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“After all, there’s only one more sleep ‘til Christmas…”
Like most kids in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I grew up loving Jim Henson’s Muppet creations. I adored them all—“Sesame Street,” “The Muppet Show,” “Fraggle Rock,” and even “Muppet Babies.” Although many Muppet specials have been created since Henson’s untimely death in 1990, most of them don’t hold a candle to the older ones. The one exception—and the one that’s become a Christmas tradition in my family—is 1992’s Muppet Christmas Carol.
While not a stage musical, there’s no arguing that this film can definitely be considered a movie musical. With great songs like “Scrooge,” “It Feels Like Christmas,” and “When Love is Gone,” there’s enough good music in the movie to satisfy any musical lover. Throw in all of your favorite Muppet characters, some humor, and a whole lot of heart, and you’ve got a recipe for a true Christmas classic.
For the most part, Muppet Christmas Carol is a traditional retelling of the classic Dickens story where Ebenezer Scrooge is saved from a chain-bound eternity in hell by visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Of course, nothing is ever a “straight” retelling where the Muppets are concerned. One of the few liberties taken with the plot concerns Scrooge’s deceased business partner—instead of a ghostly visit by one Jacob Marley, Scrooge gets two visits from his old partners: Jacob and Robert Marley, played by famed Muppet hecklers Statler and Waldorf. (And even after repeated viewings, that joke never stops being funny.) And then, of course, there’s the traditional Muppet wackiness, mostly provided by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat, who serve as the story’s narrators.
If the whole movie was simply a slightly wacky version of the story, that’d be fine. But the Muppet producers went one step further when they cast Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. I’ve seen a lot of different versions of A Christmas Carol, and Caine is far and away my favorite Scrooge. Most actors choose to play the old miser with a lot of bluster and anger, and while that’s certainly present in Caine’s Scrooge, it’s only a small part of his character. You realize early on that this Scrooge has really had a very sad life, and before long, you’re rooting for his redemption. I find it ironic that, even surrounded by felt puppets, Michael Caine manages to deliver the most human portrayal of Scrooge I’ve ever seen. And, as the penniless clerk Bob Crachit, Kermit the Frog (voiced here by Steve Whitmire) provides a strong center to the movie.
Muppet Christmas Carol was the first full-length Muppet special created after Henson’s death. Somehow, it managed to capture the feel and the heart of Henson’s Muppets in a way that subsequent specials were never able to manage. For over ten years, it’s been one of my favorite Christmas movies, and one that I invariably find myself singing along to. I highly recommend you check it out.
