The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Brian Henson

Writers (WGA):

Charles Dickens (novel)
Jerry Juhl (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 December 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Music

Plot:

The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Christmas Eve | Muppet | The Muppets | Redemption

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Ebenezer Scrooge
Dave Goelz	...	The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens / Robert Marley / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Betina Cratchit / Rat / Zoot (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Donald Austen	...	Ghost of Christmas Present (performer) / Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (performer)
David Alan Barclay	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice) (as David Barclay)
Robbie Barnett	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice)
Meredith Braun	...	Belle
Fergus Brazier	...	Boy #2
Marcus Clarke	...	Puppeteer (voice)
Raymond Coulthard	...	Young Scrooge
Sue Dacre	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice)
Geoff Felix	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice)
Jessica Fox	...	Ghost of Christmas Past (voice)
Anthony Hamblin	...	Boy #1
William Todd Jones	...	Ghost of Christmas Past / Additional Muppets
Steven Mackintosh	...	Fred, Scrooge's Nephew
Russell Martin	...	Young Scrooge
Kristopher Milnes	...	Young Scrooge
Nigel Plaskitt	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice)
Karen Prell	...	Ghost of Christmas Past (performer) / Additional Muppets (voice)
Mike Quinn	...	Pig Gentleman / Undertaker (voice)
Tim Rose	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice)
Edward Sanders	...	Young Scrooge
Theo Sanders	...	Young Scrooge
David Shaw Parker	...	Old Joe (voice)
Reginald Turner	...	Michael Caine's double
Robert Tygner	...	Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (performer) / Ghost of Christmas Past (performer) / Turkey / Additional Muppets (uncredited) (voice)
Robin Weaver	...	Clara
Simon Williamson	...	Additional Muppet Performer (voice)

Runtime:

85 min | USA:89 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Jim Henson Company, The

Trivia:

The word "humbug" is misunderstood by many people, which is a pity since the word provides a key insight into Scrooge's hatred of Christmas. The word "humbug" describes deceitful efforts to fool people by pretending to a fake loftiness or false sincerity. So when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only pretend to charity and kindness in an scoundrel effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so for him, every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool him and take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Scrooge is lighting the lamp to perform a search of the house, it is obvious that the lamp is an electric light.

Quotes:

Fozziwig: At this time in the proceedings, it is a tradition for me to make a little speech.
Jacob Marley: And it is a tradition for us to take a little nap.

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Hollywood Christmas (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

Chairman Of The Board

Does the word "brilliant" mean anything?

That question pretty much sums up my reaction to "The Muppet Christmas Carol", a hilarious, yet touching film.

What did I like about the movie? Just about everything! Michael Caine made a great Scrooge, and this film showed us, possibly better than just about any other version I've seen, just how Scrooge came to be such a miser (although that could partly be because the versions I saw which really go into Scrooge's childhood were clearly adult versions, which meant they could be more subtle in their explanations). To Caine's eternal credit, he made Scrooge very believable, which is no small feat considering most of his fellow cast members were puppets.

And what about the Muppets? They were also brilliant! Kermit made an excellent Bob Cratchit, loyal and humble, and he had a wonderful tribute to Tiny Tim which also served as a brilliant tribute to Jim Henson. Miss Piggy was a great Mrs. Cratchit, feisty yet very loving toward Bob (the worst of her temper was thankfully muted by the story). Fozzie the Bear was a hilarious Fozziwig, and The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat made a great team, having some of the best lines out there (my favorite is Rizzo's "Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp, not the rat!"). The ghosts were definitely believable (and in the case of the two Marley Brothers, hilarious as well). Incidentally, the original text had only one Marley -- Jacob, but to get the two comedians from the balcony in the story, Robert Marley was added.

Finally, the songs were rather good, with the best one (in my humble opinion) being "When Love is Gone".

So, I firmly recommend "The Muppet Christmas Carol" to one and all.

Belle Book