Muppet Christmas Carol, The (30th anniversary reissue)

Stars: Michael Caine, The Muppets

Director: Brian Henson

If you can imagine that Charles Dickens was ever blue and furry and hung around with a rat, you are half-way to enjoying this irreverent Muppet version of the author's classic seasonal story. It's one of their best.

The Great Gonzo appears as Dickens, who narrates the tale with his sidekick Rizzo the Rat, quipping and wisecracking to keep both kids and adults amused.

Caine, the only human member of the cast as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, blends so well with the Muppet characters that Muppet and human are indistinguishable, while Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy have fun with the roles of Bob Cratchit and his wife.

Paul Williams' songs are apt and tuneful elements of a lively, colourful and witty show which Caine may well remember with affection as perhaps one of the highpoints of the latter stages of his checkered career.

David Quinlan

UK/USA 1992. UK Distributor: Park Circus (originally Rank). Technicolor.
86 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: U.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 28 Nov 2022