[4] The film notably has Alastair Sim and Michael Hordern reprising their respective roles as Ebenezer Scrooge and Marley's ghost.

In London, 1843, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come to teach him the true spirit of the season.

[6] A Christmas Carol was directed by Richard Williams and its visual style is also largely due to Ken Harris, credited as "Master Animator".

Michael Redgrave narrated the story and veteran Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones served as executive producer.

The film's bleak mood and emphasis on darkness and shadows led some to consider it the most frightening of the many dramatizations of the Dickens classic.