When Spirited was announced, the pitch sounded almost too calculated: A Christmas Carol, but as a big-budget musical starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. It had the potential to feel cynical, algorithm-built, or painfully smug. Instead, Spirited turns out to be surprisingly sincere — even when it’s loudly, unapologetically theatrical.
The film reframes Dickens’ classic as an annual operation, complete with departments, metrics, and performance reviews, where ghosts work year-round to redeem one “unredeemable” soul each Christmas. Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present with manic warmth and just enough melancholy, while Reynolds leans into his trademark charm as a modern cynic who believes being “less bad” should count for something.
Where Spirited works best is in its self-awareness. It knows the story is familiar, so it focuses on flipping perspectives. This isn’t just about saving one man’s soul — it’s about questioning who gets judged, who does the judging, and whether change should be transactional. Beneath the jokes and song-and-dance numbers is a surprisingly pointed commentary on modern morality, performative goodness, and public image.
The musical numbers are energetic and polished, even if not all are equally memorable. The pacing occasionally stumbles under its own enthusiasm, and the runtime stretches the premise thin in places. But the commitment is undeniable. Everyone involved is fully on board with the absurdity — and that conviction matters.
Spirited may not replace traditional Christmas classics, but it earns points for swinging big, singing loud, and actually caring about what redemption means in a modern world.
