Nowadays, there are many popular Christmas movies to watch around the holidays. My friends always list Elf as one of their favorites, though I personally get too much second-hand embarrassment to fully enjoy Will Ferrell’s performance. Of course, there’s always the Home Alone franchise as well; Kevin McCallister is possibly the MVP of Christmas shenanigans.
But there will always be a sense of nostalgia when I think about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Christmas is so different in modern times than it was back then, and it’s interesting to watch a movie set almost two hundred years ago. Especially seeing TikTok aesthetic videos about Yule and “Dark Christmas” reminds me easily of Dickens’ heart-wrenching novel. A Christmas Carol has been adapted from book to screen so many times it’s not hard to lose track. Not only is the story thought-provoking and heart-warming in the end, but some versions even take it upon themselves to be humorous.
The 1992 version by the Jim Henson Company, The Muppet Christmas Carol, comes to mind as the best adaptation.
The Muppet Christmas Carol stars well-known English actor, Michael Caine, in the lead role of the cold-hearted and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge. In true muppet fashion, the movie combines human actors and actresses with the famous puppet characters. Kermit the Frog plays Bob Cratchit, with Miss. Piggy as his wife, Emily. Fozzy and Sam Eagle appear as Scrooge’s inspiration from his childhood and early adult years, and the great Gonzo is Charles Dickens himself.
If you’re thinking, “A blue, furry Charles Dickens? It can’t be!” you wouldn’t be the first. Rizzo the Rat is this Charles Dickens’ most outspoken skeptic, and it’s entertaining to watch the narration.
This version of A Christmas Carol is eccentric and head-turning. Of any book to make a movie adaption with puppets as the characters, you wouldn’t think of a story like this. Which is why it’s so great! The Muppet Christmas Carol knows not to take itself too seriously but is still heart-warming. Gonzo’s narration rarely strays from Dickens’ original writing, unless adding comedic relief. Michael Caine plays a brilliantly callous old miser who mistreats his clerk. You find yourself watching and enjoying the dynamic between them, despite being two very different species of actors.
Just like the original Muppet Show, the movie includes a variety of memorable musical numbers performed by both human and puppet actors. Each song is genuinely impressive, well-written, and suits the thematic elements. Personally, I’ve been able to quote the song “It Feels Like Christmas,” performed by the cuddly Ghost of Christmas Present word-for-word since I was ten years old.
This movie is peak childhood nostalgia, and I and many others find it just as amazing when re-watching it as an adult.
I felt true terror when I watched the appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Future for the first time. The faceless, cloaked figure that leads Scrooge through the dreary movie sequence remains a bone-chilling reminder of what could have happened to the old man had he not changed. And yet the tone of the movie overall is not terrorizing at all.
The Muppet Christmas Carol plays its cards perfectly, latching onto common aspects that make it a true Dickens’ story, and remaining uniquely peculiar as well. The Muppet Christmas Carol is a movie to dazzle every generation.