Release: December 11, 1992 

I have made the commitment to look back at past Christmases and my childhood to revisit some fun holiday films. I plan on reviewing a different holiday flick every week until the jolly fat-man comes barreling down our chimneys.

Seeing as Jason Segel just brought back my favorite ragtag gang of felt to the world; I feel it fitting that the first film to be watched is The Muppet Christmas Carol!

This was the first Muppets film after the death of their creator Jim Hensen in 1990 with his son Brian taking the helm of the ship.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, (Michael Caine) a man who’s about all work and no play or heart. On the eve of Christmas he gets a visit from his deceased partners Jacob and Robert Marley (Statler & Waldorf) who foretell of three ghosts that will visit Scrooge in the night to show him the error of his ways and his possible future. All the while, we get treated to narration and commentary by The Great Gonzo and Rizzo The Rat.

To say that this was a “nostalgiagasm” would be an understatement.

WHAT WORKED:

– Michael Caine. The guy always brings his A-Game. The scenes where we’d have close ups on his face make me believe he’s a Timelord like Doctor Who or Sean Connery. Caine hasn’t aged too badly.

His delivery and acting weren’t too exaggerated like some actors around The Muppets. That’s right I’m talking to you David Arquette.

– The Great Gonzo and Rizzo The Rat. Adding two visual narrators was a great idea on the part of Brian Hensen (director) and Jerry Juhl (writer). They broke the story up well and added much to the comedy aspects of “Muppet-vision” of A Christmas Carol.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK:

– The Songs. Yes, as always The Muppets had some good music and well short musical sequences but nothing stood out for me. There are many Muppets songs I can still recall from my childhood, but none from this film. In fact I watched this last night and can’t remember the songs now.

– The lack of my boy Fozzie The Bear. Not enough of him. Unacceptable.

This was a great flick. The nostalgia factor of it alone would make it worth watching again. But the story, acting and overall awesomeness will be the payoff for plopping this into the DVD player during the Christmas season! Because The Muppet Christmas Carole is Verified Awesome.