Directed by Brian Henson

Yes, we have another remake of Charles Dickens’ classic book “A Christmas Carol”, but this time the Muppets have most of the roles with the exception of the lead character Scrooge, who is played by Michael Caine. The Great Gonzo plays Charles Dickens himself and narrates the film. I didn’t realize that Dickens had such a huge nose, if only there was rhinoplasty available back then!

Just about every body on this planet will know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. He is very tight with his money, even though he has plenty of it. Basically he is not a very nice man at all and nobody likes him! It’s Christmas Eve and three different ghosts decide to visit Scrooge. They decide to teach him a thing or two about himself during this festive season and people’s perceptions of him as well. There’s the Ghost of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and of course Christmas Yet To Come.

The Marley’s ghosts are the first to call (ex business partners) and warn him of the three ghosts still to come. Each ghost visits in turn taking Scrooge to places such as his old school, his first place of employment (his boss was Fozzie Bear), the home of the Cratchits and Tiny Tim (Miss Piggy is Mrs. Cratchit) and his final resting place. Well, as you know Scrooge is transformed into a new man with a completely new outlook on life. He still has time to make things right and change his destiny.

There’s a scattering of songs throughout this film even the vegetables join in. There are cameos by many of the regular Muppets, you know the ones: Beaker, The Swedish Chef, Waldorf and Statler etc. Michael Caine even belts out a song and I wish he hadn’t really. Stick to acting please. There’s a plethora of “humbug” too. What Scrooge film would be without that famous catch cry.

You can’t really make a bad Scrooge film, the story is so likeable and there’s a happy ending for all. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the acting is in this film when most of the cast are cute and flurry. Did I mention that the cast was cute and flurry ? What child can resist singing rabbits and rats ? Kids under ten may love this film but most above that age will probably be bored (My two year old even knows The Muppets). They should be made to realize how special The Muppets really are, they were ahead of their time when they hit our screens back in the seventies. In this film, there are no wires to be seen. You can marvel at all the special effects too!!!

Muppet films are hard to come by on DVD and they are rarely on television these days so this DVD will be a trip down memory lane for most people my age who spent their childhood watching The Muppet Show in prime time.

This would make an ideal Christmas present if you are looking for a stocking filler even though I don’t think it is a DVD that will get regular viewings in my household. It is the kind of movie you can whack on the television during December when there’s just rubbish on commercial television and have a sing along. Bring on some more Muppet DVDs please ! I love the fact that love can cross the species barrier and the fact that a pig and a frog can have little frogs and pigs.

The film only runs for 85 minutes and should appear to children and their parents who grew up watching The Muppets on television over twenty years ago. There are some special features to enjoy after the movie as well (just under 30 minutes worth).

THE EXTRAS

There are a number of extras available. They are:
? Scene selection (ten different scenes to select)
? Audio Commentary (The director Brian Henson leads you through the movie).
? Three different featurettes for you to view here. They are:
1) Christmas around the World - Gonzo and Rizzo talk to us about how Christmas is celebrated in different parts of the world with various animations (countries include Australia, Sweden, France and England). This runs for 3 minutes only. I learnt that in Australia Santa arrives on a surf board. I must be living in a different country.
2) Gag Reel - These are the bloopers in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Very short again!
3) The Making of this movie (Frogs, Pigs and Humbug) - This runs for 20 minutes. We get to meet the director (Jim Henson’s son Brian) and Paul Williams (the composer) briefly. They talk about Michael Caine singing amongst other things. (It’s his first time - and hopefully his last!). Henson also talks about his favourite scenes and how some of the special effects were achieved.

CONCLUSION

Just about every body on this planet will know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. He is very tight with his money, even though he has plenty of it. Basically he is not very nice and nobody likes him! It’s Christmas Eve and three different ghosts decide to visit Scrooge. They decide to teach him a thing or two about himself during this festive season and people’s perceptions of him as well. There’s the Ghost of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and of course Christmas Yet To Come. This film is different from most “A Christmas Carol” remakes because The Muppets take on most of the roles. As a result, expect “show tunes”, singing vegetables and a frog being married to a pig. The Muppets are still cute even though they are from last century.