Holiday movie preview: 11 burning questions about Avatar, Wakanda, Whitney Houston, Will Smith, and much more

is the umpteenth adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol, one of those properties that has been revived and revisited for so many Christmases that surely even Dickens himself would say we should have stopped after the Muppets’ version. But producer-stars Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds have several things going for them. For one, this is a riff on the ghostly story we know and love, with Ferrell playing the Ghost of Christmas Present, who’s forced to examine his own past and future. It also co-stars Octavia Spencer, with whom you can never go wrong. But most intriguing is the fact that Spirited is a movie musical, featuring songs from musical theater titans Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Will this feel like one too many Christmas Carol iterations? Or will it hit the family friendly sweet spot this holiday season? Audiences can see for themselves in select theaters November 11 and streaming on Apple TV+ November 18. [Jack Smart]