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What makes this film so good is how Michael Caine plays Scrooge absolutely straight and interacts with the muppets like they were real people. I think he even said he would only take the role if he could play Scrooge that way.
Yeah. He wanted to play it as a serious Christmas carol movie and not a muppet movie. To the point, the part where he changed and started singing and dancing with the muppets really seemed a bit awkward
Micheal Caine and Tim Curry are like the opposite spectrum of making a muppet movie work. Michael played it straight, and Tim was basically a muppet himself as Long John Silver
Yeah, little did he know, _that's_ the assignment. The Muppet movies work because they're regular, fun movies that just happen to have Muppets in them. And so he acted really hard and the Muppet performers matched the energy and you end up with one of the most faithful movie adaptations of the book that exists. It's all just a bit magic.
Funny fact that The Muppet Christmas Carol uses the most text from the book of any Christmas Carol adaption. The fact they play Scrooge so straight is really what makes it work
I'm going to watch a new video put up called How Historically Accurate is The Muppet Christmas Carol by Reel History. My guess the answer is very. I've gone to readings of a Christmas Carol by British actors (something that Dickens HIMSELF did ) so I did realize 90 percent of this movie is accurate to the book with just small changes to ADD Muppet stuff, NOT take away Dickens stuff. The "I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon" response from Cratchet's wife is verbatim.
You should check out their other great movie Muppet Treasure Island with Tim Curry. Here we have Micheal Caine who treated the muppets like human actors. While Tim Curry treats himself as a fellow muppet with his loud expressions and acting
This is what I wanted to say as well. Muppet movies are unfortunately hit and miss, but Christmas Carol and Treasure Island are both peak Muppet movie, as far as quality of entertainment.
People judge boy Scrooge a lot for the whole ‘who cares about Christmas’ line. They miss the obvious by doing it: he’s not going home for Christmas. His parents left him at boarding school by himself. He’s defensive because he wants to go home for the holidays, but his parents don’t want him there.
Tiny Tim sitting on his father's shoulders goes right back to the book and the traditional illustrations you see of the pair together. The film was actually largely very faithful to the original book. Also, fun fact, in the 181 years since it was first published, it has never been out of print.
CGI wasn't really capable of doing much in terms of special effects in film at this time. Maybe some enhancements to film here and there but for the most part movies were still largely shot with film, and filmmakers used a lot of cinema magic to produce unique shots. For instance, the Ghost of Christmas Past was not a digital creation at all. Rather the puppet was shot beneath water to give it the ethereal floating effect and then superimposed into the film. There's a lot of reverence for older films in how they not only had to be creative in their plot and setting, but also in how they pulled off effects and created props and sets for things. And yes, there are more Muppet Films, and they all have a tendency to draw in major stars as either cameos or lead roles. In the 80's and early 90's the Muppets and Jim Henson's Workshop were HUUUUGE!
@@joshuayeager3686we had that one on VHS (recorded off TV, I'm that old 😂), we watched it a million times as I was growing up! So much fun. "Hey, did you know that if you put enough sugar in this stuff, it tastes just like ginger ale!"
As a kid, I loved The Great Muppet Caper because Mrs. Piggy was a badass. I also love the newer one with Jason Segal because my daughter was just old enough to get into it when it came out. She likes Muppets Most Wanted.
You laugh about the line "And To Tiny Tim, WHO DID NOT DIE" but that's actually directly taken from the book: Page 100 "Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father."
I believe that Dickens added that _specifically_ because readers of the initial version _kept_ asking him about the fate of Tiny Tim, when he had thought it was clearly implied Tim would survive, without having to spell it out directly. Apparently he was mistaken, and he made VERY sure to spell it out in the book version.
The southern jubilee auditorium, over here in southern Alberta, had an event last month, where they had a Muppet Christmas carol in concert where they show the movie and have the Calgary philharmonic orchestra play the music for the film in the background It was amazing how many people of all ages were there and knew the lyrics to every song.
Kermit “Life is full of meetings and parties. That is the way of it” This line actually has a double meaning not just talking about tiny Tim, but it was also to do with Jim Henson. This was actually the first Muppet movie made after his passing. Another interesting detail Michael Caine had a huge stipulation for his role as Scrooge. He wanted the entire thing played straight, there is not a single moment in which he breaks character or looks the camera and mentions that he’s talking to puppets. He insisted that when he played this role, he was going to treat everybody human and Muppet like he was actually talking to a person.
@Lexi_Zone They did use green screen as well. Might even be the very first film to do so. The shots with the Ghost of Chrostmas Present had the puppet in a tank of water in front of a green screen to obtain the floating effect.
Idk about that... the door knocker, the green screen, the ghost of Christmas past, and the terrible sparkles when the ghost of Christmas present disappears, all probably CGI to some extent.
Fun Fact: the little rabbit from the beginning and at the end was an experimental character they were trying out at the time but the writers thought he was too cute so any chance they could, they would put the poor little guy in any tough situation they could think of. As shown in the film.😢😅
They couldn’t have found a more perfect character for Fozzie Bear to play. The original from the book was Fezziwig 👍🏻 I think the point was Scrooge knew that it was his headstone but to still see it in front of him and hearing that not only was he dead and cold in a simple grave but that he wouldn’t be mourned and everyone was glad he was dead was still a shock. Michael Caine really made Scrooge begging for another chance an emotional moment.
There is a usually cut song in the past where Belle breaks up with Scrooge that puts a lot more emotion in the scene and paints Belle as a lot more patient and saddened than she appeared in the cut version. She has literally waited for years and still loves him very, very much. But she can't. Also it is said that this movie works so well is that Michael Caine treated all the Muppets as fellow human actors and gave them the same respect he would a person instead of a puppet.
Apparently during the “Bless us one and a all” Michael Caine actually got very moved by the song, and you can see it in the shots of his face in the scene
This is my favorite Christmas movie, we watch it every year while we decorate our tree. It should be ridiculous with the muppets and people all acting in the same movie, but it manages to hit all the right notes of the original work, and Michael Cane just eating up the scenery playing it 100% straight while interacting with the puppets makes this work so well.
"What's with the chains?" Okay, that answers my question. I assumed you'd read the story, or seen a couple of the dozens of filmed versions. 'Guess not. It's a great little read for the holiday; hint hint. 📕🎄💝
I read somewhere that this version of A Xhristmas Xarol is actually one of the ones that is truest to the original text. I listen to it on audiobook every year, and it does blow me away how many lines are straight out of the original.
I love The Muppet Christmas Carol. I watch this every Christmas season, along with A Christmas Carol from 1984 with George C Scott. I also try to re-read A Christmas Carol every year also.
I really enjoy your reactions, especially when I can rewatch or spark memories of movies not seen for years in such a genuine way. James you come across like such a good man, really well made video's, please keep up the great work
I always love this story because it truly shows how different childhoods can change and transform the adults of the present. Especially this adaption! It's amazing! But yeah poor Ebbie didn't have attentive parents. If I remember correctly, they were neglectful to a point where they would leave him at school on holidays. That's why Christmas was a terrible time since it only reminded him that he was alone. And as he got older, he had expectations for himself that only hurt those around him. Possibly due to his parents neglect. It is funny though how the idea of going to Hell really changed him. Though it seems the sight of truly seeing the poor suffer had actually woke him up from his own world.
24:10 - Despite loving this film for 30 years and being able to pretty much recite it word for word, it's not really registered before the full significance of the other son saying "Father has walked slower these past *two* evenings". I've always known that was the line, just never consciously connected all the dots. So yes, very recent.
@@nudgificator indeed, and Bob talking about where Tim would see the ducks indicates that he’d only just gone to select a plot for the poor lad. I would say it’s surprising they could afford to choose one, but maybe the church had allowed him because they were regular attendees and beloved by the community.
@@TheHopperUK indeed, at least it’d be so cold there that he would stay fresh until he can be laid to rest. Reminds me a bit of my uncle and aunt keeping my grandfather in their house for a while, in a chilled room whilst they prepped for the funeral.
Since this movie was released one year before Jurassic Park which made a milestone in digital effects, this movie have very few CGi effects, most notebly the morph of Scrooge door knocker to Jacob Marley's head and the warp hole when The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge into the future, and obviously the greenscreen backgrounds in scenes like Scrooge flies with The Ghost of Christmas Past. With The Marley Bros. as ghosts, they weren't CGI or greenscreen but used an old faschion technique called Pepper's Ghost effect which is putting a piece of glass in front of the camera, having the person or puppet off camera being lit and the reflection of him/her/it on the glass, creating a translucent effect. That is how the ghosts of The Haunted Mansion rides in the Disney Parks being done.
You’re laughing at all my favorite parts, especially Rizzo and the other little dude comments throughout! 😉 But I have to say, a lot of your reactions are so surprising as they lead me to believe you’ve never read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. With your voracious reading past, I would have bet money you had. Oh well, I highly recommend you read it! Short & quick read. And read up on the back story as to why Dickens wrote it & how quickly. Then watch and react to several other versions. Scrooged with Bill Murray is a hilarious modern version you reacted to last year. The Alastair Sim 1951 version is what I grew up watching every year. Although I saw the 1938 version a few times. Then the 1984 George C Scott version came out & switched to that as the Alastair Sim version was a bit scary. Scrooged came out while I was in college. Loved the modern take. But I have to admit this Muppet version is my favorite!!! Enjoy!
@@AwesomeUSMovies yes, and I actually watched your reaction and clicked like on it last year. 🤦🏼♀️ I did try to edit & update my comment above before you read it, but I’m not sure the edited update saved. 🤷🏼♀️ Oh well. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!!
@@isleofredemption Unlesss he means "A Shock to the System", a severely underrated movie of Caine's that also includes magic. Though sadly it's probably too obscure to be the film he means.
I love seeing all these adults seeing this movie for the first time. I dont know how y'all made it this far, but thank you for letting us experience this with you.
I've never seen this movie but I've seen comments that it's a favorite version of A Christmas Carol. I've read the story many times and seen many versions, so I want to watch this with someone who I expect will appreciate it. Off we go! 🤞✨
"God save my little broken body!" Rizzo and Gonzo Dickens are my favorite part of the Muppet Christmas Carol. Their physical humor adds a lot of levity to the dark story.
"The Man Who Would Be King" (1975) is a fantastic movie, based on the 1888 book by Rudyard Kipling. It stars Michael Caine and Sean Connery, who first met at a party in 1954 and became best friends for life during filming of "The Man Who Would Be King". Michael Caine's Guyanese wife of 52 years, Shakira, is also in the movie. I've read several of his books; he's obviously madly in love with her. You should read one of his autobiographies. I say "one of" because he thought his career was concluded, so he wrote an autobiography. Then he had a major comeback with "Batman Begins" (2005) and many more years of acting, so he wrote another. He has been friends with all manner of world famous figures for generations. His books are fascinating, entertaining, insightful, sometimes amazing, and beautifully written. I think they're best consumed as audio books with him as narrator. If a great actor or comedian writes a book, you definitely want them reading it to you. I recommend starting with "The Elephant to Hollywood".
“The spider guy’s there, the cops are there, everyone’s there!” Hahah 🤣 Loved this! One of my favorite Christmas movies. Michael Cain’s acting was superb. 😄
30:07 there actually wasn’t ANY CGI for the ghost of Christmas Past I think was done underwater. It’s supposed to look unsettling, and the book says the features are constantly changing, so this is weirdly accurate.
18:26 you're watching the shorter theatrical version. When they released this in the movie theater they had two versions. The matinee version was the one you're watching. The evening version had a very sad song call "the love is gone". This is an important song because at the end of the movie they reprise this song with a happier version. This sad song is available as an extra on Disney Plus.
The book is great. Charles Dickens helped promote the spirit of Christmas. He did a wonderful job. And this movie adaptation is one of the most accurate to the book.
This is one of two movie i HAVE to watch every year the other being Love Actually. The songs are great Michael acts this so striaght its wonderful. I'm so glad you loved the rats asking for more coal. When they start singing 'This is my Island in the Sun' i crack up every time.
There is some CGI but the Ghost of Christmas Past was also done partially practically - the puppet was suspended in a tank of oil/water to produce the ethereal, floating effect.
the little frog playing tiny tim is kermit's nephew robin. And the one with the weird mouth is beaker. There are many muppet films, another good christmas one is "a muppet family christmas" it was a tv special now put to film
I watch it every december. I love the fact that the rats WANTED coal. Usually that mean you've done something wrong or bad. Here it's to keep them warm and others.
This is my favorite version of The Christmas Carol, by far. Lovely music, historically accurate costumes, and fun around the corner when you need it. This was not done with CGI at this time (1992). This was all old-school ingenuity.
To me the funniest joke is that there is a Jacob Marley ( the original story) and a Robert Marley ( the Muppet joke and addition)!!! Bob is short for Robert so that makes it Jacob and Bob Marley!!! 😂😂😂 I love it!!! I'm not sure exactly how many Muppet movies there were before this one ... at least three for sure. The earliest Muppet movies were made and released while the TV show was on the air in the early 80s. I think this one was around the early 1990s. I think the next movie ... Muppets 'Treasure Island" and whatever else they've done since came after this one, but I'm not sure on that. Disney acquired the Muppets after Jim Henson's passing but before that the first 3 movies were not originally Disney affiliated. Since you're watching the Muppets now there would have been no way for you to know that unless you looked it up. I love Charles Dickens and especially this story and I think they did a fantastic job telling it and making it fun for kids while retaining the gravitas of the story of redemption! The jokes are hilarious ( some are slightly adult) and the music is catchy, memorable, and well done too. It's one of my favorite Christmas movies and I watch it every year. I would suggest you watch the wonderful movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas." It's a non-biographical but based-on-the-true- story of how and why Charles Dickens came to write "A Christmas Carol." You learn a lot about the man himself and what drove him as a man and as an author. He was a devout Christian, loved his family but was extremely fearful of financial trouble particularly of debtors prison which was a real threat in 19th century England. The cast is exceptional, the story very engaging, and it's filled with wit and humor but also great drama and a few tear jerking moments. If you watch it you'll see/read "A Christmas Carol" in a new light that adds wonderful layers to the story and it becomes even richer and more beautiful once you know what it meant to Charles Dickens himself. It's a beautiful movie!!!
Among the many Easter eggs in this movie are the shop names in the street scenes: you'll find Waldorf and Statler there, and Micklethwaites -- Michael Caine's real name is Maurice Micklethwaite.
This film is regarded by many as one of the best film adaptations of the book. Many lines are taken directly from the book. There are some obvious adjustments that they made for it to work in the Muppet format, but it's obvious that they're was a lot of love for the source material here. Also, one clothing history RUclipsr made a video about how excellent the costuming is, including visible hand stitching on some of the muppets' clothes. Hand stitching means that real care was put into the details of the clothes, even though that wasn't strictly necessary.
How much an enjoyable reaction! This is my all time favorite version of a Christmas carol. I just love IT makes me happy it gets the Does a really good job doesn't get too far out there like to me this is 10 out of 10! There are a couple of other muppet movies out there as well so I think you would find them equally enjoyable
If you look closely at Bunsen and Beaker (the 2 collecting for charity) when Scrooge throws them out of the office, Beaker gives him the middle finger. It’s very quick. Makes me giggle every time 😂
"There was this chef guy who's Swedish and throws fish and there's a tall guy with him with shaggy hair and a weird mouth." I think you just described three different Muppets in one! It's Lew Bunsen: The Swedish Boomerang Fish Chef!
Just starting this reaction and already hitting “like” because I know this will be amazing on principle. Thank you, as always, for sharing with us, James.😊
After you know that this was the first piece of Muppet material to release after the death of their creator, Jim Henson, Kermit’s words during the Tiny Tim segment hit a lot harder 😢RIP Jim. Your characters live on
I have to imagine that somewhere in heaven, Charles Dickens inspired Jim Henson to make his book into this film to inspire the young-at-heart with this great Christmas message.
Please rewatch it and check the settings if you are streaming. Especially since you enjoyed the music, it deserves a rewatch with the heart of the movie included. There is a song called. The love is gone, where Belle explains why she is leaving Scrooge. They cut it out of the theatrical version because of little kids, attention spans, but included it in the home release on VHS. That is where I watched it. But later on DVD and streaming it was missing again. It’s a little long, but a beautiful song and Scrooge breaks down while hearing it in a way that doesn’t come across when the song is cut out.
The two best Muppet Remakes are this one and Treasure Planet. That’s because Scrooge treats his muppets as fellow actors, and Silver treats himself as a fellow muppet. If you watch a Muppet Remake, I’d suggest watching the original first so you can get a reminder of the original story.
The book "The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens" is a wonderful collection. It does include "A Christmas Carol" and many other short stories some of which are incredibly funny.
Apparently the reason why the information that tiny Tim lives is so abrupt is that in his original drafts Charles Dickens never said whether tiny Tim live or dies.
so wonderfully charming. and remarkably accurate costuming! pretty much everything worn in this movie, human and muppet alike, is dead on to the fashions at the time. its quite impressive! one of my favourite muppet movies. another fantastic one is muppet treasure island, which i think youd enjoy just as much
@@lynchie2073 they really went the extra mile. Miss Piggy has nice clothing… several years out of fashion, to highlight how poor the Cratchets are, she has to maintain them the best she can
Once, just ONCE I'd love to see an adaptation that does the ending the way the book does it. In the book, he sends the turkey to the Cratchets anonymously. Then he waits for Bob at the office with "his heart set on catching him late," and does it. The final confrontation with raising his salary takes place at the office, not at the Cratchet home.
My grandma who passed away earlier this year loved the Marly and Marly song (or at least the Marly & Marly.. Oooooohh), so now it always reminds me of her :p
I lovingly point out - just for what I hope is interesting information, not criticism - that muppets are live action, not animation. Animation is the process of creating the illusion of motion by quickly showing a series of static images. I say "lovingly" because 1) I love your channel and 2) I'm a lifelong lover and student of animation. I fondly remember watching a weekly TV half hour of International Animation Festival winners with my dad, who was a brilliant artist. He passed on his delight in Ray Harryhausen to me at a very young age. At 62, I still thrill to the first creaks and head turn of the gigantic Talos. I won't name the movie or describe Talos further, to avoid spoilers. Now I look forward to settling in for your reaction to this delightful pic by your patrons. [Edit] Oh! Well, the joke’s on me! There IS some CGI in this! I may never have seen this one! My bad! 😊 I’m still laughing at “thank you for making me a part of this.”
If you've never read the book, I do seriously recommend it. It's a short read. You could finish it in an afternoon. But there are a lot of details that most of the movie versions of the story just don't have time to cover.
I love this movie, I love A Christmas Carol and this is my second favorite adaptation it quotes directly from the story and the costumes are spectacular. Michael Caine is an amazing Scrooge. I also love your reactions. I am going to suggest you read the original story since I know you like to read. It’s fairly short and a great read.
The ghosts of Christmas past was filmed in water to get the floating, transparent effect. Destroyed the puppet because of it, but it was a cool effect.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
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I love the fact that he said "The frog guy, and the pig girl" and then name drops fozzie bear. I love this channel.
It's funny what our brains remember
Does remembering "the chef guy who's Swedish" count as remembering another name?
@@Jac2587 Oh yeah, I know _Futurama_ - that’s the one with the ginger guy, the one-eyed girl, the drunk robot… Zoidberg, right?
What makes this film so good is how Michael Caine plays Scrooge absolutely straight and interacts with the muppets like they were real people. I think he even said he would only take the role if he could play Scrooge that way.
And that's what made the movie work
Yeah. He wanted to play it as a serious Christmas carol movie and not a muppet movie. To the point, the part where he changed and started singing and dancing with the muppets really seemed a bit awkward
@theatergeek82 the opposite of Muppet treasure island where tim curry was a "human muppet" and it worked as well his crazy goofiness worked.
Micheal Caine and Tim Curry are like the opposite spectrum of making a muppet movie work. Michael played it straight, and Tim was basically a muppet himself as Long John Silver
Yeah, little did he know, _that's_ the assignment. The Muppet movies work because they're regular, fun movies that just happen to have Muppets in them. And so he acted really hard and the Muppet performers matched the energy and you end up with one of the most faithful movie adaptations of the book that exists. It's all just a bit magic.
Funny fact that The Muppet Christmas Carol uses the most text from the book of any Christmas Carol adaption. The fact they play Scrooge so straight is really what makes it work
The Dickens Society in the UK has rated this one of the most authentic to the original
I'm going to watch a new video put up called How Historically Accurate is The Muppet Christmas Carol by Reel History. My guess the answer is very. I've gone to readings of a Christmas Carol by British actors (something that Dickens HIMSELF did ) so I did realize 90 percent of this movie is accurate to the book with just small changes to ADD Muppet stuff, NOT take away Dickens stuff. The "I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon" response from Cratchet's wife is verbatim.
I have to say it- "Light the lamp, not the rat!"
This movie is a family tradition in my house. Anytime we talk about it being hot we burst into "HEATWAVE!! This is my island in the sun oye oye!"
You should check out their other great movie Muppet Treasure Island with Tim Curry.
Here we have Micheal Caine who treated the muppets like human actors. While Tim Curry treats himself as a fellow muppet with his loud expressions and acting
And both worked flawless
This is what I wanted to say as well. Muppet movies are unfortunately hit and miss, but Christmas Carol and Treasure Island are both peak Muppet movie, as far as quality of entertainment.
People judge boy Scrooge a lot for the whole ‘who cares about Christmas’ line. They miss the obvious by doing it: he’s not going home for Christmas. His parents left him at boarding school by himself. He’s defensive because he wants to go home for the holidays, but his parents don’t want him there.
His Mother died in childbirth and his Father resented him. He grew up bitter
@@chadjenkins4876 I remember his father not liking him, but I don't remember his mother dying. Clearly I need to reread A Christmas Carol.
"Ebenezer" means "a memorial", his father literally named him in memory of his mother's death.
Tiny Tim sitting on his father's shoulders goes right back to the book and the traditional illustrations you see of the pair together. The film was actually largely very faithful to the original book. Also, fun fact, in the 181 years since it was first published, it has never been out of print.
CGI wasn't really capable of doing much in terms of special effects in film at this time. Maybe some enhancements to film here and there but for the most part movies were still largely shot with film, and filmmakers used a lot of cinema magic to produce unique shots. For instance, the Ghost of Christmas Past was not a digital creation at all. Rather the puppet was shot beneath water to give it the ethereal floating effect and then superimposed into the film. There's a lot of reverence for older films in how they not only had to be creative in their plot and setting, but also in how they pulled off effects and created props and sets for things.
And yes, there are more Muppet Films, and they all have a tendency to draw in major stars as either cameos or lead roles. In the 80's and early 90's the Muppets and Jim Henson's Workshop were HUUUUGE!
Literally LOLed when you asked if this was the only muppet movie! This one is definitely in the top 3, if not the absolutely best of the lot.
Highly recommend The Muppet Movie! (the original, first one)
Muppets Take Manhattan has always been my personal favorite.
@@joshuayeager3686we had that one on VHS (recorded off TV, I'm that old 😂), we watched it a million times as I was growing up! So much fun.
"Hey, did you know that if you put enough sugar in this stuff, it tastes just like ginger ale!"
My top 3 are Christmas Carol and Treasure Island, taking the 1 and 2 spots, respectively, and Great Muppet Caper being my 3rd place.
As a kid, I loved The Great Muppet Caper because Mrs. Piggy was a badass. I also love the newer one with Jason Segal because my daughter was just old enough to get into it when it came out. She likes Muppets Most Wanted.
You laugh about the line "And To Tiny Tim, WHO DID NOT DIE" but that's actually directly taken from the book:
Page 100
"Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father."
Glad they took it word for word
@@AwesomeUSMovies I think this is deemed the most accurate to the words from the book version of A Christmas Carol.
I believe that Dickens added that _specifically_ because readers of the initial version _kept_ asking him about the fate of Tiny Tim, when he had thought it was clearly implied Tim would survive, without having to spell it out directly. Apparently he was mistaken, and he made VERY sure to spell it out in the book version.
The southern jubilee auditorium, over here in southern Alberta, had an event last month, where they had a Muppet Christmas carol in concert
where they show the movie and have the Calgary philharmonic orchestra play the music for the film in the background
It was amazing how many people of all ages were there and knew the lyrics to every song.
In every muppet movie after jim hensons death kermit looks up to see a shooting star
Oh, love that
Kermit “Life is full of meetings and parties. That is the way of it”
This line actually has a double meaning not just talking about tiny Tim, but it was also to do with Jim Henson. This was actually the first Muppet movie made after his passing.
Another interesting detail Michael Caine had a huge stipulation for his role as Scrooge.
He wanted the entire thing played straight, there is not a single moment in which he breaks character or looks the camera and mentions that he’s talking to puppets. He insisted that when he played this role, he was going to treat everybody human and Muppet like he was actually talking to a person.
Best version of A Christmas Carol, ever.
There was no CGI in this film as far as I know. Which _really_ shows how skilled the Jim Henson company was.
I'm pretty sure the door knocker transforming into the face of Jacob Marley was CG, but that might be the extent of it.
They did blue screen the puppeteers out digitally in certain shots.
@Lexi_Zone They did use green screen as well. Might even be the very first film to do so. The shots with the Ghost of Chrostmas Present had the puppet in a tank of water in front of a green screen to obtain the floating effect.
Idk about that... the door knocker, the green screen, the ghost of Christmas past, and the terrible sparkles when the ghost of Christmas present disappears, all probably CGI to some extent.
It's still skilled, it's just part of Disney now.
Fun Fact: the little rabbit from the beginning and at the end was an experimental character they were trying out at the time but the writers thought he was too cute so any chance they could, they would put the poor little guy in any tough situation they could think of. As shown in the film.😢😅
They couldn’t have found a more perfect character for Fozzie Bear to play. The original from the book was Fezziwig 👍🏻
I think the point was Scrooge knew that it was his headstone but to still see it in front of him and hearing that not only was he dead and cold in a simple grave but that he wouldn’t be mourned and everyone was glad he was dead was still a shock. Michael Caine really made Scrooge begging for another chance an emotional moment.
There is a usually cut song in the past where Belle breaks up with Scrooge that puts a lot more emotion in the scene and paints Belle as a lot more patient and saddened than she appeared in the cut version. She has literally waited for years and still loves him very, very much. But she can't.
Also it is said that this movie works so well is that Michael Caine treated all the Muppets as fellow human actors and gave them the same respect he would a person instead of a puppet.
Yes, a Patreon member sent it to me after I'd already watched it. I enjoyed it and thought it should have stayed in the movie.
It’s available to watch, in the film, under the extras options on Disney+
@AwesomeUSMovies Seperating it takes away from the final song which share the same melody line on "The love we've found" as Belle's "The love is gone"
Apparently it was deemed boring for kids with thought they’d lose interest so was removed…personally I love it
"rizzo, stop playing with the cat"
Apparently during the “Bless us one and a all” Michael Caine actually got very moved by the song, and you can see it in the shots of his face in the scene
There is no better Christmas movie!
This is my favorite Christmas movie, we watch it every year while we decorate our tree. It should be ridiculous with the muppets and people all acting in the same movie, but it manages to hit all the right notes of the original work, and Michael Cane just eating up the scenery playing it 100% straight while interacting with the puppets makes this work so well.
muppets treasure island just as good
We do the exact same thing in my family 😂 watch it while we decorate every year
@@tommyLcarter20for the opposite reason, though. Tim Curry is just a giant Muppet himself. 😂
@@sacredsiren SAME!! I watch it like 20 times every Christmas xD. It’s like a comfort movie for me and I’m 27 lol. Never too old for the muppets.
@@tommyLcarter20 YES! Now that’s my #1 favorite muppet movie. Also a comfort movie that I’ve played far too many times lol.
"What's with the chains?" Okay, that answers my question. I assumed you'd read the story, or seen a couple of the dozens of filmed versions. 'Guess not. It's a great little read for the holiday; hint hint. 📕🎄💝
I was surprised when James compared this movie to the movie Scrooged rather than the book A Christmas Carol, with him being a bookworm and all.
Yeah they parody the story on a lot of shows too.
If you do read the Charles Dickens book (which I recommend), you will be surprised at how many lines are word-for-word in this.
I read somewhere that this version of A Xhristmas Xarol is actually one of the ones that is truest to the original text. I listen to it on audiobook every year, and it does blow me away how many lines are straight out of the original.
Yess the books. Children, read@
Make an adventure in your own heads.
I love The Muppet Christmas Carol. I watch this every Christmas season, along with A Christmas Carol from 1984 with George C Scott. I also try to re-read A Christmas Carol every year also.
This and Muppet Treasure Island are my favourite Muppet movies
@@AlienDenzil85 I think we would be better read as a country if the Muppets had kept adapting literature
@AlienDenzil85 Same!!! They are both in my comfort movie list haha. I’m 27 and will never be too old for the muppets lol.
I really enjoy your reactions, especially when I can rewatch or spark memories of movies not seen for years in such a genuine way. James you come across like such a good man, really well made video's, please keep up the great work
I always love this story because it truly shows how different childhoods can change and transform the adults of the present. Especially this adaption! It's amazing! But yeah poor Ebbie didn't have attentive parents. If I remember correctly, they were neglectful to a point where they would leave him at school on holidays. That's why Christmas was a terrible time since it only reminded him that he was alone. And as he got older, he had expectations for himself that only hurt those around him. Possibly due to his parents neglect. It is funny though how the idea of going to Hell really changed him. Though it seems the sight of truly seeing the poor suffer had actually woke him up from his own world.
24:10 - Despite loving this film for 30 years and being able to pretty much recite it word for word, it's not really registered before the full significance of the other son saying "Father has walked slower these past *two* evenings". I've always known that was the line, just never consciously connected all the dots. So yes, very recent.
@@nudgificator indeed, and Bob talking about where Tim would see the ducks indicates that he’d only just gone to select a plot for the poor lad. I would say it’s surprising they could afford to choose one, but maybe the church had allowed him because they were regular attendees and beloved by the community.
Yes - in the book it's so recent that the child's body is still lying in the house upstairs.
@@TheHopperUK indeed, at least it’d be so cold there that he would stay fresh until he can be laid to rest. Reminds me a bit of my uncle and aunt keeping my grandfather in their house for a while, in a chilled room whilst they prepped for the funeral.
Since this movie was released one year before Jurassic Park which made a milestone in digital effects, this movie have very few CGi effects, most notebly the morph of Scrooge door knocker to Jacob Marley's head and the warp hole when The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge into the future, and obviously the greenscreen backgrounds in scenes like Scrooge flies with The Ghost of Christmas Past. With The Marley Bros. as ghosts, they weren't CGI or greenscreen but used an old faschion technique called Pepper's Ghost effect which is putting a piece of glass in front of the camera, having the person or puppet off camera being lit and the reflection of him/her/it on the glass, creating a translucent effect. That is how the ghosts of The Haunted Mansion rides in the Disney Parks being done.
You’re laughing at all my favorite parts, especially Rizzo and the other little dude comments throughout! 😉
But I have to say, a lot of your reactions are so surprising as they lead me to believe you’ve never read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. With your voracious reading past, I would have bet money you had. Oh well, I highly recommend you read it! Short & quick read. And read up on the back story as to why Dickens wrote it & how quickly.
Then watch and react to several other versions. Scrooged with Bill Murray is a hilarious modern version you reacted to last year. The Alastair Sim 1951 version is what I grew up watching every year. Although I saw the 1938 version a few times. Then the 1984 George C Scott version came out & switched to that as the Alastair Sim version was a bit scary. Scrooged came out while I was in college. Loved the modern take. But I have to admit this Muppet version is my favorite!!! Enjoy!
Already didi Scrooged, check it out: ruclips.net/video/G25ZmHST1D8/видео.html
@@AwesomeUSMovies yes, and I actually watched your reaction and clicked like on it last year. 🤦🏼♀️
I did try to edit & update my comment above before you read it, but I’m not sure the edited update saved. 🤷🏼♀️ Oh well.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!!
Rizzo is the best!
I love that Kermit (Cratchit) actually gives a viable reason not to open on Christmas Day. You don't often see that.
Also I'm sure it's already in the comments somewhere, but the magic movie with Michael Caine is "The Prestige".
@@isleofredemption Unlesss he means "A Shock to the System", a severely underrated movie of Caine's that also includes magic. Though sadly it's probably too obscure to be the film he means.
I love seeing all these adults seeing this movie for the first time. I dont know how y'all made it this far, but thank you for letting us experience this with you.
I love the line "Light the Lamp not the rat" when they were doing the past scene right before the employer party.
I've never seen this movie but I've seen comments that it's a favorite version of A Christmas Carol. I've read the story many times and seen many versions, so I want to watch this with someone who I expect will appreciate it. Off we go! 🤞✨
The Muppets were my favorite as a kid so I had this VHS and watched it over and over. I know every word to this one. ❤
I love your description of Beaker 😂😂😂
I wasn't that far off was I?
@@AwesomeUSMovies nope! Pretty spot on!
"God save my little broken body!"
Rizzo and Gonzo Dickens are my favorite part of the Muppet Christmas Carol. Their physical humor adds a lot of levity to the dark story.
Mine toooooo! “Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp, not the rat!” 🤣
"The Man Who Would Be King" (1975) is a fantastic movie, based on the 1888 book by Rudyard Kipling. It stars Michael Caine and Sean Connery, who first met at a party in 1954 and became best friends for life during filming of "The Man Who Would Be King".
Michael Caine's Guyanese wife of 52 years, Shakira, is also in the movie. I've read several of his books; he's obviously madly in love with her. You should read one of his autobiographies. I say "one of" because he thought his career was concluded, so he wrote an autobiography. Then he had a major comeback with "Batman Begins" (2005) and many more years of acting, so he wrote another.
He has been friends with all manner of world famous figures for generations. His books are fascinating, entertaining, insightful, sometimes amazing, and beautifully written. I think they're best consumed as audio books with him as narrator. If a great actor or comedian writes a book, you definitely want them reading it to you. I recommend starting with "The Elephant to Hollywood".
“The spider guy’s there, the cops are there, everyone’s there!” Hahah 🤣 Loved this! One of my favorite Christmas movies. Michael Cain’s acting was superb. 😄
30:07 there actually wasn’t ANY CGI for the ghost of Christmas Past I think was done underwater. It’s supposed to look unsettling, and the book says the features are constantly changing, so this is weirdly accurate.
A great Michael Caine character to check out, and movie that you would love, is the comedy Miss Congeniality.
Fun movie, always a fun rewatch!
Turned 9 just days before watching this in 1992. Remains one of my favs to this day!! Ghost of Christmas past certainly freaked me out!
18:26 you're watching the shorter theatrical version. When they released this in the movie theater they had two versions. The matinee version was the one you're watching. The evening version had a very sad song call "the love is gone".
This is an important song because at the end of the movie they reprise this song with a happier version.
This sad song is available as an extra on Disney Plus.
Close. The song was never shown in the theaters, but was included in the VHS release
The book is great. Charles Dickens helped promote the spirit of Christmas. He did a wonderful job. And this movie adaptation is one of the most accurate to the book.
This is one of two movie i HAVE to watch every year the other being Love Actually. The songs are great Michael acts this so striaght its wonderful. I'm so glad you loved the rats asking for more coal. When they start singing 'This is my Island in the Sun' i crack up every time.
I watch this every Christmas Eve, its my favorite Christmas Carol movie
There is some CGI but the Ghost of Christmas Past was also done partially practically - the puppet was suspended in a tank of oil/water to produce the ethereal, floating effect.
the little frog playing tiny tim is kermit's nephew robin. And the one with the weird mouth is beaker. There are many muppet films, another good christmas one is "a muppet family christmas" it was a tv special now put to film
I watch it every december. I love the fact that the rats WANTED coal. Usually that mean you've done something wrong or bad. Here it's to keep them warm and others.
This is my favorite version of The Christmas Carol, by far. Lovely music, historically accurate costumes, and fun around the corner when you need it.
This was not done with CGI at this time (1992). This was all old-school ingenuity.
To me the funniest joke is that there is a Jacob Marley ( the original story) and a Robert Marley ( the Muppet joke and addition)!!! Bob is short for Robert so that makes it Jacob and Bob Marley!!! 😂😂😂 I love it!!! I'm not sure exactly how many Muppet movies there were before this one ... at least three for sure. The earliest Muppet movies were made and released while the TV show was on the air in the early 80s. I think this one was around the early 1990s. I think the next movie ... Muppets 'Treasure Island" and whatever else they've done since came after this one, but I'm not sure on that. Disney acquired the Muppets after Jim Henson's passing but before that the first 3 movies were not originally Disney affiliated. Since you're watching the Muppets now there would have been no way for you to know that unless you looked it up. I love Charles Dickens and especially this story and I think they did a fantastic job telling it and making it fun for kids while retaining the gravitas of the story of redemption! The jokes are hilarious ( some are slightly adult) and the music is catchy, memorable, and well done too. It's one of my favorite Christmas movies and I watch it every year. I would suggest you watch the wonderful movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas." It's a non-biographical but based-on-the-true- story of how and why Charles Dickens came to write "A Christmas Carol." You learn a lot about the man himself and what drove him as a man and as an author. He was a devout Christian, loved his family but was extremely fearful of financial trouble particularly of debtors prison which was a real threat in 19th century England. The cast is exceptional, the story very engaging, and it's filled with wit and humor but also great drama and a few tear jerking moments. If you watch it you'll see/read "A Christmas Carol" in a new light that adds wonderful layers to the story and it becomes even richer and more beautiful once you know what it meant to Charles Dickens himself. It's a beautiful movie!!!
Among the many Easter eggs in this movie are the shop names in the street scenes: you'll find Waldorf and Statler there, and Micklethwaites -- Michael Caine's real name is Maurice Micklethwaite.
I used to watch this every year with my grandma when she was alive
I like how this was chosen for animated film and there’s nothing animated about it
This film is regarded by many as one of the best film adaptations of the book. Many lines are taken directly from the book. There are some obvious adjustments that they made for it to work in the Muppet format, but it's obvious that they're was a lot of love for the source material here.
Also, one clothing history RUclipsr made a video about how excellent the costuming is, including visible hand stitching on some of the muppets' clothes. Hand stitching means that real care was put into the details of the clothes, even though that wasn't strictly necessary.
How much an enjoyable reaction! This is my all time favorite version of a Christmas carol. I just love IT makes me happy it gets the Does a really good job doesn't get too far out there like to me this is 10 out of 10!
There are a couple of other muppet movies out there as well so I think you would find them equally enjoyable
Disney acquired the Muppets some time after Jim Henson passed away.
If you look closely at Bunsen and Beaker (the 2 collecting for charity) when Scrooge throws them out of the office, Beaker gives him the middle finger. It’s very quick. Makes me giggle every time 😂
"There was this chef guy who's Swedish and throws fish and there's a tall guy with him with shaggy hair and a weird mouth."
I think you just described three different Muppets in one! It's Lew Bunsen: The Swedish Boomerang Fish Chef!
Just starting this reaction and already hitting “like” because I know this will be amazing on principle. Thank you, as always, for sharing with us, James.😊
My fave xmas movie🎉❤. Loved it since I was a kid. Great reaction as always
This is my favorite Christmas movie....my husband and I watch it every Christmas Eve 😂
The part with the doorknob always scared me as a kid; at least the film made up for it with 'Marley and Marley'
Michael Caine also played Alfred the butler in the Batman movies with Christian Bale.
A yearly movie for us on Christmas Eve along with White Christmas (if your looking for another classic Christmas movie)
After you know that this was the first piece of Muppet material to release after the death of their creator, Jim Henson, Kermit’s words during the Tiny Tim segment hit a lot harder 😢RIP Jim. Your characters live on
Our favorite version of this story.
Adheres to the text very well.
we need to throw the mighty ducks on a poll some day
Oh... Might Ducks = Hockey right?
yup
I have to imagine that somewhere in heaven, Charles Dickens inspired Jim Henson to make his book into this film to inspire the young-at-heart with this great Christmas message.
This and Muppet's Treasure Island are 2 of my all time favourite movies.😅
Please rewatch it and check the settings if you are streaming. Especially since you enjoyed the music, it deserves a rewatch with the heart of the movie included. There is a song called. The love is gone, where Belle explains why she is leaving Scrooge. They cut it out of the theatrical version because of little kids, attention spans, but included it in the home release on VHS. That is where I watched it. But later on DVD and streaming it was missing again. It’s a little long, but a beautiful song and Scrooge breaks down while hearing it in a way that doesn’t come across when the song is cut out.
The two best Muppet Remakes are this one and Treasure Planet. That’s because Scrooge treats his muppets as fellow actors, and Silver treats himself as a fellow muppet.
If you watch a Muppet Remake, I’d suggest watching the original first so you can get a reminder of the original story.
This is my favorite telling of the story.
Funfact humbug means what bullshit means now. They also make the humbug sweets mainly mints.
The book "The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens" is a wonderful collection. It does include "A Christmas Carol" and many other short stories some of which are incredibly funny.
Apparently the reason why the information that tiny Tim lives is so abrupt is that in his original drafts Charles Dickens never said whether tiny Tim live or dies.
so wonderfully charming. and remarkably accurate costuming! pretty much everything worn in this movie, human and muppet alike, is dead on to the fashions at the time. its quite impressive!
one of my favourite muppet movies. another fantastic one is muppet treasure island, which i think youd enjoy just as much
@@lynchie2073 they really went the extra mile. Miss Piggy has nice clothing… several years out of fashion, to highlight how poor the Cratchets are, she has to maintain them the best she can
fun fact, people told michael Caine working with the muppets would ruin his career....
The is actually no CGI in the movie due to its age. The ghost of Christmas past was filmed underwater to get her to flow
One great thing about the muppets is they slip a little adult humour in for parents.
Once, just ONCE I'd love to see an adaptation that does the ending the way the book does it. In the book, he sends the turkey to the Cratchets anonymously. Then he waits for Bob at the office with "his heart set on catching him late," and does it. The final confrontation with raising his salary takes place at the office, not at the Cratchet home.
If you liked this, please watch Muppet Treasure Island! Tim Curry absolutely kills it in that movie
The character in Dickens was Fezziwig. Cool they had a Muppet with a similar name.
3:31 Yes...they're pigs. That's the joke :D
You should watch the Henson documentary, even just on your own time. it's fascinating. He was a genius.
18:16
Aw, you’re watching the wrong version of the movie.
In the extended version, this moment contains the best song of the movie, When Love Is Gone!
My favorite Christmas movie.
My grandma who passed away earlier this year loved the Marly and Marly song (or at least the Marly & Marly.. Oooooohh), so now it always reminds me of her :p
I lovingly point out - just for what I hope is interesting information, not criticism - that muppets are live action, not animation. Animation is the process of creating the illusion of motion by quickly showing a series of static images.
I say "lovingly" because 1) I love your channel and 2) I'm a lifelong lover and student of animation. I fondly remember watching a weekly TV half hour of International Animation Festival winners with my dad, who was a brilliant artist. He passed on his delight in Ray Harryhausen to me at a very young age. At 62, I still thrill to the first creaks and head turn of the gigantic Talos. I won't name the movie or describe Talos further, to avoid spoilers.
Now I look forward to settling in for your reaction to this delightful pic by your patrons.
[Edit] Oh! Well, the joke’s on me! There IS some CGI in this! I may never have seen this one! My bad! 😊
I’m still laughing at “thank you for making me a part of this.”
One of my favorites ❤
He needs to watch the original 1979 muppet movie
Definitely needs to.
If you've never read the book, I do seriously recommend it. It's a short read. You could finish it in an afternoon. But there are a lot of details that most of the movie versions of the story just don't have time to cover.
I love this movie, I love A Christmas Carol and this is my second favorite adaptation it quotes directly from the story and the costumes are spectacular. Michael Caine is an amazing Scrooge. I also love your reactions. I am going to suggest you read the original story since I know you like to read. It’s fairly short and a great read.
Omg! I’m 17 yrs old again 😂
I saw this in the theater.
Yeah
22:42 Yet somehow he’s far less scary than his counterpart from the Mickey version.
(Anyone who’s seen that knows *exactly* what I’m talking about.)
The ghosts of Christmas past was filmed in water to get the floating, transparent effect. Destroyed the puppet because of it, but it was a cool effect.