25 Greatest Christmas Films: #17: A Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Posted by Dirty Harry on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
A Muppet Christmas Carol is of course elevated, as all things are, by the presence of The Mighty Michael Caine, but it works on more levels that just an inspired bit of casting. Within seconds you completely buy into the world and tone created by Brian Henson who doesn’t miss a step picking up where his father, Jim, left off. Naturally, the Muppet characters are wonderful, but the film mainly benefits from a lean, taut, very funny, and even moving script.
There’s an early scene where Caine’s Scrooge threatens the future employement of his office workers for daring to be cold. Instantly they put on a Hawaiian luau. From that moment on the movie owned me.
This is also a perfect holiday film for small kids. Above-average songs, a faithfulness to the source material, a lot of heart, and important lessons learned when Scrooge, once a Democrat who, like Joe Lieberman and Bill Ayers’ Friend, didn’t give to charity under the belief that poverty was a government problem, opens his heart to market solutions.
Filed in Classic Films |
NoFearForTheSettingSunon 09 Dec 2008 at 8:22 am 1This is one of the jewels of my childhood and a movie that I will always have fond memories of. Though the George C. Scott version will ALWAYS be my favorite version of this tale, “A Muppet Christmas Carol” will forever be a movie that I can watch with fond memories.
Bill Cookon 09 Dec 2008 at 8:39 am 2What makes this movie truly great is the fact that in the midst of all the zany behavior of the muppets, Michael Caine plays scrooge absolutely straight. Thus, the story remains meaningful and the presentation enjoyable.
Brandonon 09 Dec 2008 at 8:40 am 3Excellent movie though I would have put it in my top 10 Christmas movies.
Robert Lindseyon 09 Dec 2008 at 8:54 am 4An excellent movie. I also think the Muppet Treasure Island is one of the best re-tellings of that story.
Plissken79on 09 Dec 2008 at 9:09 am 5The George C. Scott version is my favorite as well, although the Muppet version is not bad, although Oscar the Grouch might have made an interesting Scrooge
Johnny Ed's Babyon 09 Dec 2008 at 9:10 am 6The kids were 7 and 3 when we saw this movie. I think I enjoyed it more than they did.
ScottDSon 09 Dec 2008 at 9:12 am 7I guess I was 9 when this came out. I should really see it again. I do remember liking it and thinking that the “Christmas future” scene was quite dark.
Ginaon 09 Dec 2008 at 9:23 am 8Wonderful choice. Love this one. (I’ll be interested to see if “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” makes the list as well — another great adaptation of the story. Ah, for the days of intelligent and funny children’s films . . .)
PerfectTommyon 09 Dec 2008 at 9:44 am 9The creators of the Muppets did an amazing job at appealing to the whole family. Many animated film makers today (yeah, I’m looking at you Dreamworks) think that in order to do this you need to include double entendres and be ‘edgey’.
As JEB says indicates above, adults often enjoy these films as much or more than the kids, and the kids enjoy them an awful lot.
Stephanieon 09 Dec 2008 at 10:08 am 10What an awesome movie. This is one of my favs. Of course George C. Scott’s is my personal most awesome Scrooge this is a close second. Michael Caine=BRILLIANT! And omg the Muppets! MUPPETS! Statler and Waldorf as Marley and Marely dang….and Kermit, and Piggy and Rizzo and Gonzo….sigh awesome. Your doomed Scrooge, doomed for all time……
What is more a film about what being a Christian than a Christmas Carol? I ask you?
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Bill Ayers’ Friend, didn’t give to charity under the belief that poverty was a government problem, opens his heart to market solutions.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Awesome.
mjkon 09 Dec 2008 at 10:12 am 11This was a great movie. I loved the way Michael Caine played Scrooge. That had to be hard to keep a straight face!! It was awesome.
Jake Was Hereon 09 Dec 2008 at 10:24 am 12Michael Caine in this film proves one of the central adages of keeping comedy funny — the characters involved don’t know they’re in a comedy. The best humor comes out of people stuck in an absurd situation but still playing everything absolutely straight… and there’s no situation more absurd than being the main human character in a film full of Muppets.
“Will you stop criticizing me? You were always criticizing me!”
“We were always heckling you.”
“It’s good to be heckling again!”
“It’s good to be doing anything again!”
Zsuzsaon 09 Dec 2008 at 11:54 am 13This is my all-time favorite Christmas movie.
What really makes it work is the fact that everyone takes it seriously. The human actors all act as if it is perfectly natural for a bear to have been Scrooge’s first employer, and the fact that we have a pig married to a frog doesn’t raise any eyebrows. They make a consistent world that’s almost exactly my image of Dickensian London. At least if Dickens had been a blue…whatever.
I also liked the music.
billypaintbrushon 09 Dec 2008 at 1:53 pm 14Have always been a muppet fan and belonged to the Muppet Fan Club in the 70’s (still have the button).
What I found personally helpful from this, was to help focus understanding of the George C Scott performance. The contrast of Caine and Scott really shows the empty meanness of Scrooge that we assume Dickens intended.
Jake Was Hereon 09 Dec 2008 at 2:10 pm 15“Oh, come on. A blue, furry Charles Dickens who hangs out with a rat?!”
“Absolutely!”
Mulholland Kevinon 09 Dec 2008 at 5:16 pm 16Hear! Hear! This is the favorite Christmas movie in our house. True to Dickens in its own Muppetish way. Even after many, many viewings we keep finding new eyeball kicks.
One bit of humor we enjoy is how in the Kermit/Piggy family the boys are all frogs and the girls are all pigs.
Ginaon 09 Dec 2008 at 5:23 pm 17I’ve always had a feeling that Dickens would have appreciated the Muppet treatment.
The man had a pretty awesome sense of humor.
elizabetheon 09 Dec 2008 at 5:37 pm 18billypaintbrush, can you elaborate on your Scott vs. Caine contrast? That’s interesting.
The Muppet Show is hysterical and really smart. It wasn’t afraid to take risks either. Liberace was on once and they devoted almost the entire show to a straight up piano concert. (well, there were all kinds of muppet birds wandering around the stage, but otherwise, it was a straight up piano concert).
Obi-Wandreason 09 Dec 2008 at 7:02 pm 19In my mind there are few things which are as perfect expressions of pure goodness and joy as the muppets.
The first time I saw it, I was flipping through channels on the tv. I was still living with my parents, and their old tv had no functioning remote. I was therefore sitting on the corner of a small table next to the tv, flipping channels on the box manually. When I came across this, I stopped.
A few minutes later, my dad was walking through the living room. Seeing muppets on the tv, he stopped.
A few minutes later, my mom walked through the living room and also stopped.
There we all remained, unmoving, until the end of the movie.
A few years before we had our daughter, my wife & I began to discuss what movies should be added to the collection for the benefit of future children. There was no doubt at all that the Muppets needed to figure heavily in our collection. I just can’t wait until she’s old enough to enjoy them.
Stephanieon 09 Dec 2008 at 7:10 pm 20All I know is Jim Henson was a rare and wonderful man. He died too young of an illness I know too well. He was a real gift from God.
ArchiCrashon 10 Dec 2008 at 11:38 am 21Probably my favorite Christmas movie, period. Aside from being superbly done and having some really nice songs, I just love the way it handles the characters. The oddness and fourth-wall-breaking of Gonzo and Rizo, juxataposed with Schrooge and Kermit/Cratchet, who play the movie completely straight.
And besides, who couldn’t love Arrow’s part in the movie.
“Ah, busines. It is the American way!”
*Gonzo whispers in his ear*
“Ahem, it is the Brittish way!”