| The Muppet Christmas Carol | | Cast : | Michael Caine | | Director : | Brian Henson | | Studio : | Walt Disney Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | December 11, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | October 08, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | G (General Audience) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON | Customer Reviews
| Rating |      | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | A must see movie | Content
 | Excellent humor.
Moving scenes that bring tears.
This movie has it all. |
| Rating |      | | Date | July 23, 2005 | | Summary | A Christmas Classic | Content
 | What a combination! Muppets and a Dicken's classic rolled up into one. It's the same Dicken's classic with the Muppets original songs and funny style. My children have almost worn out our copy. We loved it so much that we bought the soundtrack CD. I highly recommend it to everyone. An unforgettable movie. |
| Rating |      | | Date | April 18, 2005 | | Summary | The Muppet Christmas Carol!!!! | Content
 | I love the muppets adaption of "A Christmas Carol"! Michael Caine is a riot as Ebenezer Scrooge! Also, this is the first muppet classic to not have Jim Henson as Kermit, for Steve Whitmire took over the role when Jim Henson died. Also, Richard Hunt died on the same year this movie was made. This movie was dedicated to their death. Furthermore, from here on, Dave Goelz will be the voice for Waldorf and Jerry Nelson will be the voice for Statler. If you want to get into the Christmas spirit, you should get this video, not "Mickey's Christmas Carol". |
| Rating |  | | Date | January 25, 2005 | | Summary | 20% Of This Title Is Missing | Content
 | This is a great movie, but a poor DVD, and here is why. 20% of this movie is missing--cut out by Disney. 10% is missing on the left, and 10% is missing on the right. It's called full screen and this title was originally released for movie theaters in Widescreen. The only widescreen version available is on Laser Disk. This title is not worth the one star I am forced to give it. Don't be fooled by all the 5 star ratings who watch all their movies on a TV set, the original movie is great, but this DVD release is bad. |
| Rating |      | | Date | January 17, 2005 | | Summary | Classic Muppet Version Of The Immortal Christmas Story | Content
 | Having loved the Muppets from when I grew up watching their classic television series I just knew that their turn on the classic Charles Dickens story "A Christmas Carol", was always going to be something special. The story of the unappealing old miser who learns about life and caring one Christmas Eve when he is visited by three spirits is possibly the best known Christmas story ever written and is without a doubt one of the most frequently filmed stories as well. As was always their way however the Muppets have made this immortal story very much their own in a delightful version which is just as much for adults as it is for children. Boasting the great talents of Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge the other main characters in the story are filled by the various well loved Muppet characters with Kermit the Frog playing the much put upon Bob Crachit; Scrooge's employee, Miss Piggy playing his wife Mrs. Crachit, with Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig, Scrooge's first employer, Waldorf and Statler appearing as Robert and Jacob Marley, and Gonzo the Great as Charles Dickens himself and narrating the story with the help of a very accident prone Rizzo the Rat.
The story of "A Christmas Carol", hardly warrants a detailed description as it is so well known however "The Muppet Christmas Carol", with the addition of some wonderful songs and much Muppet humour along the way manages to cover in proper detail the main elements of the story which sees Scrooge visited by three spirits, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, who in the course of the night of Christmas Eve show him his wasted life and lost opportunities and illustrate how he has become a lonely, mean and unloved man as a result of his drive to accumulate great wealth, while forgetting his loved ones in the process. The totally brilliant way in which real actors are incorporated into scenes with the Muppets works extremely well here and somehow the Muppet's already established personas fit their characters perfectly. The story combines the essential elements of humour, love , regret, and redemption, all wrapped up with the hilarious Muppet antics nicely and it never fails as of course a Christmas movie in passing on that vital Christmas message about appreciating what and who we love and to show those in our lives that we do care. Having a narrator in this version is also a unique feature of "The Muppet Christmas Carol", which is a departure from how the story is generally presented. It works very well and with one of my favourite Muppets in Gonzo the Great playing Charles Dickens we are guaranteed an enjoyable viewing experience with much comedy being performed along the way between him and Rizzo the Rat.
Directed by Brian Henson the son of the late and very great genius Jim Henson, "The Muppet Christmas Carol", is as fitting a tribute to his father as could be found and he has shown that he fully understands the true uniqueness of his father's creations when placing the Muppets in such as famous story as Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". For this film as well some "new", Muppet individuals have been created for the characters of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future and they are just as memorable as the characters we all know so well. The film is probably the best piece of film work by the Muppets to date and it is rich in terrific Victorian England atmosphere with no expense spared on sets, costumes, music, and the necessary special effects. Any actor performing with the Muppets certainly has his or her work cut out for them but Michael Caine as the very "human", Ebenezer Scrooge delivers a wonderfully balanced and thought out performnce as Scrooge. Not for one minute does he broaden his performance to match the colourful Muppet characterisations and as a result his balanced work stands out all the more prominently as a result. He certainly has created here his own unique and very memorable interpretation of Scrooge. The music in "The Muppet Christmas Carol", is equally memorable and is written by Paul Williams and while Dickens purists might object they create some wonderful interludes throughout the story. The beautiful "It feels Like Christmas", and the very amusing "We're Marley and Marley", are two of the standouts that you will find yourself humming long after the film has finished.
"The Muppet Christmas Carol", has become a film I personally cherish at Christmas time and in fact the whole film makes a dazzling Christmas viewing experience for both young and old. It's humour and special effects will amuse children while the brilliant compostion of the film will intrigue adults as it does me with every viewing. Make sure you treat yourself next Christmas to a viewing of the wonderful Muppet characters as they take on Charles Dickens in Brian Henson's classic "The Muppet Christmas Carol". |
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