Admittedly, I have a lot of nostaglia for "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." Growing up, it was my music teacher's favourite, and every December she showed it to our class. Mr. Magoo is a cartoon character created in the 1940s who continued to star in short films and TV specials into the 1970s, but you don't need to be familiar with him and his lore to get into this version. "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" first aired on NBC in 1962, and some of the delight of watching this special is enjoying the gorgeous vintage art style. Every background is absolutely gorgeous, as is a lot of the character design. The special also features music by legendary composer Jule Styne, who did the music for musicals like "Funny Girl," and it has its own strange allure. Some of the harmonies in "The Lord's Bright Blessing" sound wrong, but they have a weird haunting quality that always gets stuck in my head. At 52 minutes, it's worth the running time.
Watch "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" on Peacock.