It's Will Ferrell's 'Christmas Carol' in full trailer for Ryan Reynolds holiday musical team-up 'Spirited'

Charles Dickens' classic holiday ghost story A Christmas Carol is one of the most adapted pieces of literature ever published, but we're still finding new ways to spin it. In just a couple of weeks, yet another take on Dickens' story will arrive in the form of Apple's Spirited, and now the full trailer for the updated, musical adaptation of the legendary tale has arrived. 

This time around, things unfold a little differently, as the film establishes that what happened to Ebenezer Scrooge all those years ago is actually part of an annual tradition in which a group of spirits visit one lost soul every Christmas and attempt to turn their life around by showing them their past, present, and future. This year, that honor goes to Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), a businessman who doesn't seem to have time for holiday magic, and questions the decision-making process that led to him being chosen in the first place.

But one particular spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) won't give up on Clint so easily. He's determined to prove both to the other ghosts and to Clint himself that he can make a real change in the man's life, and the result is a Christmas adventure full of music, laughs, and maybe proof that even ghosts can go on journeys of self-discovery. 

Check out the trailer below:

Directed and co-written by Sean Anders (Instant Family), the immediate appeal of Spirited lies in the team-up between Ferrell and Reynolds, but it's clear from this trailer that the film is also out to do some interesting new things with the Christmas Carol formula. The idea of telling the story from the ghost's point of view is intriguing, as is the sense of worldbuilding we see in this trailer as Present starts to push back against the system he's working within. Then there's the idea that Present has a life of his own even beyond working to change the lives of other, and that he just might be falling in love with Clint's coworker (Octavia Spencer). It's a lot to work with, and it could all add up to a very rewarding holiday movie experience.

Spirited arrives in select theaters Nov. 11 before landing on Apple TV+ Nov. 18. 

Looking for more holiday fare to stream? Peacock has teamed up with Hallmark for a full-on hub of Christmas and holiday movies.