"A blue furry Charles Dickens who hangs out with a rat?"
If it's possible to combine Dickens' artful prose, the great Michael Caine, and boomerang fish as a recipe for success, then you know the Jim Henson studio is behind it. The Muppet franchise has got to be one of, if not the first to produce TV specials and movies that appeal to children and adults alike. Sure, they don't venture into truly adult humor like Shrek or anything, but the Muppets are full of one liners and witticisms that would sail over the heads of the kiddie audience - but of course they still crack up the little ones with gags like singing vegetables. What better time of year for a movie like that to bring families and generations together for the Muppet trademarks: laughter, heart, a song, and a touch of culture.
The "Did you notice?": While some Muppet movies portray the human actors treating the Muppets a bit incredulously, Michael Caine chose to play the role of Scrooge perfectly straight in this adaptation, ignoring the fact that his fellow actors are legions of furry weirdos. In so doing, the movie preserves the integrity of Dickens' story. It's not laughable that Bob Cratchitt is a frog, rather the audience is invited to fully accept the Muppet world as a real one, allowing us to get caught up in the heart of the story.The fun fact: So that both Statler and Waldorf could appear in the movie, the creators invented a second Marley brother - Robert Marley. That is, Bob Marley.
The best song: "One more sleep til Christmas" wins in the end, but Michael Caine is very darling among all those Muppets in the final scene, "With a thankful heart." Love him!
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