The holiday season is upon us…and the films are in full swing, including Spirited, which is a musical take on A Christmas Carol. Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. This time around, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present, and future.
For the first time, the classic story is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this comedy with a musical twist. Also starring in the film are Octavia Spencer and Sunita Mani. Shadow and Act spoke with the funny foursome on why this version is not one to miss.
The musicality of it all is why Ferrell wanted to be part of it. He’s become synonymous with Christmas, starring in holiday film favorites like Elf and Daddy’s Home 2 but has never gotten to express his love of performing in such a way as in this film.
“This project was special because it’s the first time I'm doing a for real musical. [It’s also] a chance to to get to reinvent an old story while touching on [important themes] that Octavia and Ryan have brought up, and it’s what I thought was a unique opportunity,” Ferrell said.
Spencer says the holidays present a time to slow down and live in the moment. She also says the film is timely to bring forth some joy in a world where negativity is consumed.
“It is extremely timely for the world, not just isolated for our country. I think that's what our job as artists, it's to reflect what's going on in society, but also provide a little escapism,” she told us.
“What I hope our film does is allow a little reflection going into the holidays, because now more than ever, we need people to be the best version of themselves,” she added.
Spirited will premiere in theaters on Nov. 11, and globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, Nov. 18. Check out the full video interview above.
