Jim carries Dickens tale as Scrooge, six others

MOVIES | 'Christmas Carol' combines live action with animation

HOLLYWOOD -- "I love terrifying children," reveals Jim Carrey, who plays Scrooge, the holiday-hating miser who undergoes a transformation in Robert Zemeckis' faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Fortunately, kids like a good scare, as long as it's within a safe environment, the actor surmises.

It seems a natural progression that Carrey, who previously depicted the Scrooge-like Grinch onscreen, would tackle the original grumpy old man who, over the course of an evening, has a change of heart about Christmas.

Dickens' beloved classic is one of the most often adapted stories in Hollywood, but never before has it been seen in this emerging new visual format that combines live-action performance with digital animation.

Through the magic of motion-capture (or performance-capture) technology, Carrey not only plays the 19th century tightwad, he also depicts six more characters in the film, including three ghosts that visit Scrooge on one fateful Christmas Eve, as well as younger versions of the character. Starring alongside Carrey are Robin Wright Penn, Gary Oldman and Bob Hoskins, who also play more than one character in this tale of redemption.

The process is technically complex but involves the recording of actors' performances, including their movements and facial expressions, into a computer, which are then turned into a type of digital animation. Backgrounds, lighting and textures are added in later. For Carrey, who adopted a range of English and Irish accents for his various roles in the film, it was an exciting learning experience.

"When you look at it from the beginning of the process, it's a daunting challenge," he admits. "There are regional accents and things like that, but once you get into it, it was great."

It was odd playing opposite himself in many of the scenes, but he had some help from actor Cary Elwes ("The Princess Bride"), who served as a stand-in for Carrey's characters when he was performing another character in a scene.

"I owe him a huge debt of gratitude," he says of the British actor. "He really was there for me all the way, playing all the other characters to give me a reference point, and someone wonderful to play with."

Carrey points out that one of Elwes' ancestors was Dickens' inspiration for Scrooge.

"He was a Member of Parliament and he was so cheap, he would wear the same clothes until they were in tatters," he says.

Carrey found layers within Scrooge's personality that were interesting to explore.

"I always think the only thing we have to be aware of in this world is the unloved and that's where it all comes from," he says. "Scrooge started out there and tried desperately for a long time to find whatever was good, but slowly he was disappointed by life over and over again, so by the time he's 35, he's about done with making the best of it. The ghosts are his opportunity to see himself and see that he is worthy of love."

Seeing himself onscreen as the elderly Scrooge was a bit disturbing for Carrey, 47. Not only did it look like his real-life dad, Carrey also saw himself in the craggy character.

"It's really a look into the future for me," he says.

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