Why The Muppet Christmas Carol Is the Best Scrooge Story

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Released 30 years ago, The Muppet Christmas Carol did the unimaginable. It wasn't just a successful marriage of Henson magic and human realism, awalrusdarkly writes, but the best Scrooge story ever told:

Brian Henson upon taking the role that he would be playing Scrooge dead serious, with no “Muppety” knowing winks, something which Henson had been hoping for from the beginning. It makes the immediate sense of contrast between Scrooge and the Muppet-filled London around him all the more potent.

Then there are all the other little flourishes, like casting The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens himself, allowing for the usual sense of Muppets irreverence to permeate the story in a way that still appeals to lovers of the original text. When it came time to depict the Three Spirits, Henson and company opted not to cast recognizable Muppet characters and instead created new ones, adding to the supernatural flair hanging over the story.

By placing Michael Caine’s Scrooge—a character willing to yell at a chorus of adorable rat puppets and throw them out on the street if the mood strikes him—in the midst of this world of wonders,accomplishes two things right away which make it stand out even among other Dickens adaptations. On the physical, tactile side of things, embedding Caine and his fierce, unrelenting commitment to playing Scrooge in Muppet-land enhances the human quality of the whole piece.

But the impact isn’t just due to Caine’s commitment. By placing Caine alongside a series of affable, caring Muppet characters embodied by brilliant performers, the film highlights, underlines and bolds the message Dickens was trying to get across.

 

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