A Flintstones Christmas Carol is a 1994 American animated made-for-TV movie based on the original series, The Flintstones and on the holiday novel of the same name by Charles Dickens. This was directed by Joanna Romersa.
Plot[]
The Bedrock Community Players is mounting A Christmas Carol, and all of the town's citizens are either planning to attend or be involved in the production: Barney is playing Bob Cragit, with Betty as Mrs. Cragit, Bamm-Bamm as Tiny Tim, Mr. Slate is Jacob Marbley; Wilma is serving as the stage manager, while Pebbles plays Martha Cragit; even Dino has a role, playing the Cragit's family pet.
It is Fred, though, who has landed the leading role of Ebonezer Scrooge. Unfortunately, he has let his role go to his head, thinking himself a star and spending all of his time rehearsing his lines rather than focusing on his job or family. On Christmas Eve, in his rush to get to work, Fred forgets that he must take Pebbles to "cave care", and later to pick her up from cave care. When Fred arrives at the theater, he discovers a furious Wilma, who breaks down in tears as she tells Fred about his mistake.
The play finally begins with narrator Charles Brickens reading the opening lines, and after a momentary bout of stage fright, Fred enters. The play proceeds as normal. As the second act opens, Wilma and Betty discover that Garnet, the woman playing the Ghost of Christmas Past, has contracted the "Bedrock Bug," a flu-like illness. As stage manager, Wilma is left to play the part herself. During the next scene, at Fezziwig's Christmas party, Betty informs Wilma that Maggie has come down with the Bedrock Bug as well; Wilma dons her costume and plays Belle. The third act begins with the hooded figure of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appearing before Scrooge; he shows the elderly man an abandoned gravestone marked with the words "EBONEZER SCROOGE."
The scene shifts to Scrooge's bedchamber—he is alive, and he discovers that it is Christmas morning. He recruits a passing boy (played by the same child who Fred entrusted with his presents) to purchase a prize "Turkeysaurus" and have it sent to the Cragits for a feast. Scrooge prepares to go out and explore the city on Christmas morning; along the way, he meets Wilma, who has taken on the role of one of the members of the Piltdown Charitable Foundation, as the original actor has caught the Bedrock Bug. Fred acts as if the woman is Belle (much to narrator Brickens's frustration, as the ad-libbing is not in his script), and begs for both her and Wilma's forgiveness, admitting his recent selfishness and promising that he has changed his attitudes. Wilma reluctantly plays along.
The play ends with the narrator informing the audience of the permanent change in the elderly man. Bamm-Bamm forgets his line "God bless us, everyone!," leaving Pebbles to make the declaration herself. When the curtain falls, the company drops Fred and scolds him "for being such a Scrooge." Fred apologizes, informing Wilma that he has finally realized that his friends and family, rather than his role in the production, are what matter most. As the company begins to depart, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes off his hood, revealing himself as Dino, who took the part after the regular actor Philo came down with the Bedrock Bug.
A changed Fred says that when the Flintstones get home, he's going to make dinner and invite Wilma's mother as well. Unfortunately, however, after he says this, he comes down with the flu, and Wilma decides to make dinner, since the Bedrock Bug "lasts for 12 hours".
Characters[]
- Fred Flintstone
- Wilma Flintstone
- Barney Rubble
- Betty Rubble
- Pebbles Flintstone
- Bamm-Bamm Rubble
- Pearl Slaghoople (mentioned)
- Joe Rockhead
- Mr. Slate
- Philo Quartz (last appearance)
- Garnet Feldspar (only appearance)
- Maggie (only appearance)
- Ned (only appearance)
- Ernie (only appearance)
- Charles Brickens (only appearance)
- Tom, George, Bill and Harry (only appearance)
- Fanny (only appearance)
Locations[]
Bedrock[]
- Flintstone home
- Slate Rock and Gravel Company
- Bedrock Community Theater (only appearance)
- Bedrock Cave Care (only appearance)
- Bloomingshale's (only appearance)
Objects[]
- Sewing Machine
- A Christmas Carol audition script (only appearance)
- Mesozoic Express card (only appearance)
- Pigasaurus toys (only appearance)
- Gold weight rocks (only appearance)
- Gold Coins (only appearance)
- Turtlesaurus Clipboard (only appearance)
- Flowers
- Gifts
- Daily Slate News-slab
- Cuckoo Clock
- Alarm Clock
- Pocket Watch
Musical Instruments[]
- Bronto-Harp (only appearance)
- Turtlesaurus Drums
- Turtlesaurus Violin (only appearance)
- Storkasaurus Cello
- Tuba Horn
- Hippo-Xylophone
Food[]
- Bronto-Ribs
- Flour bag (only appearance)
- Rockwheat bread
- Stuffed Turkeysaurus
Animals[]
- Snorkasaurus
- Mammoth
- Parasaurus
- Brontosaurus
- Pigasaurus (as toys)
- Turkeysaurus (as a stuffed Turkeysaurus)
- Pterodactyl (as a sewing machine and a cuckoo clock)
- Turtlesaurus (as turtle shell helmets)
- Dodo Bird (as white doves)
- Stegosaurus (as money scales)
- Saber-Toothed Cat (as a door knocker)
- Pelicansaurus
- Hipposaurus (as a Hippo-Xylophone)
- Storkasaurus (as a cello)
Vehicles[]
- Flintmobile
- Loggin Continental
- Cavemobiles
- Philo's police car (only appearance)
Voice Cast[]
| Performer | The Flintstones character(s) | A Christmas Carol character(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Corden | Fred Flintstone | Ebonezer Scrooge |
| Jean Vander Pyl | Wilma Flintstone | Ghost of Christmas Past |
| Belle | ||
| Frank Welker | Barney Rubble | Bob Cragit |
| Mr. Fezziwig | ||
| Dino | Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come | |
| B.J. Ward | Betty Rubble | Mrs. Cragit |
| Russi Taylor | Pebbles Flintstone | Martha Cragit |
| Birdy | ||
| Don Messick | Bamm-Bamm Rubble | Tiny Tim |
| Joe Rockhead | ||
| John Stephenson | Mr. Slate | Jacob Marbley |
| Marsha Clark | Maggie | Belle (originally cast) |
| Miss Garnet Feldspar | Ghost of Christmas Past (originally cast) | |
| Will Ryan | Ned | Scrooge's nephew |
| Brian Cummings | Ernie | Ghost of Christmas Present |
| René LeVant | Philo Quartz | Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (originally cast) |
| John Rhys-Davies | Charles Brickens | Charles Dickens |
Additional Voices[]
- Joanie Gerber
- Maurice LaMarche
- Howard Morris
- Jan Rabson
Notes/Trivia[]
- This is the fourth and final Christmas-themed special in The Flintstones franchise, including "Christmas Flintstone" (1964), A Flintstone Christmas (1977) and A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993).
- The Flintstones are shown to be subscribers of The Daily Granite, the newspaper that Wilma and Betty worked for in the Captain Caveman segments of The Flintstone Comedy Show.
- Fred describes the stuffed pigasaurus that he buys for Pebbles as a "Jurassic pork", an obvious nod to the film franchise, Jurassic Park.
- When the Rubbles are walking offstage at the end, Philo Quartz is shown walking by in the background, looking perfectly fine, despite that he was stated to have caught the Bedrock Bug.
- This is Philo’s only appearance in the main Flintstones canon and his final appearance in general since The Flintstone Kids and its special, The Flintstone Kids' "Just Say No" Special.
- Furthermore, his adult self completely resembles his father and has the same occupation as him.
- Coincidentally, there would later be a Cocoa Pebbles commercial where Barney, Dino and the kids would disguise themselves as the Christmas ghosts to steal Fred’s cereal, with Dino reprising his role from this episode.
- This is the last Flintstones production for several things:
- The last time where Don Messick voices Bamm-Bamm before his death.
- The last official Flintstones production where Henry Corden and Jean Vander Pyl voice Fred and Wilma before their respective deaths.
- The last major production where Barney is voiced by Frank Welker. Welker would continue to voice him in commercials and cameos, however.
- The last film to be produced by Hanna-Barbera, before they folded into Warner Bros. Animation.
- The last time where B.J. Ward voices Betty.