Entertainment

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Victoria Schaefer, Staff Reporter

December 21, 2023

Introduction

The Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It was released on December 11, 1992, and was the first Muppet movie to be created without Jim Henson, who passed away 2 years before its release. It would instead be directed by his son, Brian Henson. The film goes through the traditional Christmas Carol story of Scrooge, a rich, terrible man who is visited by three ghosts, showing him his past, the present, and his future. In the end, he changes his ways, helps the people in his life, and ultimately enjoys Christmas. The only difference is that the characters are played by muppets (except for Scrooge, his ex-fiance Belle, some background townspeople, his nephew, and his nephew’s friends).

Pictured above is Gonzo and Rizzo. Gonzo narrates the entire movie, except for when Scrooge is in the past (because they find it frightening).

Narration

The narration is done by Gonzo the Great, who plays Charles Dickens, and Rizzo the Rat. They both play many parts in scenes that get the attention of the other characters. For example, they hang on to Scrooge with a rope as he’s being taken to the past and break a shelf while a young Scrooge is talking to his headmaster. Gonzo also corrects the headmaster to remind him that they’re in England and uses Rizzo as a fireplace bellow in Scrooge’s office. The pair also often break the 4th wall, namely as Gonzo predicts when certain characters will appear.

Above is Belle, who sings “When Love is Gone”. The song was originally not in the movie due to people believing it would be too sad for children.

Songs

The songs for this movie go well with it and are beautiful. They make the story flow and add some more information to the plot. The first song is called “Scrooge”, which is his entrance song, and plays through the entire town while the narrators describe Scrooge’s life and who he is. The second two songs are “One More Sleep ‘til Christmas”, sung by Bob Crachit and rats who work at Scrooge’s firm, and “Marley and Marley”, sung by the Marley brothers, as a warning to Scrooge. The next song is named “When Love is Gone”, which is sung by Scrooge’s ex-fiance about how their relationship is falling apart. It describes how their love for each other is gone. The next song is called “It Feels Like Christmas”, which is sung by The Ghost of Christmas Past about how love is found in the smallest of things during Christmas time. The last two important songs are “Thankful Heart” and “When Love is Found”. “Thankful Heart” is Scrooge’s redemption song as he goes around the town trying to make up to the people he has hurt. “When Love is Found” is the final song of the film and a follow-up to “When Love is Gone”. Scrooge previously lost the love that he had in his life, and he eventually gets to experience it differently.

Michael Caine

Michael Caine played the role of Scrooge. When originally considering someone for the role, Henson’s first thought was Caine. He wanted a big actor with an authentic English accent. Caine decided to make no indication that he was aware that the muppets weren’t people as he acted with them. He was perfect for this role, treating it very seriously. Michael Caine was an amazing Scrooge.

Conclusion

I love The Muppet Christmas Carol. It’s been my favorite Christmas movie since I first saw it. I loved re-watching the movie for this article and learning more about the process of it. It helped me have a greater appreciation for all of the efforts that went into it.

Works Cited

The Muppet Christmas Carol. Dir. Brian Henson. Walt Disney Pictures. Dec. 11, 1992. DVD.
Williams, Owen. “How The Muppet Christmas Carol Become The Ultimate Dickens Adaptation.” Empire Jan. 2022. Media.

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