YMMV / Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

• Adaptation Displacement: Some people are only aware of the Mr. Magoo character through this special and don't know it was a one-off special for a whole series starring him. This is especially true in recent decades, as the original cartoons (and the 1997 live-action version starring Leslie Nielsen) are hardly ever seen in reruns, making this special the most likely place for people to encounter the character at all.
• Awesome Music: Many of the songs are very catchy. They were written by Broadway stalwarts Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, who would both go on to write the songs for Funny Girl.
  • "It's Great to Be Back on Broadway" is a very memorable, upbeat tune that perfectly sets the mood as Magoo makes his way to the theater.
  • "Ringle, Ringle", the song that Scrooge/Magoo sings while counting money.
  • "Winter Was Warm", the Award-Bait Song sung by Belle and used for both the opening and closing credits. It's sung at the saddest part of the special, but still sung beautifully and accompanied by equally beautiful artwork.
  • "We're Despicable (Plunderer's March)", the special's memorable Villain Song.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: "We're Despicable." Even though it's a catchy and funny Villain Song, it does nothing to advance the plot, or the point of the scene (how disrespected Scrooge is in death), but just consists of the thieves singing about being Card Carrying Villains. It's no surprise to learn that it was a last-minute addition to pad out the special's running time.
• Common Knowledge: The famous song "People" from Funny Girl is often reported to be a cut song from this special. In actuality, while Jule Styne and Bob Merrill did come up with the tune during the writing sessions for Magoo, the song was always intended for Streisand in Funny Girl and never included in the program. Producer Lee Orgel tried to convince Styne and Merrill to give the song to Belle in place of "Winter Was Warm" because he liked it so much when he heard them rehearsing it, but they refused.
• He Really Can Act: Jim Backus does a phenomenal job with the serious moments of the special. His reprise of "All Alone in the World" is particularly gut-wrenching.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: The Framing Device was reportedly included because producer Lee Orgel "feared that audiences wouldn’t accept Magoo being plucked out of his cartoon context and plopped into the 19th century without explanation". Considering subsequent versions of Yet Another Christmas Carol have featured the Muppets, among others, for no discernible reason, this concern may seem silly.
• Older Than They Think: While many people think of A Charlie Brown Christmas as the first animated Christmas TV special, this one actually beat it out by three years.
• Padding: As entertaining as the Villain Song “We’re Despicable” is, the fact remains that its main purpose was to fill out the running time for the special.
• Tear Jerker:
  • For many viewers, "All Alone in the World" is a Gut Punch of a song.
    • The Dark Reprise of manages to be even worse, as it's sung by the adult Scrooge after discovering his own grave during the visitation of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Left abandoned and terrified in the churchyard, his voice cracks as he chokes out the words. It doesn't help that he opens the song begging the Ghost not to go— "Spirit! Don't...don't leave me here alone..."—before he starts outright crying: "Oh, I'm afraid..." It's a reminder that Scrooge, for all his cruelty, is ultimately just a sad, broken, lonely man with no one to love him.
  • "Winter Was Warm" also qualifies. The lyrics, about love dying, are sad enough, but they're coupled with a brokenhearted Belle, the young Scrooge silently sobbing as she leaves, and the present Scrooge desperately calling out to her not to go.
  • Tiny Tim's death, topped off Mrs. Cratchit comforting one of her children as he cries into her lap.
    Mrs. Cratchit: Hush, my dear, hush. Tears cannot bring Tiny Tim back to us. (tearfully) Sleep peacefully, my little love.

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