Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol comes back to theaters with a bang. Spirited, newest musical released by Apple TV+, features a new spin on the original story with catchy songs and a beloved cast. 

The original story of A Christmas Carol follows an elderly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, as he is visited by three spirits to show him his past, present, and future. Upon seeing his life, and viewing what may befall him if he continues down the path he has set for himself, he decides to turn a new leaf in his life and start over. Dickens may have originally wrote this story to show how even the nastiest of people are capable of the most magnificent changes. While this is a beautiful lesson, as modern times progress and we continue to learn more about human nature as a whole, we see that such changes can’t happen overnight.

Spirited is a story about change and how it’s different for everyone. The new and improved take emphasizes the point that such drastic changes can’t truly be made without time and effort. It focuses on a person’s individuality through their desires, pain, and human nature. This isn’t a movie about just one person and how they can change, but it’s a more realistic display of how people are different, even if they end up making the same choices. 

Rather than dealing with a singular protagonist, Spirited features two protagonists. Just like in the original telling, this story deals with the past, present, and future of a man, Clint Briggs (portrayed by Ryan Reynolds), being haunted by the three spirits in a more comical and musical sense. Our other protagonist, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell), is hell-bent on redeeming into becoming a better person. As the night goes on, Clint refuses to cooperate with any holiday hauntings, making Present’s job increasingly difficult. A lot of the tropes from the original story are more exaggerated and made fun of for laughs in this film compared to other movies with the same concept. However, it still sends a heartfelt message to the audience.