In spite of the lack of creativity seen in most UPA cartoons of the early 1960s, something special happened to influse Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol with warmth, vitality, and the "holiday spirit." Audiences and critics consider this episode to be a holiday delight, the best of many animated adaptations of Charles Dickens' famous short story A Christmas Carol, and perhaps one of the best portrayals of the story ever. This episode was broadcast as a TV special many times during the holiday season from the 1960s through the 1980s, before being released on video.