Is The Muppet's Christmas Carol THAT haunting?

[@glamourweaver]

On Michael Caine’s acting - when he took the part he told Brian Henson he intended to play it like he was in a production with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and give absolutely no wink to the audience about being opposite Muppets. It’s a huge part of what makes the movie work as well as it does. To this day it’s one of his own all time favorite performances. Muppet Treasure Island works for the opposite reason - Tim Curry as Long John Silver fully embraced the idea that he himself was a Muppet.

[@defectiveinspector]

I was recently reminded of the Muppet Treasure Island movie and despite absolutely LOVING Tim Curry, it is another on my list to watch at some point. But it's so nice to see Michael Caine putting genuine effort into the role. Loved it.

[@applecorc]

"Does Scrooge know about the swinging Dickens?" 😂

[@defectiveinspector]

I was SO proud of myself when I said that, so thank you for mentioning it!!

[@TDoughter23]

The Muppets are an acting troupe, as the conceit of the show and movies. It looks like a stage production at times because it is. Its kinda better to say that Michael Caine is playing Michael Caine playing Scrooge. So the actors on stage ignore the narrator because their characters don't hear them. They exist as SEPs, somebody else's problems. Gonzo reminded Sam the Eagle the location at which the play takes place, actor to actor. When Scrooge rushes up and pats them on the head, he's engaging with the people just around. He's not perceiving them as the narrator and Rizzo, he's perceiving them as two people who aren't looking at him. Though it could also be the scales pulled away from his eyes and he now sees a world beyond his old perception.

[@defectiveinspector]

Why the heck did I never realise that? It explains the transitions being theatrical... Gonzo being ignored... I feel like an idiot for not knowing but better for being told. Thank you!

[@TDoughter23]

@@defectiveinspector Its also why Kermit is in the opening credits and not any of the puppeteers or his voice. And its not something I noticed in any of my early viewings. But after rewatching the Muppet Show and the other movies it dawned on me a few years back. The Muppet Movie is them re-telling the story of how they all met. Frankly, I think this was the route they should have taken, productions of classic literature being retold as Muppet plays. Miss Piggy as Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Bunsen and Beaker in Waiting for Godot (No, do NOT do that one), Jim Carrey as Pinocchio with Kermit playing Jim Cricket and Ms. Piggy playing the Great Fairy

[@MusicBlik]

@@TDoughter23 They did a small version of this, called "Muppet Classic Theatre", featuring half a dozen of Grimm's and Aesop's offerings.

[@PsiFi72]

I loved your reaction. I do have to disagree about the musical numbers being tame, though, particularly Marley and Marley. One thing I love about this production is that it did not hesitate to get very dark, when needed. "You're doomed, Scrooge, you're doomed for all time. Your future is a horror story written by your crime. Your chains are forged by what you say and do. So have your fun, when life is done, a nightmare waits for you." Man, I LOVE those lines. They pulled no punches there. It's actually criminal that versions of this exist without The Love is Gone. That song usually brings a tear to my eye. The first time I saw this movie, I full on cried my heart out. :D This is my favorite version of A Christmas Carol, though I love almost all of them.

[@defectiveinspector]

Do you know what I've found out on Christmas day? My wife put on the movie and I found myself humming nearly every song as it was played. I think what I worked out that the songs are meant to be charming and I think I was expecting epic. But they nailed charming so well I have to give it to 'em. It's not Hellfire or The Plague, but it is so catchy and addictive I'm afraid I'll need another Muppets bump in 2-7 days.

[@PsiFi72]

@@defectiveinspector Yes! I like that...charming nails it. :D And earworm. I always sing along, too.

[@gregsteele806]

Wow, so many people reacting to this movie all of a sudden. Here I am, having to watch ALL of them. *sighs* All right, let's get on with it!

[@defectiveinspector]

If I hear unzipping of trousers I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Jokes aside, thanks dude. I do this for fun and knowing folks enjoy it is always nice to read 🤓

[@DAMIENDMILLS]

The Muppets are real to me, dammit

[@defectiveinspector]

Gonzo's vacant stare into my soul sure as heck felt real by the time the movie ended, so I kinda get it now?

[@beappleby]

Gonzo's lines as narrator are direct from the book. The first half page is nothing but reiterating the fact of Marley's death. Gonzo IS playing Dickens.

[@defectiveinspector]

Honestly, it's been a while since I read it. But I kept hearing lines I recognised and I wasn't sure why, that makes sense! A great touch by the film makers/Gonzo

[@TheAceOfFire]

Scrouge is in denial at the end, not nieve or oblivious. He tries to refute reality, which I sympathize with.

[@defectiveinspector]

I makes sense, I've had a few moments where genuinely terrible things have happened in life and you do go into that sense of thinking.

[@Genosis]

This is an annual staple in our household; Daph watches it every year, I think twice this year so far. It's a great rendition of the tale, and I can actually stand watching it which is high praise for a Christmas movie for me lol.

[@defectiveinspector]

I'm still amazed how much I loved Michael Caine in the movie. And I am starting to be converted to the musical numbers. They are growing on me... Have a good Christmas dude, thanks for watching/commenting ❤

[@MyShalora]

​@@defectiveinspectoranything Muppet is going to be musical, as a general rule. It's their genre overall.

[@_asteroidmerchant]

Great work DI! Some suggestions for future movies: - The Breakfast Club - Heathers - Willow - Bedknobs and Broomsticks - Candleshoe

[@defectiveinspector]

Brilliant suggestions, thank you! I have seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks (too much Britishness to avoid in blighty) but I have never seen the other 4, though I vaguely know The Breakfast Club from reputation alone.

[@MusicBlik]

Second to Willow and Candleshoe. They're very different movies! Val Kilmer is pretty quotable in Willow, while David Niven is just brilliant in Candleshoe and it's fun to see Jodie Foster so young.

[@mynoc1113]

Good times und fun

[@defectiveinspector]

Thanks Mynoc! Glad you liked it 😁

[@HuntingViolets]

It says in the book, " . . . and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die . . ."

[@sivikasi]

One of the voices of the ghost of Christmas past was Jessica Fox who is probably best known for playing a character in Hollyoaks

[@defectiveinspector]

I don't want to confirm nor deny if I have watched Hollyoaks, my parents might see.

[@KitsyX]

Most Muppet films at least have a few musical numbers… Normally more on the lighter side… They’re fun family films with music, not dramatic musicals with huge amounts of pathos or whatever… Although they often have a lot of heart to them. I think the difference for the extended version is the song “When Love is Gone” (Belle and Scrooge break up song)… Whoever the Disney boss was at the time, they thought it would be boring for the kids, so they had it cut out… Brian Henson fought to have it put back in for the home VHS release… But then for some reason, when they released it on DVD, they went back to the shorter version, except for a special edition version, which was possibly only released in the US, annoyingly… When they released it on Disney+, I think they decided to include the option to watch either version… Personally, I think the extended version should be the default as it ties in nicely with the ending song/reprise (The Love We Found)… Not to mention it makes much more sense why everyone is emotional after that break up scene… It’s quite a pretty song too… If anyone didn’t enjoy it, they could just skip it… Oh well…

[@defectiveinspector]

The only one I have watched is the one with Jason Segal and thinking back... yeah... a lot of musical numbers. Though I found myself humming some of this movie's musical numbers while cooking Christmas dinner. It is converting me....

[@HuntingViolets]

"So they know who he is?" Don't they ask whether they had the pleasure of addressing Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley? I don't think the charity volunteers knew what he was like.

[@jaakkomantyjarvi7515]

Oh, and the obligatory Easter egg: on the shop fronts in the final street scene, you can see the names Statler, Waldorf -- and Micklewhite's. Michael Caine's real name is Maurice Micklewhite.

[@defectiveinspector]

I saw the Statler/Waldorf sign during the reaction (it didn't make the edit) but I never knew that fact about Michael Caine! GREAT Easter Egg, thank you!

[@paulsmith410]

As absurd as the comedy of the Muppets is they take the production very seriously.

[@defectiveinspector]

This is the 2nd Muppet's movie I've ever watched and I am realising this more and more. They genuinely put effort in!

[@brittanyreusser9696]

There has never been Stop Motion in any of the Muppet movies. The person controlling the Rat sitting on top of the books, had there arm hidden inside the fake book stack and the Rats pushing the books were being controlled by someone else. If you rewatch that scan, you never see the bottom of the book stack... The Penguins skating at the top of the stairs, are just normal Muppets. There are hidden areas for the puppeteers beneath/behind the stage. The other Penguins were filmed normally, then they were placed on the ice during editing. Some people think that Kermit's leg while skating are either human legs or Stop Motion, but they are just his legs, Kermit has always had legs... I did see how that scene was done, but the only thing I remember is that it was as altered on computer so the puppeteer wasn't visible.

[@defectiveinspector]

Oh wow... Honestly for an early 90s movie that's even more impressive. I love some of the BTS stuff in movies, it's like watching those shows where the magicians explain their tricks.

[@beappleby]

Th Ghost of Christmas Past was submerged in oil and filmed, to get the swirling effect.

[@HuntingViolets]

Charles Grodin was dating Miss Piggy in The Great Muppet Caper, but he he had reasons.

[@jaakkomantyjarvi7515]

Surprising though it may seem, out of all TV/cinema versions of The Christmas Carol, this one is objectively the most faithful to the original book! There's an hour-long video with a historian gushing over how verbatim Gonzo's narration and much of the dialogue are (kzbin.info/www/bejne/paG7d4VslsdlZ5Y), and another with a costume designer ecstatic about how period-accurate (to the decade!) ALL the costumes are -- even Rizzo's (kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4DCnn9njZmIg6s).

[@defectiveinspector]

I've got a friend who is really into their history and costume design, so I might mention this to them. But it was surprisingly... Faithful to the source material. Given it involved a talking frog with no neck and whatever the heck Gonzo is.

[@sassysuzy4u]

I don't think you saw the full version... There should have been a song sung by Belle and Michael Caine, and it is a doozy. Fun fact, the lady that did Belle did Les Mis before this.

[@defectiveinspector]

Love is Gone? Yeah I did hear it, was a really tricky thing to edit so it got cut out of the reaction and so my comments kinda got lost with it. Only bit which directly talks about it is about 18 minutes in when I mentioned everyone was musically ready to screw Scrooge. But the Les Mis thing I never knew! That's so cool! There was a lot of talent in this movie!!

[@christohidis]

Scrooge is obviously in denial and ignorant about his fate mate

[@defectiveinspector]

He was in denial? I refuse to believe it, so much so in fact I will continue to deny it.