Mario’s Musings (Christmas Edition): The Muppet Christmas Carol
How do you make Charles Dickens’ iconic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge finding the true spirit of Christmas even more iconic? You add the Muppets!
Everything is better with the Muppets. It’s just science.
We all know the story; Scrooge is a grumpy old man who hates the idea of Christmas and loves the idea of holding on to all his money. He gets visited by his former dead partner who tells him to change his ways or else he’s spending the afterlife in chains. Three ghosts later and he’s embraced the spirit of Christmas.
This version of A Christmas Carol has The Great Gonzo portraying Charles Dickens himself as a narrator, with Rizzo the Rat as his sidekick for some shenanigans.
Michael Caine takes on the mantle of Scrooge, and has the challenge of acting opposite of the Muppets. For the great Michael Caine, that’s easier than having to be in Jaws: The Revenge. He plays the role completely straight, which adds to the absurdity of his surroundings considering his office is filled with Rizzo’s cousins as his employees. And of course, he keeps his composure the entire time, outside of one scene where he clearly cracks a non-Scrooge smile that says “I’m in a Muppet movie”.
Kermit the Frog takes on the role of Bob Cratchit, playing Bob in a way that’s almost completely different than what we usually get from a Kermit performance. Miss Piggy of course plays Mrs. Cratchit as only she can. You half expect her to toss Scrooge across the room in their one scene together.
Statler and Waldorf play the Marley Brothers, and have a great song to go along with their scene. Jacob and Robert Marley (yes, Bob Marley) of course give Scrooge the bad news in their typical cantankerous and heckling ways.
Sam the Eagle plays Young Scrooge’s school headmaster, which is unintentionally one of my favorite scenes in hindsight, as the child actor playing Scrooge looks like he’s ready to crack up laughing at any moment.
Seriously, that kid is ten seconds away from hysterically laughing.
All these ingredients come together to form one of my favorite adaptations of this classic tale. The songs are catchy (even the not yet added back in “The Love is Gone” sung by Scrooge’s fiancée), the performances are great, and the ghosts capture the essence that Dickens was going for when he wrote the story. The only thing missing is Ignorance and Want, and honestly, the kids aren’t ready for that yet. Neither was I.
This movie gets overlooked compared to other adaptations of A Christmas Carol; but honestly, this version is the best one to sit down with the family to watch. You get the classic story, Michael Caine, the Muppets, and some good musical numbers all under one roof.