The Muppet Christmas Carol: A Personal Review

There have been many retelling's of The Christmas Carol. I know I have seen many of them. And the interesting thing is, it has never gotten old. I know there is a basic story line that everyone has to stick to. But once that has been accomplished there is no limit to what you can do to draw your audience in and keep them enthralled. The Muppets have done just that with their rendition of A Christmas Carol.

First let me say they gave the best part to my favorite Muppet - Gonzo. He takes the role of the storyteller Charles Dickens. It is with his help that you get to move through the story. With the help of Rizzo the rat the scenes flow smoothly together. And for those of you that know Gonzo you are probably surprised. I know he is great when it comes to being shot out of a cannon but a story teller? Yes he was made for this part. Also you sometimes need a little levity to move from one scene to another. Again The Great Gonzo was a perfect match for this role.

As we move through the movie I know I tend to look for the Muppets not so much their human counterparts. To see how the different Muppets are cast and what their rolls will be. I know I do the same thing in every Muppet movie that I have seen. Reality is I do the same thing when watching one of the Muppet shows.

In the book there is only one Marley in this movie there are two Jacob and Robert Marley. Played by Statler and Waldorf. In a way watching them on the Muppet show and knowing that they were the hecklers made this role a perfect fit for them. The weird part was when they had to recreate them as their younger selves. Still not sure how they pulled that one off.

The Ghost of Christmas Present. You know this guy reminds me of the Gorg's from Fraggle Rock. Another Muppet release. I also think that his song is probably the best one in the movie. And yes I have that listed below in the video section for you to enjoy. He is also my favorite Ghost. Mostly because of the way he acts and what he is able to share with Scrooge. How happy he is even though his time is so short. And to add to this happiness let me share a little story with you. I was able to see a local theater production of A Christmas Carol. Along with the Ghost of Christmas Present there was smoke being used to stress his point. Needless to say they set off the smoke detectors and the theater had to be evacuated. When we were let back in the show resumed and the first line from the Ghost of Christmas Present was, "You have seen my powers..." The audience lost it with laughter. I think it took longer to recover from the laughing then the theater being evacuated.

Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim. Played by Kermit and his nephew Robin. Having grown up with both of them it was nice to see them working together in these rolls. Yes I am getting sentimental. But seeing Robin on the Muppet show you know that his character was designed to work with his uncle Kermit. And in this move Kermit was Bob Cratchit, Mr Scrooges main employee. Add into that the songs that Kermit and Robin performed together. The voices were cast very well together.

As I said before I am focusing more on the Muppets and not so much the human characters. I know the main character of Scrooge is played by Michael Cane. And is the main focus throughout the move. But sometimes you have to look beyond the main characters. Look beyond the main plot line for what is in the background. Sometimes the scenery is more interesting then the plot line. Sometimes the secondary plot lines hod your attention more then the main one. And for me and my wife that is usually the case. So I hope that I have brought a little something your way about a movie that maybe aimed at the children as their audience. But in the end it is directed at the family as a whole. The Muppets may have started as characters on a PBS show for kids but have continued to grow and become more interesting as time has passed on. This movie has once again proved that the Muppets are able to reach out to many different audences and keep them all interested from begining to the closing credits.

For me Christmas is about family. And one thing we always have is music. So with that being said here is some music for you to share with your family.

For anyone out there who has seen the Muppet's they are a great visual experience. Thus the reason there are several clips from The Muppet Christmas Carol being shared here.

What usually comes first for a movie? That's right the trailer.

This is probably my favorite song of the movie.

This one is kind of sad but well meaning.

You need a little humor after a sad song.

Nice to see these two old guys with a major role. Or to be more exact they are motivational speakers.