Spirited: Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer reveal new spin on Christmas classic in Apple TV musical

'It’s a big, bold musical with wonderful songs and dance numbers,' Will Ferrell told Duncan Golestani

Hollywood stars Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer said their new musical twist on Charles Dickens' Christmas classic made them feel like West End stars.

The duo joined forces with Ryan Reynolds in the Apple TV film, Spirited, which is an alternative take on A Christmas Carol.

The movie will be released on Friday (18 Nov) and for the first time sees the story told from the perspective of the ghosts.

The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Will Ferrell, selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. 

"We go about showing who they are going to pick for their Scrooge, and we settle on the delightful Ryan Reynolds!" Will Ferrell told ITV News London.

"It’s a big, bold musical with wonderful songs and dance numbers and we got thrown into the middle of it.

"It’s a legitimate musical, we had seven weeks of rehearsal learning all these dance moves and voice lessons and pre-records and all these things and we felt like Broadway/West End stars!" Ferrell explained.

Octavia plays the character Kimberly, an executive assistant to Ryan Reynold's character who is having a crisis of faith in herself and her job.

Asked who was the better singer between Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds she said: "They both brought their A game and are very impressive!

"But I’m going to say Ryan was a better dancer and Will a better singer," she added.

Will Ferrell famously starred in Elf which was released in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim and considered to be one of the top Christmas films of all time.

The actor said the secret to a good Christmas movie was a message of hope and positivity.

He said: "With the film Elf it’s beautifully uncynical, there is a wonderful message of hope that people can change.

"We had a song called Do A little Good and were need more and we need more of that in our day-to-day interactions."

As well as Ferrell, Spencer and Reynolds, Spirited also stars Mr Robot’s Sunita Mani, and is available for streaming on Apple TV+ from 18 November.

Unscripted is ITV News' arts and entertainment podcast, brought to you by ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar. In each episode, Nina speaks to a leading name from the world of arts and entertainment