“Surviving Christmas”

“Christmas with the Kranks”

“Deck the Halls”

“The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”

Will “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” join their ignominious ranks, or can the new motion-capture film, opening Nov. 6, nudge its way into our hearts as “A Christmas Story” and “Elf” have in recent times?

Hollywood clearly would love to add another yuletide classic into the cultural mix. A Christmas favorite is even better than cranking out a profitable sequel, since it plays in perpetuity and you never have to lift a finger.

But as “Kranks,” “The Grinch” and other films have shown, concocting an insta-classic isn’t easy.

For starters, you have to keep the material relatively clean. One of “Deck the Hall’s” main problems was how far it was willing to reach for a cheap laugh. Those sexual innuendos were not only painfully orchestrated, but they made sure watching the film with the wee ones would be an uncomfortable affair.

And while Tim Allen proved an oddly comforting choice to replace ol’ St. Nick in the “Santa Clause” features, he isn’t a holiday mainstay as “Kranks” aptly proved.

And if you’re going to shoot for a Christmas classic, don’t let Ben Affleck anywhere near the set.

(Photo: Jim Carrey supplies the voice and the physical moves for Scrooge in “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” coming out Nov. 6/©2008 ImageMovers Digital LLC. All Rights Reserved.” Film Frame)

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