The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - Part 1

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Director: Brian Henson
Scrooge: Michael Caine


Now we set our sights on 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol!"

I've always been a big Muppet fan. I think the "Sesame Street" ones are fun, but I really like the group from "The Muppet Show" back in the 1970s. So, when this came out, I was wondering how they would blend with "A Christmas Carol." Would it be two great tastes that taste great together?

Yes, we have a peanut butter cup!

The whole thing seems kind of like a no-brainer 25+ years later, but at the time, there were a lot of firsts. This was the first Muppet theatrical release since 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan." It was also the first feature produced after Jim Henson's death in 1990 and he first to be released by Disney, years before they eventually acquired the franchise.

What makes this project work is that the creators respect the original Dickens story, but add some Muppet trimmings. It's pretty faithful on the whole.

It's most reminiscent to me of "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983) in that you have familiar characters playing the various roles.

But the Mickeyverse, and by extension the Duckverse, had a resident Scrooge in the form of one Scrooge McDuck. The Muppets do not, so they had to go outside for their Scrooge. They landed a brilliant one in Michael Caine!

Next, we take a closer look at this Scrooge...