#9 The
Muppet Christmas Carol
No Christmas story, save that of the Nativity, has been
portrayed, performed and adapted as much as A Christmas Carol. Each year
countless adaptations are played and everyone has a favorite. This isn’t my
favorite, but it is a version that I like and enjoy year after year.
The Muppet Christmas Carol is the telling of the
traditional Charles Dickens story through the use of the Muppet characters.
Gonzo plays Charles Dickens himself, narrating the story. Kermit is Bob
Cratchet, Fozzie is Mr. Fozziewig (a pun on his name to be sure), Miss Piggy is
Mrs. Cratchet, and so on and so forth.
The story is a straight approach to the classic version, albeit
with bits of humor mixed into it. We meet Dickens and Rizzo the Rat as they
talk about the miser named Scrooge. We meet Scrooge and hear and see examples
as to why he is despised so much for his greed. Scrooge earns his reputation
and is a cheap and pitiful man. We also learn that Scrooge inherited his wealth from the
Marley Brothers (played by Statler and Waldorf, naturally) who were named Jacob
and Robert Marley.
 |
| Robert Marley being a take on musician Bob Marley to be sure. |
Scrooge is taken to all the places including the past,
where he sees Fozziewigs Rubber Chicken Factory, the present, where he
witnesses his nephew Fred and his family as well as the Cratchet family, and
then to a possible future where he is transformed into a better man.
Throughout the whole film, songs are sung, as they are in
every Muppet movie which attempt to bring about meaning to a particular scene
or situation. When Scrooge is introduced, when he is learning about Christmas
in the present, and at the end when it is all wrapped up, each section has a
song in it, written by Paul Williams, who wrote many classic Muppet songs
including “Rainbow Connection”
However, what makes this version work, and frankly, the
only reason it is on this list, is the addition of the great Michael Caine as
the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. Caine took on the role, a part to which he
is fully apt at playing in almost any circumstance, and played it straight to
the Muppet characters he had around them.
What makes this version so fascinating is simply that. A
great actor, is playing against fellow actors who are Muppets, and is able to
do it as if they were also real people. Caine made the Muppet Christmas Carol,
and without him, it wouldn’t be as remembered today.
The Muppet Christmas Carol was also the first movie done
since the death of the Muppet creator Jim Henson. For many years, the films
were on hold until the company could recover and get back on its feet. The
movie is also dedicated to him.
Muppet movies are usually star studded affairs, with many
popular actors of the day taking on minor, cameo roles, and many great actors
have made their mark on the pop culture by appearing in a Muppet movie. However
this version left the cameos out, and instead opted to make a straight
adaptation.
When it was released, I can remember my family, when we
would get together at Christmas, would act out various scenes from this movie,
because we all liked it so much. It became a must see version of the film, and
it is one watch at least once each year.
Sometimes, it’s nice to take a walk
down memory lane, and this film serves as a nice roadmap to get there.
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