 Among the most beloved classic holiday stories out there, perhaps the most famous is Charles Dickens' 'Christmas Carol.' We all know the basic story - Greedy, old miser has to learn about the true meaning of Christmas through the overnight visitation of three spirits. Over the years, there have been countless versions of the story done on the big screen, small screen and stage, often parodied, and still, my favourite version remains the 1951 Alastair Sim version, largely because no one has ever done the "morning after" scene better, as far as I'm concerned.
Having said that, however, a very close second is 'The Muppet Christmas Carol.' Aside from the fact that I freakin' LOVE the Muppets (a staple of my childhood), its a very warm, pure Christmas movie for the whole family, full of wonderful, original holiday music, and it just delivers pure joy every time I watch it. It provides a lot of nostalgia, and watching this for me is akin to someone reading a good book by the fireside. It's a comfy, cozy movie that will leave you with the warm-fuzzies and a smile on your face by the end. One thing that makes this one stand out is the idea of having Charles Dickens, or as we know him best, Gonzo (Dave Goelz) narrate the story, along with his sidekick, and highly successful comedy relief, Rizzo the Rat (Steve Whitmire). As the story unfolds, "Dickens" narrates while Rizzo follows his lead, listening to the story, and often suffering in the process. These two are what are gonna really make you laugh throughout this Muppet adventure, the way they play off each other. And luckily, they show up fairly often! The story's "main course," however, is centred on Ebeneezer Scrooge (Michael Caine); the aforementioned "greedy, old miser." The man seems to hate Christmas and everything surrounding it, claiming it to be a "poor excuse to pick a man's pocket every 25th of December." Meanwhile, like a normal human being, his employee, "Bob Cratchet", a.k.a., Kermit the Frog (also Whitmore) wishes for Christmas Day off to spend time with his family. It's reluctantly granted, and Scrooge heads home. The real fun begins when the ghosts of his old business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley, a.k.a., Stadtler (Jerry Nelson) and Woldorf (also Goelz) visit him at his home, and foretell of the visiting of three spirits that night; the ghosts of Christmas Past (Jessica Fox), Present (also Nelson) and Yet to Come (no voice), all of whom are actually original creations for this film, instead of reusing Muppets we all know and love, surprisingly to the film's advantage. Their originality makes them stand out that much more. Anyway, we all basically know how it all unfolds. The "morning after" scene is pretty solid here as well, and topped off with a nice song called 'The Love We Found,' giving it, again, some originality. The songs here are actually quite strong, and I can't help but add a few to my personal playlist of Christmas Music, like 'One More Sleep 'Til Christmas,' 'It Feels Like Christmas,' and, on the sillier side of things, 'Scrooge,' which is literally a song that's just smack-talking Ebeneezer Scrooge. On a bit more of a serious note, to top this off with the true meaning of giving, the film is also a beautiful love letter to Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, and Richard Hunt, a more prominent puppeteer. Jim's brother. Brian, takes the helm here, and made something awesome - some may argue the last really good Muppet movie, although I'd argue 'Treasure Island' and the 2011 film have their place. But there really is something magical about 'The Muppet Christmas Carol.' It will forever have a place in my heart, and it almost doesn't quite feel like Christmas without it. 5/5
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
RSS Feed