Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (Kids Cinema)

The Hub on Verulam is screening Scrooge: A Christmas Carol on Thursday 17 December, a family session of the animated musical adaptation of Dickens's classic. It's the 2022 version, so it's a relatively recent take on the story we all know: Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly old man who gets three visits from ghosts and comes out the other side a changed man. Being a musical, the whole thing is sung through, with the songs carrying the plot rather than just breaking it up.

It's billed as a family screening, which sets the tone for who it's for. If you've got younger ones at home, it's a good way to introduce them to the story without having to sit through a long stage production or a slow-paced period drama. The animation keeps things moving, and the music makes it a bit more of a spectacle than a straight reading of the book. It's the kind of thing that works as a mid-December outing when the Christmas mood has properly set in.

As for the practicals, it's on Thursday 17 December at 6:30pm, so it's an early evening slot that doesn't run too late into the night. Tickets are £8, which is a fair price for a cinema trip with the kids. The Hub on Verulam is right in the centre of St Albans, so it's an easy one to get to without much fuss. If you're looking for a low-key way to get the family together around the story of Scrooge and his ghosts, this is a straightforward option.