Muppet Christmas Carol

Love this movie! Best Christmas Carol movie ever.

This is one of my favorite movies -- right up there with The Sound of Music! I have the old VCR tape already, but I know it won't last, as my VCR won't either. I look forward to watching it every Christmas Day (& this BluRay version has extras!), along with The Man Who Invented Christmas. If you love Dickens, Scrooge, &/or the Muppets, you will love this well-done movie. It's hilarious yet touching. Your kids will love it, too. I have seen it more times than I can count, yet every time I notice something new. Excellent job, Muppets & Michael Caine!

Love this movie! Watch this every Christmas. Yes, the song When love is gone is missing. Funny i hated that part when I was a kid but now I wish it was there.

Brian Henson’s 1992 film, “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” adapts Charles Dickens’ classic novella from 1843 about miser Ebenezer Scrooge receiving a warning from the ghost of his former business partner that his actions have doomed him and so he will be given a chance to reform following visits from three spirits. The film stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, the Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Rizzo the Rat as co-narrator, Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit, Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim Cratchit, Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig, Statler and Waldorf as the Marley Brothers, Steven Mackintosh as Fred, and Meredith Braun as Belle. The story follows Dickens’ narrative fairly faithfully, with only a few minor changes to accommodate the Muppet performers and musical numbers. Caine is brilliant as Scrooge, perfectly capturing his character transformation over the film’s 86-minute runtime. Kermit strikes just the right note as Bob Cratchit, while the inclusion of Gonzo as Dickens himself enables Henson to keep a great deal of Dickens’ text in this story. As the first Muppet film co-produced with Disney, this strikes the right note and remains a Christmas classic. It also paved the way for a second feature Muppet literary adaption: Brian Henson’s 1996 film, “Muppet Treasure Island.” Bonus features include the “Disney Intermission;” commentaries from Brian Henson as well as from Kermit, Gonzo, and Rizzo; a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film; a blooper reel; a profile of Gonzo; and a look at Christmas traditions from around the world. These are fun, but the “Disney Intermission” isn’t my favorite. When the viewer presses “pause,” a series of musical shorts involving Gonzo’s chickens, Rizzo and his family, and others begin. Unfortunately, this somewhat defeats the purpose of pausing the film, particularly if one needs to take a call or respond to someone. Otherwise, this is a great way to add “The Muppet Christmas Carol” to someone’s home movie collection.

This movie is a total classic. The addition of the Muppets into a very serious and spooky story give it a bit of levity and silliness that strikes the perfect tone for a holiday movie. Michael Cain plays Scrroge straight on like he isn't interacting with Muppets, which I think makes his performance one of the best and most true and touching iterations of the character ever seen on screen. Its the perfect film for the holidays and even as an adult I still watch it every year.

If you are reading this review, chances are that you are as familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge as you are with The Wizard of Oz. Who doesn't know the classic tale? Did you know the story of A Christmas Carol has been filmed over 200 times, the first film being made in 1908? Adaptations have run the gamut, from strict adherence to the story to the irreverent (Blackadder's Christmas Carol, 1988) and the modern (Scrooged, also 1988.) Assuming you are already familiar with the tale, what makes an adaptation superior? Any story well known enough to have practically risen to the status of folktale is at risk of being so familiar its message becomes tired if not presented compellingly. On the surface, the broad plot action of A Christmas Carol might be summed up in the sentence: Scrooge gets scared straight. The challenge of any adaptation is to impress the audience of the personal joy that inhabits anyone who embraces generosity and kindness - we can all deduce that the lives of Bob Cratchit's family will improve financially, and that the poor in general will benefit from Scrooge's transformation: but what about the man himself? The beauty of the tale is of a bitter man who, in the end, really is given more than he can ever give. Even extremely liberal adaptations like Scrooged understood this: the real message in that film was summed up by Bill Murray in the closing sequence, where he tells his audience that once you start giving, you'll get a wonderful feeling, and "You'll want it EVERY DAY." The film must inspire us to do likewise, not to mention entertain us along the way. Think the muppets are just for kids? Wrong! There's enough sophisticated humor embedded in this film to give anyone a laugh, largely provided by its narrators, The Great Gonzo (as Dickens) and his sidekick, Rizzo the Rat. There are other detail changes to the old story slipped in to spice up the old tale for those familiar with it - just hearing the august Michael Caine sincerely utter the line, "Why, it's Fozziwig's old rubber chicken factory! I had my first job there" is enough to set us laughing. Let's talk about the ghosts. A successful adaptation has just got to have good ghosts, and the presentations here are wonderful. Christmas Past is represented by an ethereal child, voiced wonderfully; Christmas Present is the most welcoming spirit, voiced marvelously by Jerry Nelson (a muppet veteran) - these are the speaking spirits, and both are stunning muppet creations. True to tradition, Christmas Yet to Come does not speak, and manages to be chilling and stern without being too frightening to children (this creation is faceless, and for some reason that spooks grownups more than kids.) Michael Caine is an absolutely fantastic Scrooge, very human and real. It's no small feat to interact realistically with non-human counterparts - even if they are the wonderful muppets - and Caine does this with vigor, gusto, and humility. The only weak spot in the film is the detail on Scrooge's lost love; no one really seems to do this well. It's not very interesting for children (uck, the kissing stuff!) and it's too tired for adults. This section of the film also sports the only disappointing musical number (the rest are great.) Don't let this stop you, though - it's brief. Why such a long review for the muppets? Because I think Brian Henson is simply doing the best family filmaking out there today. As I stated in a review of Muppet Treasure Island, such films must have appeal for all family members, and A Muppet Christmas Carol is no exception. Make it part of your family tradition this year.

The price for this collection edition Blu-ray/ dvd is surprising. I can’t imagine many people who are willing to pay $100+ for one a one disc movie. This was the lowest price I could find for the muppet Christmas carol either here on amazon or on eBay. The one o bought was used and labeled as “good” but I think the condition was very good for a used movie. For the price I was hoping for a song that I think I remember from when I had this movie on vhs. Like a dream long forgotten I seem to remember a song from the vhs version in which Belle, Scrooges love interest, sings a song g while in the past which I think was called “when love is gone.” Sadly this disc doesn’t feature the song. The first thing I did was pop it in and search the scene option to skip to the past and see if the song was there. Again sadly it wasn’t which I think is terrible because not only do I miss it but you see Rizzo the rat crying for no apparent reason. Without out the song in there it’s like he’s crying for no reason but it’s because of how the song made him feel. Two once lovers who break up because of the greed of another. Still it’s a good Christmas movie and I’m glad I have it in my collection. Cheers and many merry Christmas’s to the seller! A+ all around!😊👍🎄

This review is based on the original DVD; the 50th Anniversary Edition, on DVD; and the 20th Anniversary Edition, on BluRay; I own copies of all three editions. An avid fan of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the Webmaster of A U.S. Christmas Carol, I have collected more than six dozen adaptations of A Christmas Carol on CD, DVD, and VHS, as well as in the forms of softcopies of audio and video files; I own copies of adaptations released in every decade since 1901, including the adaptation which Thomas Edison's Film Manufacturing Corp. released in 1910. They fall into five basic categories: 1) the ones I find so offensive that I regret watching them, and may not have watched from beginning to end; 2) the ones I do not particularly like, and would not recommend to anyone else except, perhaps, other avid collectors; 3) the ones I can not, in good faith, recommend to all audiences, but which I like well enough to watch again; 4) the ones I can recommend, in good faith, to all audiences, but which I do not particularly care to watch again; and 5) the ones which I can recommend, in good faith, to all audiences, and which I do enjoy well enough to watch again and again. The Muppet Christmas Carol falls into the fifth category. It incorporates the charm of the Muppets, with original Paul Williams songs, and dance routines, in a "frame" narrated by Charles Dickens, played by Gonzo; and Rizzo the Rat. Michael Caine excels as Scrooge, in my favorite role I've ever seen him play. The 50th Anniversary Edition (celebrating fifty years since Kermit the Frog's debut on "Sam and Friends," in 1955) is a copy of the original, DVD edition, with slightly different labels and packaging to commemorate the anniversary. Both versions have a commentary track by the Director, Brian Henson; "Pepe Profiles Present - Gonzo: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Weirdo"; "Christmas Around the World" (or, at least, in Australia, Czechoslavakia, England, France, and Sweden); and "Outtakes and Bloopers: On the Set Gag Reel." Both of these editions include the duet, sung by Meredith Braun and Michael Caine, "When Love Is Gone." To access it, viewers select "Play," which causes a submenu to appear, where they can either select the "Full Screen Extended Version," or the "Widescreen Theatrical Version." The "Full Screen Extended Version" is the one with the duet, "When Love Is Gone," which the Director, Brian Henson claims, in one of the "Bonus Features," is the first time Michael Caine sang a song for film or television. I don't believe this scene is available on the 20th Anniversary BluRay Edition. However, it does have a couple of "Bonus Features" which are not available on previous editions: "Frogs, Pigs, and Humbug: Unwrapping a New Holiday Classic"; and an audio commentary track starring Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, and Rizzo the Rat. The menu on the BluRay is very different from the menus on the previous editions. Instead of having Kermit appear in front of a window in Scrooge's office, to nag viewers to make a selection if they take too long, the BluRay menu is on a vertical band, on the left side of the screen, which initially shows the rooftops of London, as relaxing, Christmas music plays in the background - no annoying characters to nag anyone! What's even better is that, when the menu is selected while playing the film, the film continues to play, with the menu in its vertical band on the left side of the screen, allowing viewers to select different menu options "on the fly." One thing I find convenient but disturbing about the BluRay, is that it automatically asks if the viewer wants to continue watching the film from where they left off, even after removing the BluRay, turning the BluRay player off and on, and putting the disc back in! Another addition to the BluRay edition, which I find annoying, is the Intermission feature, which begins playing automatically after the disc is paused for a certain number of seconds. Luckily, this option can be turned off. Overall, this is one of my all time favorite adaptations of A Christmas Carol, which I highly recommend to EVERYONE!

pour Noel en famille , une histoire classique avec une vraie fantaisie .

Really is enjoyable and seemingly translated well. I recommend it for children and adults as an alternative fun Christmas tale.

Excellent quality Blu-ray: No problems loading or running. Hilarious movie, as well.... Definitely worth the money

perfect movie for Christmas season and arrived right on time

It's not just a great Christmas movie, it's a great movie full stop! We watch this every Christmas, and for the price it's on sale, we now definitely have it for good. Enough worrying about whether it won't be shown on TV or only available on disney+, I have the DVD and need fret not! You don't need to be a muppets fan to enjoy this movie. They combine so well with Michael Caine (the only human in the village), to make his a memorable, touching and warm viewing pleasure - like a welcoming winter fire in the depths of winter. Caine's performance is excellent. Based on the Dickens novel, it's a story about a 'scrooge' who has his eyes opened to what he has become, and how redemption is possible, even if you've really become a horrible person. There's hope for us all! Some ghosts may be a little scary for younger children, so I'd recommend this for 5+. Enjoy, it's impossible not to! And Happy Christmas, one and all!