills and thrills are what make this story of redemption complete.