Family Fun Saturday - The Muppet Christmas Carol

Disney, 1992
Starring Michael Caine; Voices of Brian Henson, Dave Golez, and Frank Oz
Directed by Brian Henson
Music and Lyrics by Paul Williams

This was the first Muppet film made after the death of Jim Henson in 1989; Richard Hunt, the long-time voice of Scooter and Janice, had also passed away in the interim. No one was sure whether to go forward with it. It was only did mildly well during December 1992 (competitors that holiday season included Home Alone 2 and Aladdin), but has since become popular with families and fans of both the Muppets and A Christmas Carol. Let's once again head to Victorian London, this time populated by more than a few unusual creatures, to see how well this version holds up now...

The Story: Once again, we have Ebeneezer Scrooge (Caine) throwing around evictions like they're water on Christmas Eve. His staff includes several rats and Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog), who can't talk Scrooge into more coal, but do manage to get him to give them Christmas off. A blue furry Charles Dickens (Gonzo) and his rat buddy Rizzo follow Scrooge as he returns home, where he first encounters his former partners Jacob and Robert Marley (Statler and Waldorf). They're laden with chains and cash boxes from their years of greed, and tell him that three ghosts will haunt him that night to help him avoid their fate. Dickens and his rodent friend follow Scrooge through his sad past and a happier present...but even they won't venture into a spooky Christmas Yet to Come. Scrooge finally realizes just how important friendship and family is, whether your friends are human or felt.

The Song and Dance: Michael Caine makes a fine Scrooge here. He works well with the Muppets, never looking down on them or seeing them as anything less than real. Gonzo and Rizzo are hilarious as the story's narrators and have most of the movie's best lines. The running gag with Rizzo and food is cute, especially in the beginning, when he and Gonzo have to jump a fence, and then he goes back for his jelly beans. Piggy makes a perfect Mrs. Cratchit, too. Her piglets Belinda and Bettina are just too adorable - like mother, like daughters!

I've always loved the mix of CGI and practical effects in this one. The Ghost of Christmas Past still looks incredible. In fact, I think it's one of, if not my favorite version of the first ghost. In the book, Dickens describes the Ghost of Christmas Past as a changing, flowing, timeless being of light, and that certainly describes the ethereal creature they came up with. Even today, it's still quite impressive. The Marley Brothers are the appropriate mix of goofy and menacing, as are the spiders who stand in as the scavengers in the Future segment. The London sets and Muppets on the streets are appropriately grungy and dirty for the time period, and the costumes, on felt and humans alike, are spot-on as well.

Favorite Number: Kermit's best moment is the sweet "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas," first as he and the rats close the counting house, then as he heads home. He, Robin, and the Cratchit family also get to sing the lovely "Bless Us All." The Ghost of Christmas Present leads my favorite song from this film, the boisterous "It Feels Like Christmas," as he leads Scrooge through a London that's alive with good will and some fun dancing.

What I Don't Like: I own the DVD release with the extended fullscreen version, and that's the one that was released on video as well. I have no idea why the bosses at Disney cut the solo ballad for Scrooge's fiancee "When Love Is Gone." They claimed it was too slow for kids, but it didn't bother me in 1992, and it doesn't now. If anything, it gives more meat to a scene that seems too rushed without it, not to mention the song is heard again in the finale.

In fact, I kind of wish they'd done more with the past sequence. Both Scrooge's back story as a neglected child and his relationship with Belle are given short shrift, probably because they couldn't find room for Muppets in them.

The Big Finale: Even in it's cut general release version, this is still a charming musical Christmas Carol that the whole family can enjoy. If you have young kids who aren't up to darker retellings of this story or are a big Muppet fan, this is one of the better Muppet movies and is highly recommended.

Home Media: As one of the most popular Muppet movies and a holiday favorite of many, this is easily found in most formats, both disc and streaming.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime