The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) tells Dickens's story with unusual fidelity to the text. The difference is that almost everyone except Scrooge is a puppet, and Charles Dickens narrates in the person of the Great Gonzo, accompanied by Rizzo the Rat. It was the first Muppet film made after the deaths of Jim Henson and the performer Richard Hunt, and it is dedicated to both. Henson had died in May 1990. His son Brian Henson directed, his first feature; an agent brought him the idea. Michael Caine's approach to Scrooge is the spine of the film. In his own words, he decided to play it as though working with the Royal Shakespeare Company: he would never wink and would never do anything Muppety. One part of the film was missing for thirty years. Belle's parting song, When Love Is Gone, was cut from the 1992 theatrical version by Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who thought it would bore young children. Brian Henson objected, because the closing song had been written as a direct counterpoint to it. The song was absent from many releases for years; Disney archivists located the original negative in 2020 and the restoration was finished in December 2022. It cost twelve million dollars, made 27.3 million in the United States, and opened in sixth place. It runs 86 minutes. Good for: Christmas films, Dickens adaptations, and Muppet humour. Less good for: which version you watch changes the film, and the cut containing the missing song is the more coherent one. Some of the ghosts frighten small children. There is a gap between the register of the songs and the seriousness Caine brings.