It is Christmas Eve, and miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future in attempt to get him to change his ways.
Dicken's classic tale gets the Muppet treatment, with Michael Caine taking the role of Scrooge, but most of the other characters being played by Jim Henson's famous felt creations. Whilst the story remains fairly faithful to Dickens' novel (although it is simplified somewhat for a younger audience), the lack of really good jokes and the inclusion of some rather forgettable songs (by Paul Williams) made this film rather disappointing for me.
Caine is superb as Scrooge but his Muppet co-stars are just not up to their zany best. Gonzo (as Dickens) and Rizzo the Rat narrate the tale and tend to interrupt the flow of proceedings, whilst Kermit, voiced by Steve Whitmire (not Jim Henson, who died two years earlier), just doesn't sound like the frog we know and love.
The whole affair is rather sedate considering this is a Muppet movie and I found myself struggling to stay awake towards the end. More jokes and a little less singing and I may have enjoyed this one a little more.
Dicken's classic tale gets the Muppet treatment, with Michael Caine taking the role of Scrooge, but most of the other characters being played by Jim Henson's famous felt creations. Whilst the story remains fairly faithful to Dickens' novel (although it is simplified somewhat for a younger audience), the lack of really good jokes and the inclusion of some rather forgettable songs (by Paul Williams) made this film rather disappointing for me.
Caine is superb as Scrooge but his Muppet co-stars are just not up to their zany best. Gonzo (as Dickens) and Rizzo the Rat narrate the tale and tend to interrupt the flow of proceedings, whilst Kermit, voiced by Steve Whitmire (not Jim Henson, who died two years earlier), just doesn't sound like the frog we know and love.
The whole affair is rather sedate considering this is a Muppet movie and I found myself struggling to stay awake towards the end. More jokes and a little less singing and I may have enjoyed this one a little more.