With 50 some version out there, I was bound to see more than one version of Dickens’ classic. “The Muppet Christmas Carol” hadn’t been in my original list, but I needed to improvise due to big screen films I wanted to see that didn’t come to Boston.  So a friend gave us her copy of this great film, and we sat down and watched it as a family again (we saw it once before).

You know the players, Scrooge (played expertly by Michael Caine), Bob Cratchit (Kermit), and others.  The Great Gonzo tells the story by playing Dickens’ himself, and in typical Muppet fashion there are songs interspersed throughout the film that move the plot and give out some great laughs as well.  Like Waldorf and Statler both coming back as Marley (and Marley’s brother) who were partners with Scrooge and sing “We’re Marley and Marley” which we’ve been repeating for the past few days.

This is easily the most accessible version of A Christmas Carol I’ve seen (I’ve not seen Mr. Magoo or the recent Jim Carey version (still on tap)).  It blends the seriousness of the story—Scrooge is just really bad and the townspeople sing about how bad he is—with the joy brought about through the Muppets.  It follows the story pretty closely, Scrooge’s apprenticeship with “Fozziewig,” the three ghosts, his nephew, Fred and all the rest.  And his transformation is truly wonderful to behold.

This toe-tapping, joyful film hits it out of the park:

 

A real treat on the true meaning of Christmas.  If you haven’t seen this version, you really should!