The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

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Rating: G
Director: Brian Henson
Writer: Charles Dickens, Jerry Juhl
Stars: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire
Release Date: December 11, 1992
Run time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

THE PLOT:

via wiki:

Charles Dickens and his friend Rizzo narrate the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy, grumpy, penny-pinching and lonely moneylender of nineteenth century London, who in particular does not share the merriment of Christmas. On Christmas Eve he rejects his nephew Fred’s invitation to Christmas dinner, dismisses two gentlemen collecting money for charity, and tosses a wreath at a carol-singing Bean Bunny. His kind, humble employee Bob Cratchit and the other bookkeepers request to not work on Christmas Day, since there will be no business for Scrooge on the day, to which he reluctantly agrees.

That night Scrooge encounters the shackled ghosts of his late business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley, in his bed chambers. They warn him to repent his wicked ways or be condemned to suffer in the afterlife as they do and that three spirits will visit him during the night. At one o’clock Scrooge is visited by the childlike Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows him visions of his childhood and early adult life. Along with Dickens and Rizzo, they visit his lonely school days and then his time as an employee at Fozziwig’s rubber chicken factory. There, at Fozziwig’s Christmas party, Scrooge meets a young woman named Belle, with whom he falls in love but loses as he chooses money more over her. Seeing this, a tearful Scrooge tells the Ghost to leave him and is returned to his home.

Scrooge next meets the gigantic, merry Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows him the joys and wonder of Christmas Day. Scrooge and the Ghost visit Fred’s house, where Scrooge is made fun of for his stinginess and general ill will toward all. Scrooge and the spirit then visit Bob Cratchit’s house, learning his family is content with the little they have. Scrooge also takes pity on Bob’s ill son Tiny Tim, whom the Ghost comments will soon die if things continue the way they are. The Ghost leaves Scrooge with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who takes Scrooge into the future where a recent death elicits no sympathy from the inhabitants of London and the stolen possessions of the deceased are sold to a fence named Old Joe. The Ghost also shows Scrooge the Cratchits’ home, where they find Bob and his family mourning Tiny Tim.

Scrooge is led to the cemetery, where the Ghost points out the neglected grave of the unloved man; Scrooge wipes the snow away on the tombstone to see it bears his own name. Scrooge tearfully vows to change his ways and suddenly finds himself back in his bedroom, where he discovers it is Christmas Day. Filled with glee, he begins spreading happiness and joy around London, agreeing to give money to the gentlemen’s charity and reconciling with Fred and Fozziwig. Scrooge has Bean buy the poulterer’s prized turkey and they, along with Dickens, Rizzo and the gentlemen, deliver it to Bob’s family. Scrooge tells Bob he will raise his salary and pay off his mortgage, Dickens tells that Tiny Tim escaped death thanks to Scrooge’s new generosity, and everyone celebrates Christmas together.

My Review:

I did not grow up on The Muppets – or Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, or any of other wonders dreamed up by Jim Henson. They were present, and I saw them, but they never really resonated with me, in my soul, the way that I have observed they did for so many others. I don’t exactly know why. Maybe I just didn’t get it.

So when I set out to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol, I did not do so over any feelings of muppet nostalgia. My primary motivation was a longstanding love for Michael Caine and a desire to find a child-friendly introduction to the Charles Dickens tale. I got what I was looking for. This movie was a surprising masterclass of acting by Caine and I cannot imagine a more gentle way to tell this story than the way The Muppets did. I think that maybe I also finally “got” the Muppets and their appeal.

This is a beautifully filmed movie, with great Victorian England set designs and costuming. I only half-seriously started thinking to myself after about whether I could get away with wearing a top hat. Maybe you would expect great sets and costumes, given that it’s “the Muppets” but I was impressed by it anyway. None of it looked cheap, even with my advantage of being from decades in the future, and you can see and appreciate the love that was put into the making of the movie.

If I have any complaints about the movie, and this is nitpicky, it’s that I don’t think any of its musical pieces are particularly memorable. They aren’t bad songs. They just aren’t memorable and enduring ones.

Michael Caine was worth the time to watch the movie. Despite being surrounded by a cast of puppets, he took the role of Scrooge seriously. His Scrooge walked right up to the line of being too cold and grumpy for an audience of smaller kids, without ever crossing that line. His emotions were sincerely conveyed, including his weeping breakdown at the sight of his own tombstone._¹ Yet there was also a softness in the performance, throughout, as though he knew he was performing for young children, and that carefulness and playfulness came through especially as Scrooge’s heart warms. Simply said, Michael Caine is one of the best to ever act in film and he gives a great performance here.

The movie is about as perfect an introduction as you could give smaller kids to this somber and scary story. It takes the emotions of the source material seriously, but it also softens the blow. When we meet the Cratchett family, it’s not too dour because Miss Piggy is bringing levity to cut the tension. It’s not too silly, either, because Kermit is keeping the story grounded and focused. Later, when the ghost of Christmas Future appears, and is legitimately scary, the Muppet narrators break the fourth wall to talk about how scary it is, and that they’re leaving until this part is over, which reduces the fearfulness of the specter but not by so much that it saps the scene of its power.

I said earlier that I think I finally “get” the Muppets. They represent childhood itself. They’re safe, chaotic, silly, and sincere. Who wouldn’t want to escape and spend some more time in a place like that if and when it’s possible?

So overall, I definitely recommend you give The Muppet Christmas Carol a watch, or a rewatch if it’s been a while. I love the Dickens source material and I really like what they did with it here.

Have you seen The Muppet Christmas Carol? If so, what did you think?

¹Is there another actor with TWO iconic “weeping at a tombstone” scenes in his career? I was hoping that he was going to tell himself, “I failed you” but no such luck.