If they ever showed Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol on television during my childhood -- and it was reportedly shown well into the 1980s -- I never saw it, so I don't have the fond childhood memories that many of my readers might have. When this made-for-TV Christmas special debuted in 1962, it was something audiences had never seen before -- television's first truly animated Christmas show, predating even the old Rudolph and Charlie Brown standards. As such, I can see why it obviously had such a lasting impact on young viewers of the time.

At the same time, I must say that it doesn't possess the same magic for me, watching it now for the first time as an adult. The very thing that others seem to love the most -- the music -- proved to be the least enjoyable part of my viewing experience. Frankly, I was surprised to learn that the music was written by the heavyweight Broadway duo of Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, because I found the songs simplistic and intrusive to the story. Even as I was watching and listening, I thought to myself that kids today probably wouldn't enjoy this music -- and thus, the show as a whole -- very much. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but that's still my opinion.

If you're wondering how dear old Mr. Magoo (voiced by Jim Backus) could possibly portray a Scrooge in real life, I'll tell you. Mr. Magoo is actually playing the part of Scrooge in a big Broadway production; apart from his unconventional arrival at the studio and his "bringing down the house" bows, we're actually watching him perform in the show. While much was cut out in order to fit it into a one-hour television special, the story does remain faithful to the original Dickens classic for the most part -- the one major difference being the fact that the Ghost of Christmas Present precedes the Ghost of Christmas Past in the spectral visitations. That is just weird to me, and I have no idea why they chose to jumble up the order like that.

Along with the Christmas special, you also get the Mr. Magoo treatment of Washington Irving's story of Rip Van Winkle -- you know, the guy that fell asleep for 20 years. I actually found this to be more enjoyable than the feature presentation -- probably because there was no singing involved. Getting back to Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, though, I will say that this is probably one of the best and easiest to comprehend adaptations of Dickens' story for children. In the end, though, I just don't see 21st-century kids clamoring for Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol the same way they would Rudolph or Frosty.