The Untold Story of Mickey's Christmas Carol with Drew Taylor & Jim Hill

The Origin of Mickey's Christmas Carol

• 🎙️ The podcast episode delves into the true origin story of Disney's "Mickey's Christmas Carol," based on insights from Alan Young's biography.
• 📚 Alan Young, the voice of Scrooge McDuck and Ebenezer Scrooge, recounts how he was tasked with writing and producing the adaptation after a planned Christmas carol album failed.
• ✍️ Young explains that the album cover, featuring various Disney characters, necessitated their inclusion in the "A Christmas Carol" story, leading to roles for Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
• 🎤 Young claims he was the first to voice Mickey Mouse since Walt Disney, imitating Walt's voice, and also voiced Scrooge McDuck.

Discrepancies in Alan Young's Account

• 🧐 Jim Hill points out several inconsistencies in Alan Young's story, questioning his claim about being the first Mickey voice post-Walt and the narrative about unused album covers.
• 🔍 Music historian Greg Arbar suggests an earlier, more serious version of "A Christmas Carol" by Bill Lee existed in the early '70s, which sold poorly.
• 🤔 It's proposed that Disneyland Records then enlisted Alan Young for a lighter, funnier take, potentially reusing old album covers for the new recording.
• 💡 This theory would explain Young's subsequent casting as Scrooge McDuck for "DuckTales" and the success of the "Mickey's Christmas Carol" featurette.

Animation News and Discussions

• 🎬 The hosts discuss the box office performance of Disney's "Encanto," noting its steady climb despite a simultaneous Disney+ release.
• 💼 News breaks about Disney directing duo Ron Clements and John Musker moving to Warner Animation Group for a new film, "Metalman."
• 🕸️ Excitement builds around the trailer for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," with speculation about its connection to "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
• 🏆 The Mitchells vs. the Machines is recognized by the New York Film Critics Circle as the best animated feature, with a discussion on other contenders like "Encanto" and "Luca."
• 🎅 Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman voice "Santa Inc.," an R-rated animated series on HBO Max exploring a feminist agenda within a holiday tradition.
• 🎄 The enduring popularity of the "Peanuts" holiday specials is highlighted, with their availability on Apple TV+ and PBS.
• 👻 "The Ghost and Molly McGee" is mentioned for its holiday-themed karaoke, including a "Scary Christmas" song and Scratch's "Drrrrele" song.