The one “Carol” to rule them all

A Christmas Carol. A tale written by the late, great Charles Dickens. Ever since the original tale’s release in 1843, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge has been told and retold probably a thousand times over. And that’s not counting parodies and homages in tv shows and movies, from Scroogedto the Flinstones, to Mr. Magoo…you name it, they probably did it. Or not, but the point is there are many versions. However, there is one version in particular from my youth. One that was aired every year in syndication here in Connecticut. And then it vanished.

It was an animated version. There are scenes that I have seen dozens upon dozens of times, but still are not the same ones. I’ve been trying to find it online, but to no avail. This video contains the first few minutes of my latest canidate:

According to the poster, it comes from Australia and was released in 1982. I’m not sure if it was ever released stateside, but that date does put it in a likely category. However, the important scenes aren’t there. What I need is the scene with Marley, where Marley motions out and shows other ghosts whose chains keep them forever locked in the natural world, forever doomed to see those in death that they should have helped in life.

There’s another scene with ghost of Christmas Past and of Christmas Present, whose design is unmistakable. I can’t really describe Past, but it’s the only Present I’ve come across thus far (outside of Disney’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol, certainly another must-see) that dresses in Santa’s colors and is only slightly higher than Scrooge, where Ebs not always so slouched. This version has no narrator.

There is one more scene that, if it’s from the same version, is unique unto said version. The scene involves an awakening Scrooge (awakening in heart, that is) sliding down either a stairway or a hill, just like the kids have done in more than one scene.

I’ve seen plenty of versions of this poem, from Disney to Chuck Jones to Magoo and so on. My cable access channel also had a uniquely styled version. However, I have yet to find the one I’m looking for, even online. My quest continues, and any aid that can be offered would be most appreciated. It would have had to have come out before the early or mid-eighties, and I believe (for anyone catching this who lived in the Constitution State around this time) aired on Channel 20, the WTXX years, not the WATR years.

If anyone can help me, comment here or drop me a line at bwmedia(at)snet(dot)net. I really hope to see this one again.

EDIT: If you have an account with WOWIO, they’re offering a downloadable copy of Dicken’s story. Getting an account is free, and the site is full of awesome, so do it now!