The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol was released on Dec. 11, 1992.

MPAA Rating: G

Directed by: Brian Henson

Written by: Charles Dickens (novel) and Jerry Juhl

The Muppet Christmas Carol was the fourth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson. Released in 1992, it was one of many film adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Synopsis
In this adaptation of the timeless story, as told here by Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat, it is Christmas Eve in London. The merriment is not shared by Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine), a surly money-lender who is more interested in profit than celebration. So cold to the season of giving is he that his book-keeping staff, including loyal employee Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog), has to plead with him just to have the day off work during Christmas.

Later that evening, Scrooge find himself face to face with his former business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley (Statler and Waldorf), who have been condemned to shackles in the afterlife as payment for the horrible deeds they committed under Scrooge's employment. They warn him that he will share the same fate if he doesn't change his ways, and foretell the coming of three spirits throughout the night.

Scrooge is first visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a child-like specter who takes Scrooge on a journey back through time to his youth. He recalls his early school days, during which he focused on his studies; the meeting of a young girl named Belle (Meredith Braun), with whom he would later fall in love; and the final parting between Belle and Scrooge, despite Scrooge's protests that he would marry her as soon as there was enough money. Later, Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, a somewhat forgetful entity who lives only for the here and now. He gives Scrooge a glimpse into the holiday celebration of others, including Bob Cratchit and his family. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reveals the most chilling revelation that young Tiny Tim (Robin the Frog) will not survive the coming year, thanks in no small part to the penniless existence of the Cratchit family. Furthermore, it is revealed that when Scrooge's own time has passed, others will certainly delight in his absence from the world. It is this final epiphany that jolts Scrooge back into humanity, and vows to celebrate with his fellow man. Scoorge plans a feast for Bob Cratchit and his kin and learns to adopt the spirit of Christmas throughout the year.

Production Notes and Trivia
The film was directed by Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson. This film marked the younger Henson's directorial debut. Ironically, in spite of the majority of the cast being puppets, this film is in one sense one of the truest adaptations of the original story. This is because the film is interspersed with scenes of a narrator (Gonzo playing Dickens), who -- along with the characters -- recites virtually all of Dickens's original lines.

This is the first of the Muppet movies in which the focus of the story revolves around characters played by human beings. Specifically, Michael Caine played Ebenezer Scrooge, Steven Mackintosh portrayed Scrooge's nephew, Fred, and Meredith Braun played Scrooge's fiancée, Belle. The rest of the cast was fleshed out with Muppet performers, including Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as Cratchit's wife Emily, Robin as Tiny Tim, and (almost obviously) Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig ("Fezziwig" in the original story).

Notably, several pivotal roles -- in particular, the three Christmas Spirits -- were portrayed by specially-created Muppet characters. It was at one time considered that well-known Muppets would be cast in these roles (Piggy, Scooter, and Gonzo, specifically) before it was decided that it would detract from the ominous effect the spirits would need to convey.

Following the death of Jim Henson, other puppeteers took over the roles of some of his characters, though a few (including Rowlf the Dog and Dr. Teeth) went into semi-retirement. Steve Whitmire took over the role of Kermit for this movie, and would do so for every subsequent Muppets film.

The film is credited as the first full-length theatrical film to use a green-screen instead of the standard blue for its visual effects. The green-screen allowed for clearer visual effect against a rich blue "evening sky" lighting, and hue with out distortion or interference with the picture quality, while still keeping the effects realistic looking. Green has since become the standard for special effects films rather than the blue due to the better effect quality due to the contrast of green to other lighting, set and human elements.

Soundtrack Notes
The movie, like all previous Muppet films, was done as a musical. The songs were written by Paul Williams and the score by Miles Goodman. The soundtrack included performances by the Muppet characters as well as by Michael Caine. Songs from the film include Scrooge by the Muppet performers, One More Sleep 'Til Christmas by Kermit, Marley and Marley by Statler & Waldorf, When Love Is Gone by Meredith Braun, It Feels Like Christmas by the Ghost of Christmas Present, Bless Us All by Robin, and Thankful Heart by Caine.

When Love is Gone was cut out of the original 1992 theatrical release as Brian Henson thought it would slow down the film a bit but put it back in for the video release since people could skip it that way. But two other songs were cut out, Room in Your Heart, performed by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker, and Chairman of the Board, performed by Sam the Eagle. These scenes were not put back in for the video and DVD releases, but both appear on the motion picture soundtrack released by Jim Henson Records.