Yes, its the Muppets doing Dickens! Despite what this might sound like, this is one of the
most faithful renditions of A Christmas Carol ever.
That's the premise of 2003's hit holiday feature, Elf, starring Will Farrell as Buddy, Bob Newhart as his North Pole Dad, Ed Asner
as Santa and James Caan as Buddy's grumpy, intolerant biological Dad living in the wilds of New York City.
The first feature done after the passing of Jim Henson, this movie is an incredible tribute
to his legacy and in fact is dedicated to his memory.
The movie mixes human actors such as Michael Caine playing scrooge (very well I might add)
with Muppets such as Kermit who plays poor Bob Cratchit. Gonzo is placed in the role of
narrator for the film, quoting from the novel as the movie goes. Rizzo the rat accompanies
Gonzo for comedy relief and also to give him someone to talk to. An interesting note discovered
from the commentary is that originally existing Muppets were to play the roles of the 3 ghosts,
but instead new Muppets were built for those roles.
The original songs created for the movie are fantastic and you may find yourself looking to find
a copy for yourself on CD.
Overall this is a very enjoyable film and if this is not in your collection yet, it should be.
There are two versions of this DVD available that I am aware of. The original DVD release with
just one version of the movie and bonus features, and the 50th anniversary DVD which has full
& widescreen versions one of which has a song that was deleted, plus bonus features.
Remember you can never have too many versions of A Christmas Carol!
Muppet Christmas Carol, The (1992)
The Muppet characters tell their version of this classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve. You'll enjoy this retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.
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