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Do you remember that cousin I talked about in previous articles? The one who introduced me to Labyrinth? She introduced me to The Muppet Christmas Carol as well. Jim and Brian Henson might be the masterminds behind this film, but Andrea deserves some credit here too. For the longest time, I always thought that The Muppets Take Manhattan was the greatest muppet flick. I’ve now come to the compromise that TMTM is a film I like to enjoy in the spring/summer, and TMCC is a film I like to enjoy in the fall/winter. I think you’ve all gathered that this movie totally beats out any red-nosed reindeer and talking snowman in my book. Let me at least give you a few reasons why I think so.
The entire adaptation screams parody to me, and it absolutely is. I love an old victorian novel as much as the next person, but it was refreshing to see something new. With so many adaptations of the same story, the space for individualism gets smaller.
Right off the bat, we’re introduced to Gonzo. However, he’s not any old Gonzo, he’s Charles Dickens. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Charles Dickens is finally a featured character. What would any main character be without a comical sidekick? Well, in this case, Rizzo the rat accompanies him and provides some of the best one-liners of the movie.
Another positive point from this adaptation is that it’s also a musical. That’s kind of a biased opinion coming from me, but have you heard the songs? The story opens with “Scrooge” and wows the audience with “Marley and Marley”. (Oh yeah, there are two Marleys instead of one!) Who could forget Bob and Tiny Tim’s “Christmas Scat”?
Michael Caine plays Ebeneezer Scrooge and if that wasn’t iconic enough, he plays the character as if it were a proper Shakespearean play. The muppets are all wreaking comical havoc around him, melons are singing, and he’s trapped in the Globe Theater. It’s positively genius!
Perhaps my favorite thing about this adaptation is the number of one-liners. I’ll provide a few for you, but without context so you’re curious enough to check the film out for yourself.
“No cheeses for us meeces.”
“Hey, I’m being stolen!”
“Light the lamp, not the rat!”
The most important thing here is that this iconic piece of cinema has stood the test of time. This is the perfect Christmas introductory film for children, and I stand by that. They learn two valuable lessons; being greedy gets you a visit from three ghosts and the muppets will always be there for you. As a parting gift, I will leave you with one thing. Guillermo Del Toro also believes this is the best adaptation ever.
Because IT IS- https://t.co/UQPEPKJxYi
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) December 21, 2019
The Muppet Christmas Carol is available to watch on Disney+. What are some of your favorite holiday movies? If you’ve seen this one, what did you think of it? Tell us your thoughts on Twitter @TheCinemaSpot
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