As the news broke this week of Robert Zemeckis working on a “motion capture” rendition of A Christmas Carol I briefly thought it might be good news. Zemeckis has brought us some good films in his time: Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and in the Christmas genre specifically, Polar Express. In fact, motion capture is the technology used in Polar Express that let us see Tom Hanks so differently.

But I’m wary now.

Jim Carrey is tabbed to play Scrooge. Nothing against the Liar Liar but I hardly see him as convincing in the very British role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Think about it. In any of his roles has Carrey remotely done anything this serious? Yes, he’s had some dramatic moments. But unlike Robin Williams or, frankly, Tom Hanks who also dabbled as a comedian, Carrey just isn’t much beyond slapstick and absurdity.

The argument can be made that A Christmas Carol has been done by both Bill Murray and the Muppets. And both of those productions have become holiday classics in their own right (much less so for Murray’s portrayal as a Scrooge character).

Nevertheless I see problems for this film to overcome — and Carrey is just the first.

Don’t think that “motion capture” is going to do much to improve on Carrey’s lack of frenetic presence in the film. Most people liked Polar Express. But I can’t tell you how much email I got about it at the time about one quirky little aspect of it: whenever a character spoke their mouth looked like a gaping black hole. One viewer, upon reading my review of the movie, agreed that it gave him the creeps that Santa was toothless throughout the whole movie. One even observed that “it was like the entire cast were zombies from another world — without teeth, tongue or soul”.

A toothless Scrooge might be a nice touch. But it doesn’t work for Tiny Tim. That kid has enough to worry about.

So, I don’t know. There is no doubt I’ll go see this movie, probably on the day it releases. That is likely why they are making it. But if they are making it for people like me they’d had better treat it with kid gloves. This story is that connected with Christmas and that important to those of us who celebrate it.

There is hope though. I voiced the same concerns with Nativity Story. A with that one “they done good”.