The Muppet Christmas Carol/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Critic Proof: It wasn't totally panned on release, but it got mixed reviews from critics (including "Two Thumbs Down!" from Siskel and Ebert). Talk to most Muppets and/or Dickens fans today, though, and they'll almost certainly tell you that the movie was very good and stands among the best adaptations of the story by a long shot.
  • Draco in Leather Pants/Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Lampshaded & subverted during the opening number, as sung by a choir of old lady muppets:

He must be so lonely,
He must be so sad!
He goes to extremes
To convince us he's bad!
He's really a victim
Of fear and of pride!
Look close and there must be
A sweet man inside!
[Scrooge walks by them without putting any change in their bucket]
...Nah! Uh-uh!

  • Ear Worm: Just about every song in the whole movie.
  • Ho Yay: Rizzo randomly kisses Gonzo's nose at one point.
  • Uncanny Valley: The Ghost of Christmas Past, an unholy CG combination of human and Muppet. And perfectly in keeping with Dickens' description.
    • It's markedly less strange than the thing described in the book, which is more like an Eldritch Abomination in appearance.
  • Vindicated by History: A flop when it was first released (opening just two weeks after Aladdin went wide), the film now has a cult following among Muppet fans and people who find it a great Christmas movie.
  • The Woobie: Poor Bean Bunny. He has the door slammed in his face, a wreath is hurled at him, and to top it all off, we see him shiver in a pile of newspapers on the street - a reminder of the well-meaning gentlemen's points regarding the poor and homeless - and how, even though "There's Only One More Sleep 'til Christmas", there are still those on the street without food, shelter or family.
  • What the Hell, Casting Agency?: "Oh sweet, they're going to do a version of Christmas Carol with Muppets. Fun! Wait, with Sir Michael Caine?!" Of course, it ends up working way, way better than you might initially think. Caine went on record as saying he had a ball with the production, adding that the best way to interact with the Muppets is to treat them all as though they're members of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
    • Although averted with most of the Muppet characters, who fit their roles like a glove. Highlights include Kermit as the put-upon Bob Crachit, Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim, and Gonzo as the narrator.
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