I think we can all admit that the Muppets have fallen quite far since the death of their creator, Jim Henson. However, the first few movies produced following closely to his death in the early 90’s were actually very good and created great memories for my generation. One especially was the Muppets spin on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. The Muppet Christmas Carol briskly reenacts the story’s events in a light good-humored way. When I say briskly, I also mean barely. I guess in an attempt to not lose their young audience’s attention, they eliminated small details of the story to shorten it from a possible two hours to about ninety minutes. No mention of Ebenezer’s sister Fanny, no scene showing the dilapidated lives of the poor during the “present” Christmas, no human forms of Ignorance and Want, etc. They also downplayed the drama of some of the most major scenes. You didn’t really get the feel of sorrow when the neglected Belle breaks her engagement to Scrooge nor do you see true terror when Scrooge confronts his own grave. They also made Scrooge’s nephew Fred more of a jerk by having him make jest of his uncle at his Christmas party instead of standing up for him. Michael Caine is a delightful Scrooge, which considering what his character is supposed to be like, may be a bad thing? I found him convincing. Gonzo as the narrator (along with his sidekick Rizzo) and Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit were the most entertaining, him with his jovial weirdness and her with her deep/light one-liners. Most memorable is the opening song “Scrooge”; any young person would recognize it in a second. I think it’s a favorite because the lyrics themselves are funny, and the song is sung almost by the entire Muppet cast. If only there was way to enjoy Kermit’s singing. He always gets the most touching song numbers but his singing isn’t the most soothing. Good thing he’s loveable. And mad props to Steve Whitmire who voiced for Kermit, this movie being the first time doing so since Jim Henson’s death, sounding exactly like him and has been doing an excellent job ever since.
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