Animation not always kiddie fare

Make a point to see Disney's 3D animated version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

The animation is sumptious, even if the story conjures a time when poverty abounded.

But if your viewing party includes children, consider carefully whether they're up to seeing ghosts, a grim reaper and the scarier side of Ebenezer Scrooge's trip through Christmases past, present and future.

A woman in front of us in the theater spent a good chunk of film holding her hands over the eyes of the two children with her. It's rated PG for scary sequences and images.