The Muppets Christmas Carol Retro Review
Charles Dickens’ famous tale of ghosts, greed and redemption gets that special Muppets twist in “The Muppets Christmas Carol.” Michael Caine stars as Ebenezer Scrooge as he meets the ghosts of his former business partners, played by Statler and Waldorf; meets the ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and learns about the struggles of Bob Cratchit and his family, played by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. It’s my favorite version of “A Christmas Carol.”
Michael Caine is one of the greatest actors of our time and he brings a sense of gravitas to the role. He plays Scrooge like a dignified nobleman which is polar opposite to anything you think of involving the Muppets. It’s a perfect dichotomy that helps you really hate Scrooge at the beginning and come to love him as he redeems himself. You see what a good man he was when he was working for Fozziwig, played by Fozzy Bear. You see how he became consumed by money. You see how his heart breaks at the site of Tiny Tim and how hard it is for Bob Cratchit and his family. Michael Caine plays, what I think is, the best version of Scrooge and he does it against Muppets.
All of the favorite Muppets are back with some great one liners. Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat serve as narrators and Rizzo’s comedies is on point. It’s always funny to see the pair climb the fence, only for Rizzo to run through the gate bars to get what he’s left behind. Sam the Eagle shows up being his normal All-American self until he’s informed the story is set in Great Britain. His quick change to “It’s the British way!” is laugh out loud hysterical.
On top of the favorites, some original Muppets were introduced to fill out the cast. Original Muppets took on the roles of the Cratchit children, with the exception of Tiny Tim and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Sometimes it’s nice to see original Muppets added, even if only for one movies, especially if the movie has more roles than there are famous Muppets.
“A Christmas Carol” is my favorite Christmas story and the Muppets are some of my all time favorite characters. I can watch almost anything featuring the Muppets, so combining them with “A Christmas Carol” was always going to get me hooked. I’ve seen several different versions of Dickens’ classic, but the Muppets and Mickey Mouse versions are the ones I have to see every year. They are an important part of my holiday tradition and I would recommend them to anyone.
Ranking: 5 stars out of 5
What did you think of “The Muppets Christmas Carol?”