Since 'tis the season and all that we watched the non-more festive The Muppet Christmas Carol today. Naturally I've seen it before, and it's only now after reading the entry on Wikipedia that I realised I wasn't going mad. I remembered a ballad that was sung by the young Scrooge and his fiancé from the last time I watched it (on video), but there was no such scene here (on DVD)! Turns out the song was chopped from the theatrical release, put back into the video release, and then chopped out of the (Region 2 ) DVD again! Humbug!Anyway, that aside, I enjoyed the movie lots. Watching it as an adult I was surprised as to how much this version of the story adheres to Dickens' original, right down to quotes from the text. Impressive from something that could have been just a collection of half-arsed Christmas Carol cliches as several versions I've seen are guilty of. There's much to enjoy here - the Muppets are as hilarious as ever, and Michael Caine is genuinely moving in his portrayal of Scrooge. I think it's a brave move for the film's makers to sideline such Muppet greats as Miss Piggy and Fozzie to supporting roles and concentrate so much on the human Scrooge. The three 'new' Muppets who appear as the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come are effective, especially the latter, a terrifyingly mute vision in black.
This movie ranks up there with the greats - The Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Treasure Island, and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie! I can't wait for Christmas day, for more Muppet-filled fun when Andrew opens his presents...!
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