There’s no way the great writer Charles Dickens could have known the centuries-lasting impact of his 1843 novella ‘A Christmas Carol’ would have on world culture and cinema.
There’s also no way the English writer, born in 1812, could have envisioned the story being played out 180 years later by an ensemble group of wild and crazy puppets, but that’s what we have in “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”
There’s no need for an in-depth review of a movie like this. We all know the story, and with a few minor alterations, The Muppet production follows the Dickens tale to a T. What’s interesting to note is “The Muppet Christmas Carol” was the first Muppet film produced following the untimely death of creator Jim Henson in 1990. It would mark the changing of the guard as Henson’s son Brian would take over the family business, and make his directorial debut.
We’ve got the silly humor and parlor jokes made famous by the Muppet’s, and there’s no way one can watch and not laugh throughout at the slapstick gags and antics of the crazy and lovable goofballs within. All the classic characters are there, including Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as Cratchit’s wife, and Gonzo as the narrator.
There are plenty of obscure Muppets filling in as extras in the snow coated London streets, and cameos as well from Fozzi the Bear, Bunson and Beeker, or my favorite, Animal.
What makes this movie work so well is the focal character of Ebeneezer Scrooge is not played by a puppet, but by a real life two-time Academy Award winning star, Michael Caine. Caine is one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s (the other one being Jack Nicholson.
Caine is marvelous in his portrayal of the miserly Scrooge, and while it’s a difficult task to act dour while bantering with Kermit the Frog, Caine does it as if chatting with a talking green reptile is a perfectly normal occurrence.
“The Muppet Christmas Carol” includes musical interludes that are fun and catchy, with Muppets and people alike singing and dancing. Don’t let the G rating fool you, this is the type of film that can and should be enjoyed by all ages. 27 years later and it still holds up as a perfect Christmas movie and a comical spinoff of the time-honored Dickens work.
