"The puppets really can show a little bit of emotion." You've never seen anything sadder as when the Muppets first found out that they were created by a man named Jim Henson and then later in the episode after they decided to go and meet him, they found out that he had died. an entire room of Muppets realizing their creator had passed was sooooooo sad.
In a special Jim and friends made in the mid 80s to celebrate 30 years of their past work that was a ceremony that involved not only Kermit's gang, but the Sesame Street gang, the Sam and Friends gang, Emmet Otters gang, and Uncle Travling Matt and Sprocket from Fraggle Rock reminiscing about they're favorite memories of their work (monsters, explosions and cannibalism for Sweetums, pop culture references for Gonzo, music for Electric Mayhem, children programing for the cast of Sesame Street, imagination for Traveling Matt, etc) Kermit says his favorite moments are the moments that come across as sad or touching as opposed to funny.
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson special is a gut punch. They spend the entire thing trying to figure out who this Jim guy was, and then they find a letter from a little girl talking about how God must have wanted Muppets heaven…. Just watching that realization sink in is just heartbreaking.
Michael Caine said that the way he decided to approach being in a movie with puppets everywhere is to act as if he was in a royal Shakespeare company production, treat it completely seriously and never once "wink" to the camera and goof off. It worked PERFECTLY. 💜💜
I mean, part of the magic of the muppets is that most people (I would specify actors, but it’s not just actors) don’t break the fourth wall or acknowledge that they’re working with puppets- they just fall into the fiction of them being real
"God save my little broken body!" Rizzo as the punching bag of the story while Gonzo tries to narrate is the best part. Also check out Muppet Treasure Island, another piece of literature put to song and puppetry, with another iconic actor.
Definitely second that. Muppet's Christmas Carol and Treasure Island are both my favorite rendition of those stories, carried by phenomenal performances of their big (human) stars.
Third that recommendation! If you liked the format here with Gonzo and Rizzo working together you'll get that in Muppet Treasure Island too. The contemporary Muppet movies are a different kind of beast.
It really hurts me that they removed "when love is gone". It is such a beautiful song, and it really helps sell Scrooge's fall, and reconnects him to his humanity. Growing up the copy we had kept it in, and so it always surprises me when it is not there as other people experience it. If you want to continue your muppet watching experience, I highly reccommend Muppet Treasure Island, which star's Tim Curry, in the best portrayal of Long John Silver I have ever seen.
They did the same thing to the Muppet Family Christmas. They took over 20 minutes of the movie out. Including a bunch of songs, and story moments, which completely destroyed the film. The only way to watch the real thing is to, either, get ahold of an old copy, download the original from a torrent site, or try to find a website that streams the original version. It's really sad to see the classics getting butchered. Jim Henson would be so upset about it.
@@separator94 The Henson Company released a DVD version around the late 2000s, although it also has the "Muppet Babies" home movies scene cut out (but only that scene). It's probably the most completed version available out there.
So the reason most are viewing the 'cut' version is because they lost the original film work that had the full length including song for the modern copies of the movie (after all they would've touched up the quality etc). Recently however, they did find the 'lost' version and i believe it should be out there for streaming if not will be soon. What is confusing is that another reactor watched the full one this week including song so I'm actually surprised that Shanelle ended up watching the one without. 😥 Edit: Unless she cut it? for copyright reasons? 🤷♂
I think its incredibly asinine they actually did that because they think its too sad or depressing. But that's the whole point. Its shows why Scrooge became the way he was in the story and it also shows children that there will be times they too will go through this situation when they're older. Relationships are not always easy and there will be times where they eventually end when not handle right.
@@DonForceFeedback She hears about it in the trivia and looks it up towards the end of the film, so she did see it, just not in the middle of the film.
I was a touch snobby and never cared to watch this for the longest time, thinking it would be silly and childish. But as a teacher, I finally showed it to my students one year when they asked for it, and I was shocked at how enjoyable and well-made it actually is.
Im glad they finally wore you down. This film is an amazing adaptation to Christmas Carol. It’s because of Micheal Caine and everybody who worked on the film went serious about it. They new when to use comedy and when to be emotional.
The business with the bookkeepers getting a basket of coal: remember earlier when they were asking permission to put more coal on the fire, and Scrooge threatened to fire them? Now he is letting them have a big basket of coal to keep warm. They weren't bad... they were just cold! You might enjoy the original Muppet Movie from 1979, too.
Henson had passed 2 yrs prior to this. It was their first big film without him. Richard Hunt had passed the yr that this came out. Hunt was 1/2 of the Two Headed Monster, Scooter, Janice, and about a billion other characters. He and Jerry Nelson (Tiny Tim and Present) were both incredible singers.
@@nsasupporter7557 Likely so. Apparently, he had been sick for nearly four days and only when he got severely sick was when he agreed to go to the hospital (however, although most said he didn't go to the hospital earlier because of his Christian Science upbringing, it was more the fact that Henson had rarely been sick and just had never dealt with serious health issues before; some also blamed severe stress for his bad immune system issues, due to the struggles with handling the Muppet transfer to Disney).
It makes you wonder what this film would have been with Jim H. Still alive to fully contribute. Would it have just been a different kind of good, or would it have been an absolute next level masterpiece ?
@@nsasupporter7557 I find that many men of that generation mistrust doctors. In their day doctors were often quacks who lobotomized children and sent housewives to mental institutions for "hysteria". The hospital was the place you went to die.
PLEASE STOP SAYING UNDERRATED! That word is unbelievably and ridiculously overused and misused by every single person on RUclips. “Underrated” has literally lost its meaning because everybody on RUclips overused it and misuses it so much
@@LumpyAdams I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the word “underrated” is overused by everybody on RUclips. Everybody and their brother says that everything is underrated! Whether it is or not
@@nsasupporter7557 that's not how words work. You can say them as many times as you want & they still mean the same thing. If you have a problem with the word, getting over it is TOTALLY UNDERRATED. You should give it a shot.
I always maintain that using Gonzo as Charles Dickens was the most inspired addition to this adaptation, having Charles Dickens as a narrator allowed them to provide both a voice that lets them do speed through introductions without establishing scenes for characters and locations as well as incorporate so much of the original text of the book that would have had to be lost in a film adaptation otherwise
I am very glad you went back and saw the deleted scene with When Love Is Gone, because I feel like Scrooge's turn and willingness to get involved as much as he did in the Christmas Present scenes really NEEDS that moment where he finally breaks down, and not showing it makes it feel like there's a sort of unearned emotional jump. Letting himself finally feel bad about a moment he was clearly avoiding thinking about opened him up to feeling a lot more for the rest of the movie! And yes, the two recent Muppet Movies are absolutely worth watching.
Last November is when I learned that Michael Caine was going to take this role seriously. That fact is what makes this film work so well. At the same time I learned that all of Gonzo's narration lines come directly from the book. After learning these two facts I had to watch this and then I read the book. I've heard the Dickens Society has said this is the most accurate adaption of A Christmas Carol. I knew you would enjoy this one and yes you should do more Muppet movies, especially if you just want to smile. I was smiling the whole time watching this because you were smiling. The book Jim Henson The Biography by Brian Jay Jones is very good.
This and Muppet Treasure Island are both my favorite renditions of their respective stories. Michael Caine in this, and Tim Curry in Treasure Island are both phenomenal in their roles.
Things like Michael Caine taking the role 100% serious is what makes a lot of things work. The same can be said about Weird Al. He knew he had to bring the goods instrumentally and with his showmanship in order to be taken seriously or his career would have died quickly. Similarly, a band out of Japan called BABYMETAL...three young girls (12 and 11 when they started over a decade ago) doing pop singing and dancing with metal music backing them. It shouldn't have worked; it had no business working...but it does even to this day because they hired some of the best musicians to be part of their backing band and have some of the best song writers in Japan. When you think something is silly or can't work, all it takes is the dedication of one major person to make it work, and Michael Caine did that in spades here!
The Christmas Carol has been done over and over again. Everyone knows the story, yet this is amazingly one of the most faithful adaptations of the source material. Christmas past was meant to be unsettling. Christmas present was a giant. It really is the perfect Christmas movie, and in my opinion, the best Muppet movie.
Love the reaction, this adaptation is closest to the original Dickens book in quotes. A. Michael Caine is truly an unsung one of the greatest thespians B. All Muppet Movies I have seen are musicals C. The first three Muppet Movies (The Muppet Movie, Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper) are filled with an unreal amount of cameos. D. If you liked this then check out Muppet Treasure Island.
There is an interview with Michael Cain when he said during the first week of filming he had looked down directly into a puppeteer's eyes and the puppeteer started laughing. The puppeteer apologized to Cain and said he usually doesn't ever look other actors in the eyes when filming. Cain thought it was such an interesting concept to not look directly at another person you are acting a scene with.
This is my favorite version of the Christmas Carol story. I've watched it every Christmas since I was a kid. The song "It Feels Like Christmas" is my favorite! The song with Belle that was cut from the DVD release is a close second. Her performance and Michael Caine's acting in that scene is heartbreaking! I'm glad they restored it in the Disney+ version.
Oh, and the initial removal of "When Love Is Gone" is what I would call an iconic blunder. You got no idea how pissed I was when I found out decades later that this song was missing. It makes the movie 1000% better as it enforces the sense of Scooge's character growth.
The funniest part is Gonzo's response to Rizzo landing on the "flaming hot goose." The bit about being lucky. This goes WAY back to the late 1970s. All Gonzo's 'lady friends' are poultry. They're his 'type.' 😉😉
12:06 I mean, Scrooge's deal isn't just that he was broken up with at Christmas. It all comes down to the decisions he made in life that influenced the outcomes; which is sort of the lesson he ultimately learns. I love the Muppet Christmas Carol, and it's probably my favorite adaptation of the story (and I've written like, three adaptations for community theatre and have produced two of them so far...) but I do wish they had Scrooge's sister Fran in this version. They gloss over his school time a bit, and that's supposed to be a reflection that Scrooge was the only boy at his school not to go home at Christmas, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. He had a home, but not a good home life; so he stayed and would lose himself in books. And it was like that year after year, until his sister Fran arrives and says their father is a better man now and that Scrooge is to return home so they can be a family again. And of course Fran is Fred's mother, but she died very young. This further informs the dynamic seen with Fred and Scrooge at the beginning, when Fred invites his uncle to dinner; Scrooge doesn't believe it's a genuine offer, that Fred's taking pity on him in memory of his mother. But then at the dinner, Fred doesn't mock Scrooge; he's kind of indifferent about him not coming - "what does he miss out on, than a good meal" type of perspective. But he genuinely feels kind of sorry for him. The break-up with Belle shows how his path was altered by his narrow perspective of things. Scrooge felt he _had to_ achieve a certain station and financial security in life before he and Belle could be married; but Belle felt "a new idol" had replaced her, wealth, ambition; and she couldn't compete with that in his heart. So she chose to break away now, rather than lose him little by little. And I do think "The Love Is Gone" is a crucial exploration of that. It might have been interesting had Dickens explored more of Scrooge's past, and Lord knows that man liked to ramble on. I do think there's maybe a little more nuance to his development from the boy at school to the miser he became. But that might have belabored the point. Ultimately we know Scrooge had two driving forces in his life to set his example by; Fezziwig, his first mentor for whom he was an apprentice for; known for his benevolence and generosity, particularly with his ball as an example. And then there was Marley, with whom Scrooge became business partners with; and we know that present day Scrooge is more like Marley than Fezziwig. So somewhere along the way, Scrooge came to see things more Marley's way than Fezziwig's, which invariably changed the course of his life. But it still comes down to the decisions he made; and when he made the decision to change, that took him in a new direction.
Robbie Coltrane’s Ghost of Christmas was clearly the basis for his performance as Hagrid…..although, I’m not sure if Hagrid was partial to a glass of "Nurse McCready's Surgical Bruise Lotion." 😂😂😂
4:39 When you see muppets in full/wide shots right on the ground/floor and you're wondering where the puppeteer is, usually the set has been built on a raised platform above the soundstage floor.
6:07 - And vice versa: The Muppet Show started out in England in the late '70s and everyone grew up with them, so by the '90s being in a Muppet production of any kind is a resume boost for ANY actor. 😉
All Muppet movies are worth at least one watch, but the original 1979 'The Muppet Movie' is the standard by which every other one should be judged. INFINITELY rewatchable.
Love that you reacted to this one! The original muppet movies are so fun! The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and Muppet Treasure Island are gems 😊
This is the only version of A Christmas Carol that I watch religiously. I came from a Muppet loving family, so I highly recommend watching more! The original still holds up, and the newer one was a nice love letter to the franchise. I'm also probably in the minority on this, but I love Muppets From Space, too. Thanks as always!
LOVE this version! Re: your filmmaking questions: the opening flyover shot uses a big model of the city (and then transitions onto a soundstage shot like you said), and the creepy Ghost of Christmas Past was actually a physical puppet that they filmed in a water tank to create its ethereal hair/fabric movements, and then superimposed into the scene. So many creative techniques and tricks used in this film. :)
I loved this movie growing up, but now as an adult it's become my favorite Christmas movie. It's just done perfectly. From Michael Caine's superb acting to Paul Williams' music to the fact that they kept it mostly serious with numerous direct quotes from the book to Rizzo being the PERFECT comic relief. A++ Edit: I'm so glad you went out of your way to watch When Love is Gone. The version I grew up on had it so later seeing the movie without it was really jarring.
Same. I had the movie on video as a kid which had When Love Is Gone in it, so it confused me when I later got the dvd & that song wasn't there. It just doesn't make sense when we see Rizzo crying his heart out at the end of that moment if the song isn't used in the scene.
@@ParaB3LLUM-s34j you and everybody else on RUclips literally need to start a cult where you can worship the word “underrated!” Because you all have this irritating infatuation with that word. I need to ask you… what is you and everybody else’s infatuation with that word “underrated?” I need to know
I was Muppet mad as a kid and I loved this when it came out. It’s now one of the films I watch every Christmas. All the sets where built up about 3-4 feet and the muppets handlers would put there arms up through holes, with a tv monitor at there feet so they can see what the cameras see. If you haven’t seen it I recommend Muppets Treasure Island.
This was my first watch of anything muppets - I’ll certainly be watching the film this Christmas! Thank you, Shanelle! I’d love to see your reaction to The Hogfather, adapted from the Terry Pratchett novel; it’s my go to film every Christmas.
I would love to see someone react to Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. It was made before the very first Muppet movie. It’s short (under an hour) and very sweet. It’s my go to holiday movie. Also, yes react to all the Muppet things. But the original 3 Muppet Movies are the best. The number of cameos are just insane.
@@alicedelgado955 I think the update was literally yesterday Unless you mean the extended cut is only in extras? In which case, yeah, that's how they've done it to still have both options available
the book has alluded to the trauma that Scrooge endured in childhood, the most important part is that he was not always mean and evil, his coldness grows out of isolation and loneliness, being abandoned by his father (left at school for years with no contact, or minimal at best), some of the films have also added other sources and reasons, including the possibility that Scrooge's mother died during childhood (a theory but probably not correct)....as a child, when younger, Scrooge had a marvelous imagination who would befriend various literary characters (and whom may have visited him at Christmas), but his seriousness and coldness grew as his years went on...Scrooge as a child spoke of friends (many who left his alone at Christmas), whether they were his actual friends, or just class room associates is never really sure (he says he has friends and shows joy in mentioning them, but it may just be excitement and nostalgia of the situation), but even if he did have friends at one point, he soon loses that and finds friendship at best difficult due to his coldness or most likely useless, unless he gets an advantage, like many of his business associates he speaks about during the Christmas Future segments.
You should watch all the Muppet movies. My favorite is Great Muppet Caper. And for Christmas Carol stories, this one and Scrooged with Bill Murray are tied for #1 on my list. The Muppets are always so funny and yet so heartfelt in their movies. A genuinely wholesome time every time you watch them. Thank you for bringing them onto your channel. Can't wait for the rest.
You should totally watch more Muppet movies on the channel! They’re so great! The 2011 was is cute but kind of different from other Muppet movies, and then the one after it, Muppet’s Most Wanted, is kind of a more return to form and very funny. Muppet Treasure Island is a real classic that you would love! Paul Williams wrote the music for this and many of the early Muppet movies. He’s an incredible songwriter! You should also check out The Phantom of the Paradise. I will warn you it’s a strange film, but Williams wrote all the songs for it, too, and it’s fun to see his range.
If you want another Muppets movie, I cannot recommend their "Treasure Island" enough. It has Tim Currey as Long John. Also, just once I want a rendition of Christmas Carol that follows the book ending where Scrooge waits to confront Cratchet until the office the day after Christmas.
If you want to see a performance of "The Rainbow Connection", there's a movie where this sweet frog Sings it...... 😁. Seriously, you would love The Muppet Movie (1979).
1) You should definitely watch more Mupput movies for the channel. They are fun and silly and full of great cameos! 2) Jim Henson was amazing at fully embracing the juxtaposition of cute, uncanny, and scary that comes with puppeteering. He knew where to lean in and where to pull back to make them all blend together. Which brings me to.. 3) The 2011 Muppet movie, while fun and enjoyable, didn't quite capture the spirit of the older movies. I'd be happy to watch it with you on the channel, but if it's a choice between the newer or the older, I'd go with the older movies.
I LOVE this movie so much!! I've seen it millions of times, and I still burst out laughing every time, and get moved to tears. My daughter and I will randomly say, "No cheeses for us meeces" throughout the year Lol. And yes, check out The Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)- it was another one that we laughed out loud over! It was way better than I thought it was going to be!
Hi Shanelle! Absolutely you should watch the 2011 'TheMuppets'! And for a very different sort of Muppet movie, you might consider 1982's 'The Dark Crystal'...
Not missed a single year watching this at Christmas since I got the VHS as a child. A local Cinema started showing it at Christmas so until Covid i'd take the family there on Christmas eve.
I would love for you to become a Team StarKid fan. That said, you should check out their VHS Christmas Carol Live. It is the classic story told in song. The music is based on the 80s and their are many references to that decade and artists of that time. Also, Ghost of Christmas Present is for sure NOT boring in their rendition. In fact, it is probably the most fun. Please consider watching and reacting to it. It is fun I swear.
Since you asked: The street that the human actors walk on is a raised platform. This way the puppeteers can not be seen this makes some choreography difficult as people need navigate around wholes in the platform. This also explains the odd angles most of the movie was shot at. It was to avoid showing the puppeteers arm.
Muppet Treasure Island is the Muppet movie most similar to this. Gonzo and Rizzo aren't narrating it but they follow along with the main character and are fantastic as always. It has Tim Curry as Long John Silver. And the rats. The rats are hilarious!
The Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol is also excellent... it also goes into Scooge's childhood a little deeper with why he never went home for Christmas
This is my favourite Christmas movie, I love the Muppets and the Dickens story so this is perfect imo. You should probably watch the original Muppet Movie before the 2011 one since there are a few homages to it that would go better appreciated.
ShanelleRiccio 👆👆👆👆👆👆 Congrats! Thanks for watching Send a DM through the platform above . The package is yours!!!...
Год назад
Jim died in May 1990. He was ill and thought it was just a cold so kept working, but it got worse quick so he went to the ER but by that time he had waited too long and he had abscesses in his lungs caused by Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome. The doctor who figured out what he had said later that if he had of went to the ER even a few hours earlier he might have been able to save Jim. Frank Oz thinks that the negotiating with Disney on a deal to buy his company plus him working non stop made him sick from the stress. "The stress of the Disney deal killed him, It made him sick." - Frank Oz
Michael cains said the set was built 5 feet in the air and he some times had to walk on planks 5 feet up so the muppeteers could work around him, he also said it was the most relaxed happiest set he ever worked on. Regular Muppet collaborator and actor Paul Williams wrote the music. Unfortunately this is the cut version. The song The love has gone is missing. The dumb producers thought it slowed the film down but its a very important song as it shows that Scrooge still has a heart and it sets up the very last song un the film. The love we found.
In the original novella, there is only Jacob Marley, Robert was added because Statler and Waldorf always appear together. In the background of some of the street scenes there is a shop called 'Statler and Waldorf'. A fair amount of Gonzo's narration is directly quoted from the book. Rizzo was obviously comic relief so the movie was not so dark until Scrooge's redemption. This was the first Muppet movie after Jim Hanson's passing, but there have been a number more since. The one immediately following this was another adaptation with Muppets and Humans, Treasure Island (I haven't seen that one). 17:24 It is coal. In some traditions if a child has been bad he is given coal instead of treats, but in this case this is what the book-keepers wanted, because the office was cold.
There was a movie in 2018 called The Happytime Murders that is also a muppet movie, but not The Muppets. It's also VERY much for adults, filled with adult and raunchy humor. It got a lot of bad reviews because of that, but they weren't hiding the humor or what it was about in the trailers and press releases. Everyone should have known what they were walking into. I do highly recommend it.
I'm not sure if it's up your alley or not but you should also check out the Doctor Who "A Christmas Carol" episode. It's relatively easy to understand if you haven't seen the show before and has some really great acting from Michael Gambon in it.
This is my favorite adaptation of A Christmas Carol. We watched this on VHS growing up and I was lucky enough to find a DVD that had the original cut with "The Love is Gone" scene intact but it's only on the "Full Screen Version". I will never understand why it was cut from the film it made a huge emotional impact to the story, it added so much to Scrooge's character and Michael Caine's performances was top notch. The part were he starts to Sing with Belle then his voice starts to crack as he cries chokes me up every time. Plus the song makes more sense with the ending song being "The Love we Found". I never thought it was too sad for kids, I grew up with 80's movies like The Neverender Story and the Dark Crystal, another Jim Henson movie that's a bit of a cult classic but still underappreciated. It's entirely puppets, wildly imaginative designs, and watching the making of very impressive how they created the world. A lot of people didn't like that the story was too simple which I disagree with and since it had no live actors they didn't find it interesting. It's one of my favorite Jim Henson films. Those films were dark and weren't afraid to scare kids or make them sad. I mean Disney killed Mufasa on screen, I sobbed like a baby but I still loved Lion King. Brian Henson has been a big advocate for restoring "The Love is Gone" as well as many fans.
This reigned as my co-favorite Christmas movie along with White Christmas! I loved all of the songs and I fell apart when Belle sang her song. In all of the Muppet TV shows/special appearances, they're either sitting or the lower half of their bodies were hidden behind the set so you couldn't see the puppeteers. This movie features Kermit, from head to toe, walking when he's bringing Tiny Tim home. He appears to be walking but is actually just stepping on top of a huge cylinder that is rolling which gives the impression of walking along the road. The funniest scene to me is when the Ghost of Christmas present comes out to the street. You'll see a little group who are singing, on the far right, one of them gets smacked in the face and falls down. He then gets back up and starts shoving the other one who bopped him. There have been quite a few reactors who enjoy this and as often as we hear it, they wish they had seen it sooner. Better late than never. Maybe another one will see it this Christmas season and if not, there's always next year. Take care, Shanelle!!
As someone who grew up watching the same VHS version of this every year, I was so confused when "the love is gone" was cut when I bought the DVD. Side note: I proposed to my now ex-wife during the credits after watching this on christmas eve.
Shannel, love that you watched the song Love is Gone. Even as an 8 year old kid I loved song. You should see Muppet movie. You reacted just the way I hoped you would. Interesting fact is that because of Jim’s passing so recently the voice characters, Whitmire and Oz just thought of him when they filmed the scene of Tiny Tim’s passing making it very real and believable
4:45 For the wide shots, I think they built a platform/ Caine would take the walkways while the puppeteers would used the openings. Notice that you don't see the ground during those shots. Also, this film was credited as THE FIRST film to ever use Green screen, which they use to erase the puppet strings and actors in certain shots. It's also the first Muppets film made after Jim's death, which can be felt in the themes and performances. Just replace Tiny Tim's name in Kermit's speech with Jim's and you get the sentiment of the crew about honoring his legacy. There's such a melancholy journey throughout the whole thing. 9:18 I think they put a puppet in a water tanks for the motion effects and green screen. 12:10 it's implied that his parents were neglectful, which is why he didn't want to go home for Christmas. The only person who unconditionally loved him was his sister, Faye, who is very reduced in this adaptation. She died very young after the birth of Fred, which is why Scrooge isn't as cruel to Fred.
I think the skewed angle might be trying to give us a child's POV a little bit. Like when you're little and looking up at an adult, it's kind of at this slanted angle. Same goes for the muppets since most of them are waist high
I don't know if this has been done already in a comedy version of A Christmas Carol, but I thought I'd suggest it. You know when Marley tells Scrooge 'You will be visited by three ghost', well I thought it should go like this: Marley tells Scrooge that he will receive three spirits tonight, to which Scrooge replies, 'That's great, I love getting free stuff, especially when it's alcohol.
In almost every single version of a Christmas carol he gets broken up with at Christmas time, that was a very integral part of the story in the Charles dickens novel
I’m not sure if anyone else has said this but the restored version with the song is on Disney+ now but you have to find it in the extras bit under the movie.
It's hard to tell with the edited down version for RUclips, please tell me the cut you watched had Belle singing "The Love is Gone" in it! If not, you have to look it up. It's such a beautifully sad song; and works so well with Scrooge and his past. It was such a stupid decision to take it out (especially since it shortens that scene so much). I'm glad Disney is working to put it back in; and was happy to see it was in the version Ashleigh Burton reacted to recently.
@@samgreenbergart I'm curious what Ashleigh watched, since her reaction was released early this last week and it had the song in. It's possible she had one of the old anniversary cuts, but it looked widescreen; and those DVDs that had the song usually only had it in "Full Screen". Because I've tried finding a wide screen cut of it for ages.
A personal and family favorite of mine, I think it’s the best version of A Christmas Carol. I only ever saw it on VHS so I didn’t know that Belle’s song was cut for the theatrical version… it’d make the ending strange since Scrooge and Tiny Tim sing an altered version of it to end the movie. This was the first time Gonzo and Arizona were paired up, I think, and they carried that trend forward ever since. After this movie, they also made Muppet Treasure Island, I guess to see if they could adapt other novels in the public domain. That one features Tim Curry as Long John Silver and is a lot of fun, but not quite as wholesome as this is.
Yeah oh Disney+ you have to go to the “extras” under Muppet Christmas Carol to find the extended version with the added musical sequence. And yes! You absolutely must watch the 2011 Muppet Movie!
you should definitely also react to Muppet Treasure Island (with Tim Curry as Long John Silver) also has some bangers on the soundtrack (obviously Tim Curry sings in it too)
Yes, Jim Henson died in May of 1990 from pneumonia, and Richard Hunt died in January of 1992 from AIDS complications. Edit: The puppet used for the Ghost of Christmas Past was rather unique. I'm sure someone in the comments explained how it was done, so I won't say anything more. 2nd Edit: Guess they still haven't restored that cut song for the Disney+ release. 3rd Edit: Oh, the Ghost of Christmas Present was the best of the Muppets for this film! And the late and great Jerry Nelson's voice? Perfect! That Muppet is easily a fan-favorite! 4th Edit: The Ghost of Christmas Future (or Yet to Come). YEESH, that Muppet would CREEP YOU THE F OUT. 5th Edit: The Muppets weren't meant for kids, nor were they weren't meant for adults. They were meant for EVERYONE. 6th Edit: Wait, if it has been restored, then...
@@van8ryan No, no, no. They said they were planning on ACTUALLY adding it back into the film itself for the Disney+ release. You missed that bit. Most likely, it'll be included in the versions column if that fully restored version ever DOES get released (hopefully, before Christmas).
If by somehow you never seen the Christmas Carol from 1951 staring Alistair Sim I recommend it It has the trauma and origin for scrooge you are looking for. It also quite the gothic horror
Yes! Go ahead and watch more Muppets! The first ones are worthwhile too, and Muppets Take Manhattan from the 80’s is one of my faves. The muppets all around are great. They’re just as legit of actors as any human, I think.
"The puppets really can show a little bit of emotion." You've never seen anything sadder as when the Muppets first found out that they were created by a man named Jim Henson and then later in the episode after they decided to go and meet him, they found out that he had died. an entire room of Muppets realizing their creator had passed was sooooooo sad.
There's also Big Bird's performance of Being Green from Jim Henson's memorial service.
I just looked it up… I was not emotionally prepared. 😢
🥺
In a special Jim and friends made in the mid 80s to celebrate 30 years of their past work that was a ceremony that involved not only Kermit's gang, but the Sesame Street gang, the Sam and Friends gang, Emmet Otters gang, and Uncle Travling Matt and Sprocket from Fraggle Rock reminiscing about they're favorite memories of their work (monsters, explosions and cannibalism for Sweetums, pop culture references for Gonzo, music for Electric Mayhem, children programing for the cast of Sesame Street, imagination for Traveling Matt, etc) Kermit says his favorite moments are the moments that come across as sad or touching as opposed to funny.
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson special is a gut punch. They spend the entire thing trying to figure out who this Jim guy was, and then they find a letter from a little girl talking about how God must have wanted Muppets heaven…. Just watching that realization sink in is just heartbreaking.
Michael Caine said that the way he decided to approach being in a movie with puppets everywhere is to act as if he was in a royal Shakespeare company production, treat it completely seriously and never once "wink" to the camera and goof off. It worked PERFECTLY. 💜💜
"How would the bookkeepers like to be suddenly ... UNEMPLOYED??!!!"
@@diogenesagogo"HEAT WAVE! THIS IS MY ISLAND IN THE SUN"
I mean, part of the magic of the muppets is that most people (I would specify actors, but it’s not just actors) don’t break the fourth wall or acknowledge that they’re working with puppets- they just fall into the fiction of them being real
"God save my little broken body!"
Rizzo as the punching bag of the story while Gonzo tries to narrate is the best part.
Also check out Muppet Treasure Island, another piece of literature put to song and puppetry, with another iconic actor.
Definitely second that. Muppet's Christmas Carol and Treasure Island are both my favorite rendition of those stories, carried by phenomenal performances of their big (human) stars.
@@JDP5127 I agree! It's one of the best ones
Third that recommendation! If you liked the format here with Gonzo and Rizzo working together you'll get that in Muppet Treasure Island too. The contemporary Muppet movies are a different kind of beast.
Muppet Treasure Island is amazing, and not least of all for having a young Tim Curry playing Long John Silver. That opening song absolutely SLAPS.
@Christie W I have it on my phones music. It's awesome
It really hurts me that they removed "when love is gone". It is such a beautiful song, and it really helps sell Scrooge's fall, and reconnects him to his humanity. Growing up the copy we had kept it in, and so it always surprises me when it is not there as other people experience it. If you want to continue your muppet watching experience, I highly reccommend Muppet Treasure Island, which star's Tim Curry, in the best portrayal of Long John Silver I have ever seen.
They did the same thing to the Muppet Family Christmas. They took over 20 minutes of the movie out. Including a bunch of songs, and story moments, which completely destroyed the film. The only way to watch the real thing is to, either, get ahold of an old copy, download the original from a torrent site, or try to find a website that streams the original version.
It's really sad to see the classics getting butchered. Jim Henson would be so upset about it.
@@separator94 The Henson Company released a DVD version around the late 2000s, although it also has the "Muppet Babies" home movies scene cut out (but only that scene). It's probably the most completed version available out there.
So the reason most are viewing the 'cut' version is because they lost the original film work that had the full length including song for the modern copies of the movie (after all they would've touched up the quality etc).
Recently however, they did find the 'lost' version and i believe it should be out there for streaming if not will be soon. What is confusing is that another reactor watched the full one this week including song so I'm actually surprised that Shanelle ended up watching the one without. 😥
Edit: Unless she cut it? for copyright reasons? 🤷♂
I think its incredibly asinine they actually did that because they think its too sad or depressing. But that's the whole point. Its shows why Scrooge became the way he was in the story and it also shows children that there will be times they too will go through this situation when they're older. Relationships are not always easy and there will be times where they eventually end when not handle right.
@@DonForceFeedback She hears about it in the trivia and looks it up towards the end of the film, so she did see it, just not in the middle of the film.
I was a touch snobby and never cared to watch this for the longest time, thinking it would be silly and childish. But as a teacher, I finally showed it to my students one year when they asked for it, and I was shocked at how enjoyable and well-made it actually is.
Im glad they finally wore you down. This film is an amazing adaptation to Christmas Carol. It’s because of Micheal Caine and everybody who worked on the film went serious about it. They new when to use comedy and when to be emotional.
The business with the bookkeepers getting a basket of coal: remember earlier when they were asking permission to put more coal on the fire, and Scrooge threatened to fire them? Now he is letting them have a big basket of coal to keep warm. They weren't bad... they were just cold! You might enjoy the original Muppet Movie from 1979, too.
Paul Williams really killed it on this soundtrack.
He absolutely did. Fantastic composer for The Muppets franchise.
@@nickperkins8477 Fantastic composer, period.
His score for Bugsy Malone is amazing as well
@@JC-bh8qx yeah it is. Although my personal favorite is Phantom of the Paradise.
Henson had passed 2 yrs prior to this. It was their first big film without him. Richard Hunt had passed the yr that this came out. Hunt was 1/2 of the Two Headed Monster, Scooter, Janice, and about a billion other characters. He and Jerry Nelson (Tiny Tim and Present) were both incredible singers.
If only Henson had went to the hospital sooner, the doctors could’ve saved him from his illness
@@nsasupporter7557 Likely so. Apparently, he had been sick for nearly four days and only when he got severely sick was when he agreed to go to the hospital (however, although most said he didn't go to the hospital earlier because of his Christian Science upbringing, it was more the fact that Henson had rarely been sick and just had never dealt with serious health issues before; some also blamed severe stress for his bad immune system issues, due to the struggles with handling the Muppet transfer to Disney).
It makes you wonder what this film would have been with Jim H. Still alive to fully contribute.
Would it have just been a different kind of good, or would it have been an absolute next level masterpiece ?
@@nsasupporter7557 I find that many men of that generation mistrust doctors. In their day doctors were often quacks who lobotomized children and sent housewives to mental institutions for "hysteria". The hospital was the place you went to die.
My sister says that Gonzo and Rizzo are hilarious no matter what situation they get into, they always be the best of friends.
I love Animal and the Swedish Chef.
I think this movie is really underrated & deserves to be on all the "best Christmas movie" lists.
It's not underrated. Everything that's ever happened in the world isn't sO uNdeRrAteD
@@LumpyAdams well I didn't say that everything that's ever happened in the world is so underrated. Who peed in your Cheerios?
PLEASE STOP SAYING UNDERRATED!
That word is unbelievably and ridiculously overused and misused by every single person on RUclips.
“Underrated” has literally lost its meaning because everybody on RUclips overused it and misuses it so much
@@LumpyAdams I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the word “underrated” is overused by everybody on RUclips. Everybody and their brother says that everything is underrated! Whether it is or not
@@nsasupporter7557 that's not how words work. You can say them as many times as you want & they still mean the same thing. If you have a problem with the word, getting over it is TOTALLY UNDERRATED. You should give it a shot.
I always maintain that using Gonzo as Charles Dickens was the most inspired addition to this adaptation, having Charles Dickens as a narrator allowed them to provide both a voice that lets them do speed through introductions without establishing scenes for characters and locations as well as incorporate so much of the original text of the book that would have had to be lost in a film adaptation otherwise
Typically most Muppet sets are raised above the floor of the studio a few feet. That's how they do those full frame shots of the puppets.
Yes. The puppeteers are underneath the stage.
I am very glad you went back and saw the deleted scene with When Love Is Gone, because I feel like Scrooge's turn and willingness to get involved as much as he did in the Christmas Present scenes really NEEDS that moment where he finally breaks down, and not showing it makes it feel like there's a sort of unearned emotional jump. Letting himself finally feel bad about a moment he was clearly avoiding thinking about opened him up to feeling a lot more for the rest of the movie!
And yes, the two recent Muppet Movies are absolutely worth watching.
Yes! AND it makes the song, "The Love We Found" at the end even more poignant because it's a callback to this scene.
Last November is when I learned that Michael Caine was going to take this role seriously. That fact is what makes this film work so well. At the same time I learned that all of Gonzo's narration lines come directly from the book. After learning these two facts I had to watch this and then I read the book. I've heard the Dickens Society has said this is the most accurate adaption of A Christmas Carol.
I knew you would enjoy this one and yes you should do more Muppet movies, especially if you just want to smile. I was smiling the whole time watching this because you were smiling.
The book Jim Henson The Biography by Brian Jay Jones is very good.
This and Muppet Treasure Island are both my favorite renditions of their respective stories. Michael Caine in this, and Tim Curry in Treasure Island are both phenomenal in their roles.
Things like Michael Caine taking the role 100% serious is what makes a lot of things work. The same can be said about Weird Al. He knew he had to bring the goods instrumentally and with his showmanship in order to be taken seriously or his career would have died quickly. Similarly, a band out of Japan called BABYMETAL...three young girls (12 and 11 when they started over a decade ago) doing pop singing and dancing with metal music backing them. It shouldn't have worked; it had no business working...but it does even to this day because they hired some of the best musicians to be part of their backing band and have some of the best song writers in Japan.
When you think something is silly or can't work, all it takes is the dedication of one major person to make it work, and Michael Caine did that in spades here!
@@mr.osclasses5054 ruclips.net/video/cfjFAM_BLgc/видео.html
The original Muppet Movie is no joke, one of the greatest films ever made.
Seriously. It's an almost flawless movie, and one of my desert island movies.
The Christmas Carol has been done over and over again. Everyone knows the story, yet this is amazingly one of the most faithful adaptations of the source material. Christmas past was meant to be unsettling. Christmas present was a giant. It really is the perfect Christmas movie, and in my opinion, the best Muppet movie.
Love the reaction, this adaptation is closest to the original Dickens book in quotes.
A. Michael Caine is truly an unsung one of the greatest thespians
B. All Muppet Movies I have seen are musicals
C. The first three Muppet Movies (The Muppet Movie, Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper) are filled with an unreal amount of cameos.
D. If you liked this then check out Muppet Treasure Island.
The funniest and cutest Muppet movies ever made!
There is an interview with Michael Cain when he said during the first week of filming he had looked down directly into a puppeteer's eyes and the puppeteer started laughing. The puppeteer apologized to Cain and said he usually doesn't ever look other actors in the eyes when filming. Cain thought it was such an interesting concept to not look directly at another person you are acting a scene with.
This is my favorite version of the Christmas Carol story. I've watched it every Christmas since I was a kid. The song "It Feels Like Christmas" is my favorite! The song with Belle that was cut from the DVD release is a close second. Her performance and Michael Caine's acting in that scene is heartbreaking! I'm glad they restored it in the Disney+ version.
Oh, and the initial removal of "When Love Is Gone" is what I would call an iconic blunder. You got no idea how pissed I was when I found out decades later that this song was missing. It makes the movie 1000% better as it enforces the sense of Scooge's character growth.
The funniest part is Gonzo's response to Rizzo landing on the "flaming hot goose."
The bit about being lucky. This goes WAY back to the late 1970s. All Gonzo's 'lady friends' are poultry. They're his 'type.' 😉😉
12:06 I mean, Scrooge's deal isn't just that he was broken up with at Christmas. It all comes down to the decisions he made in life that influenced the outcomes; which is sort of the lesson he ultimately learns.
I love the Muppet Christmas Carol, and it's probably my favorite adaptation of the story (and I've written like, three adaptations for community theatre and have produced two of them so far...) but I do wish they had Scrooge's sister Fran in this version. They gloss over his school time a bit, and that's supposed to be a reflection that Scrooge was the only boy at his school not to go home at Christmas, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. He had a home, but not a good home life; so he stayed and would lose himself in books. And it was like that year after year, until his sister Fran arrives and says their father is a better man now and that Scrooge is to return home so they can be a family again. And of course Fran is Fred's mother, but she died very young. This further informs the dynamic seen with Fred and Scrooge at the beginning, when Fred invites his uncle to dinner; Scrooge doesn't believe it's a genuine offer, that Fred's taking pity on him in memory of his mother. But then at the dinner, Fred doesn't mock Scrooge; he's kind of indifferent about him not coming - "what does he miss out on, than a good meal" type of perspective. But he genuinely feels kind of sorry for him.
The break-up with Belle shows how his path was altered by his narrow perspective of things. Scrooge felt he _had to_ achieve a certain station and financial security in life before he and Belle could be married; but Belle felt "a new idol" had replaced her, wealth, ambition; and she couldn't compete with that in his heart. So she chose to break away now, rather than lose him little by little. And I do think "The Love Is Gone" is a crucial exploration of that.
It might have been interesting had Dickens explored more of Scrooge's past, and Lord knows that man liked to ramble on. I do think there's maybe a little more nuance to his development from the boy at school to the miser he became. But that might have belabored the point. Ultimately we know Scrooge had two driving forces in his life to set his example by; Fezziwig, his first mentor for whom he was an apprentice for; known for his benevolence and generosity, particularly with his ball as an example. And then there was Marley, with whom Scrooge became business partners with; and we know that present day Scrooge is more like Marley than Fezziwig. So somewhere along the way, Scrooge came to see things more Marley's way than Fezziwig's, which invariably changed the course of his life. But it still comes down to the decisions he made; and when he made the decision to change, that took him in a new direction.
Black Adders Christmas Carol was another classic in my house you'd probably enjoy.
Rowin Atkinson is comedic S tier.
Robbie Coltrane’s Ghost of Christmas was clearly the basis for his performance as Hagrid…..although, I’m not sure if Hagrid was partial to a glass of "Nurse McCready's Surgical Bruise Lotion." 😂😂😂
After your Les Mis comment I’m now imagining the Muppets doing their own take on the musical and my brain is in an ironically happy place
I'm glad to hear 'When Love is Gone' is being restored; the finale reprise of 'The Love We Found' makes no sense without it.
It's really not hard to figure out the meaning of a song like that at the end of this story.
4:39 When you see muppets in full/wide shots right on the ground/floor and you're wondering where the puppeteer is, usually the set has been built on a raised platform above the soundstage floor.
I grew up with this movie, it was a tradition to watch it on Christmas Eve. I'm so excited to see you watch this!
Please watch Muppet's Treasure island, it's my favorite and so freaking good
Ahhh perfect! "After all, there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas!"
6:07 - And vice versa: The Muppet Show started out in England in the late '70s and everyone grew up with them, so by the '90s being in a Muppet production of any kind is a resume boost for ANY actor. 😉
Part of Scrooges dislike for Christmas was his fathers blaming him for his mothers death and leaving him at the school always, even Christmas.
All Muppet movies are worth at least one watch, but the original 1979 'The Muppet Movie' is the standard by which every other one should be judged. INFINITELY rewatchable.
Love that you reacted to this one! The original muppet movies are so fun! The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and Muppet Treasure Island are gems 😊
Love Great Muppet Caper
This is the only version of A Christmas Carol that I watch religiously. I came from a Muppet loving family, so I highly recommend watching more! The original still holds up, and the newer one was a nice love letter to the franchise. I'm also probably in the minority on this, but I love Muppets From Space, too. Thanks as always!
LOVE this version! Re: your filmmaking questions: the opening flyover shot uses a big model of the city (and then transitions onto a soundstage shot like you said), and the creepy Ghost of Christmas Past was actually a physical puppet that they filmed in a water tank to create its ethereal hair/fabric movements, and then superimposed into the scene. So many creative techniques and tricks used in this film. :)
And the buildings were individually pushed into frame as the camera pulls back.
I loved this movie growing up, but now as an adult it's become my favorite Christmas movie. It's just done perfectly. From Michael Caine's superb acting to Paul Williams' music to the fact that they kept it mostly serious with numerous direct quotes from the book to Rizzo being the PERFECT comic relief. A++
Edit: I'm so glad you went out of your way to watch When Love is Gone. The version I grew up on had it so later seeing the movie without it was really jarring.
Same. I had the movie on video as a kid which had When Love Is Gone in it, so it confused me when I later got the dvd & that song wasn't there. It just doesn't make sense when we see Rizzo crying his heart out at the end of that moment if the song isn't used in the scene.
2:28 - Yes, that's his son. Fun fact: he puppeteered Hoggle in Labyrinth.
i highly recommend Muppet Treasure Island if you're doing more Muppet movies, Tim Curry absolutely kills it in his role as captain Long John Silver
Absolutely love Muppet Treasure Island. One of the most underrated movies I’ve ever watched. Tim Curry DOMINATED that movie haha he was amazing.
@@ParaB3LLUM-s34j you and everybody else on RUclips literally need to start a cult where you can worship the word “underrated!” Because you all have this irritating infatuation with that word. I need to ask you… what is you and everybody else’s infatuation with that word “underrated?” I need to know
I was Muppet mad as a kid and I loved this when it came out. It’s now one of the films I watch every Christmas.
All the sets where built up about 3-4 feet and the muppets handlers would put there arms up through holes, with a tv monitor at there feet so they can see what the cameras see.
If you haven’t seen it I recommend Muppets Treasure Island.
This was my first watch of anything muppets - I’ll certainly be watching the film this Christmas! Thank you, Shanelle! I’d love to see your reaction to The Hogfather, adapted from the Terry Pratchett novel; it’s my go to film every Christmas.
I would love to see someone react to Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. It was made before the very first Muppet movie. It’s short (under an hour) and very sweet. It’s my go to holiday movie. Also, yes react to all the Muppet things. But the original 3 Muppet Movies are the best. The number of cameos are just insane.
Please give STAR TREK a chance! 🖖
Fans will be pleased to know that 'When Love Is Gone' has now been officially reinstated on Disney+
I watched it a couple nights ago on Disney+, it isn't there unless you look at the extras
@@alicedelgado955 I think the update was literally yesterday
Unless you mean the extended cut is only in extras? In which case, yeah, that's how they've done it to still have both options available
@@alicedelgado955 They put the restored version with the song on Disney+ yesterday, but it is still in the extras section.
the book has alluded to the trauma that Scrooge endured in childhood, the most important part is that he was not always mean and evil, his coldness grows out of isolation and loneliness, being abandoned by his father (left at school for years with no contact, or minimal at best), some of the films have also added other sources and reasons, including the possibility that Scrooge's mother died during childhood (a theory but probably not correct)....as a child, when younger, Scrooge had a marvelous imagination who would befriend various literary characters (and whom may have visited him at Christmas), but his seriousness and coldness grew as his years went on...Scrooge as a child spoke of friends (many who left his alone at Christmas), whether they were his actual friends, or just class room associates is never really sure (he says he has friends and shows joy in mentioning them, but it may just be excitement and nostalgia of the situation), but even if he did have friends at one point, he soon loses that and finds friendship at best difficult due to his coldness or most likely useless, unless he gets an advantage, like many of his business associates he speaks about during the Christmas Future segments.
You should watch all the Muppet movies. My favorite is Great Muppet Caper.
And for Christmas Carol stories, this one and Scrooged with Bill Murray are tied for #1 on my list.
The Muppets are always so funny and yet so heartfelt in their movies. A genuinely wholesome time every time you watch them. Thank you for bringing them onto your channel. Can't wait for the rest.
You should totally watch more Muppet movies on the channel! They’re so great! The 2011 was is cute but kind of different from other Muppet movies, and then the one after it, Muppet’s Most Wanted, is kind of a more return to form and very funny. Muppet Treasure Island is a real classic that you would love!
Paul Williams wrote the music for this and many of the early Muppet movies. He’s an incredible songwriter! You should also check out The Phantom of the Paradise. I will warn you it’s a strange film, but Williams wrote all the songs for it, too, and it’s fun to see his range.
If you want another Muppets movie, I cannot recommend their "Treasure Island" enough. It has Tim Currey as Long John. Also, just once I want a rendition of Christmas Carol that follows the book ending where Scrooge waits to confront Cratchet until the office the day after Christmas.
ShanelleRiccio
👆👆👆👆👆👆
Congrats!
Thanks for watching
Send a DM through the platform above .
The package is yours!!!.....
I really like the fact that the ghost of Christmas present has no memory. It's a really nice touch.
This has really been my day! Thanks for reacting to this movie and making my day even more exciting!😊
Most people miss that Beaker flips off Scrooge right before they slammed the door. Love that part
Please watch "The Neverending Story".
If you want to see a performance of "The Rainbow Connection", there's a movie where this sweet frog Sings it...... 😁. Seriously, you would love The Muppet Movie (1979).
1) You should definitely watch more Mupput movies for the channel. They are fun and silly and full of great cameos!
2) Jim Henson was amazing at fully embracing the juxtaposition of cute, uncanny, and scary that comes with puppeteering. He knew where to lean in and where to pull back to make them all blend together. Which brings me to..
3) The 2011 Muppet movie, while fun and enjoyable, didn't quite capture the spirit of the older movies. I'd be happy to watch it with you on the channel, but if it's a choice between the newer or the older, I'd go with the older movies.
The doorknocker's transformation and yelling scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. I was too afraid to watch it for a number of years after
I LOVE this movie so much!! I've seen it millions of times, and I still burst out laughing every time, and get moved to tears.
My daughter and I will randomly say, "No cheeses for us meeces" throughout the year Lol.
And yes, check out The Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)- it was another one that we laughed out loud over! It was way better than I thought it was going to be!
Hi Shanelle!
Absolutely you should watch the 2011 'TheMuppets'! And for a very different sort of Muppet movie, you might consider 1982's 'The Dark Crystal'...
I bet Miss Piggy only agreed to be in the movie if she could be Kermit's wife.
Not missed a single year watching this at Christmas since I got the VHS as a child. A local Cinema started showing it at Christmas so until Covid i'd take the family there on Christmas eve.
I would love for you to become a Team StarKid fan. That said, you should check out their VHS Christmas Carol Live. It is the classic story told in song. The music is based on the 80s and their are many references to that decade and artists of that time. Also, Ghost of Christmas Present is for sure NOT boring in their rendition. In fact, it is probably the most fun. Please consider watching and reacting to it. It is fun I swear.
Since you asked: The street that the human actors walk on is a raised platform. This way the puppeteers can not be seen this makes some choreography difficult as people need navigate around wholes in the platform. This also explains the odd angles most of the movie was shot at. It was to avoid showing the puppeteers arm.
Muppet Treasure Island is the Muppet movie most similar to this. Gonzo and Rizzo aren't narrating it but they follow along with the main character and are fantastic as always. It has Tim Curry as Long John Silver. And the rats. The rats are hilarious!
"You wanna knock it off with the booze, it's peeling the paint off of the shuffle board"
"I'M GETTING TIRED"
The Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol is also excellent... it also goes into Scooge's childhood a little deeper with why he never went home for Christmas
This is my favourite Christmas movie, I love the Muppets and the Dickens story so this is perfect imo.
You should probably watch the original Muppet Movie before the 2011 one since there are a few homages to it that would go better appreciated.
I'm a septuagenarian and it is NOT CHRISTMAS until I watch this. Love your reaction! Thanks!
ShanelleRiccio
👆👆👆👆👆👆
Congrats!
Thanks for watching
Send a DM through the platform above .
The package is yours!!!...
Jim died in May 1990. He was ill and thought it was just a cold so kept working, but it got worse quick so he went to the ER but by that time he had waited too long and he had abscesses in his lungs caused by Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome. The doctor who figured out what he had said later that if he had of went to the ER even a few hours earlier he might have been able to save Jim. Frank Oz thinks that the negotiating with Disney on a deal to buy his company plus him working non stop made him sick from the stress. "The stress of the Disney deal killed him, It made him sick." - Frank Oz
Michael cains said the set was built 5 feet in the air and he some times had to walk on planks 5 feet up so the muppeteers could work around him, he also said it was the most relaxed happiest set he ever worked on. Regular Muppet collaborator and actor Paul Williams wrote the music. Unfortunately this is the cut version. The song The love has gone is missing. The dumb producers thought it slowed the film down but its a very important song as it shows that Scrooge still has a heart and it sets up the very last song un the film. The love we found.
The muppet for the ghost of Christmas past definitely falls into the uncanny valley.
In the original novella, there is only Jacob Marley, Robert was added because Statler and Waldorf always appear together. In the background of some of the street scenes there is a shop called 'Statler and Waldorf'. A fair amount of Gonzo's narration is directly quoted from the book. Rizzo was obviously comic relief so the movie was not so dark until Scrooge's redemption.
This was the first Muppet movie after Jim Hanson's passing, but there have been a number more since. The one immediately following this was another adaptation with Muppets and Humans, Treasure Island (I haven't seen that one).
17:24 It is coal. In some traditions if a child has been bad he is given coal instead of treats, but in this case this is what the book-keepers wanted, because the office was cold.
There was a movie in 2018 called The Happytime Murders that is also a muppet movie, but not The Muppets. It's also VERY much for adults, filled with adult and raunchy humor. It got a lot of bad reviews because of that, but they weren't hiding the humor or what it was about in the trailers and press releases. Everyone should have known what they were walking into. I do highly recommend it.
I'm not sure if it's up your alley or not but you should also check out the Doctor Who "A Christmas Carol" episode. It's relatively easy to understand if you haven't seen the show before and has some really great acting from Michael Gambon in it.
the first ghost was a puppet filmed while it was floating in a water tank in order to get the effect of the movement.
This is my favorite adaptation of A Christmas Carol. We watched this on VHS growing up and I was lucky enough to find a DVD that had the original cut with "The Love is Gone" scene intact but it's only on the "Full Screen Version". I will never understand why it was cut from the film it made a huge emotional impact to the story, it added so much to Scrooge's character and Michael Caine's performances was top notch. The part were he starts to Sing with Belle then his voice starts to crack as he cries chokes me up every time. Plus the song makes more sense with the ending song being "The Love we Found". I never thought it was too sad for kids, I grew up with 80's movies like The Neverender Story and the Dark Crystal, another Jim Henson movie that's a bit of a cult classic but still underappreciated. It's entirely puppets, wildly imaginative designs, and watching the making of very impressive how they created the world. A lot of people didn't like that the story was too simple which I disagree with and since it had no live actors they didn't find it interesting. It's one of my favorite Jim Henson films. Those films were dark and weren't afraid to scare kids or make them sad. I mean Disney killed Mufasa on screen, I sobbed like a baby but I still loved Lion King. Brian Henson has been a big advocate for restoring "The Love is Gone" as well as many fans.
Jim hanson may be gone but he will never be forgotten and I remember The Muppet show and Animal was my favorite muppet and he played the drums.
This reigned as my co-favorite Christmas movie along with White Christmas! I loved all of the songs and I fell apart when Belle sang her song.
In all of the Muppet TV shows/special appearances, they're either sitting or the lower half of their bodies were hidden behind the set so you couldn't see the puppeteers. This movie features Kermit, from head to toe, walking when he's bringing Tiny Tim home. He appears to be walking but is actually just stepping on top of a huge cylinder that is rolling which gives the impression of walking along the road.
The funniest scene to me is when the Ghost of Christmas present comes out to the street. You'll see a little group who are singing, on the far right, one of them gets smacked in the face and falls down. He then gets back up and starts shoving the other one who bopped him.
There have been quite a few reactors who enjoy this and as often as we hear it, they wish they had seen it sooner. Better late than never. Maybe another one will see it this Christmas season and if not, there's always next year.
Take care, Shanelle!!
The Great Muppet Caper is probably my favorite Muppet movie.
As someone who grew up watching the same VHS version of this every year, I was so confused when "the love is gone" was cut when I bought the DVD. Side note: I proposed to my now ex-wife during the credits after watching this on christmas eve.
I also played the Ghost of Christmas Present in my high school production of A Christmas Carol. Twinsies!
Highly suggest "The Muppet Movie" 1979 for a good intro to the characters and a lot of Rainbow Connection. The new ones are good too.
Yes to more Muppets! Thank you so much!
Shannel, love that you watched the song Love is Gone. Even as an 8 year old kid I loved song. You should see Muppet movie. You reacted just the way I hoped you would. Interesting fact is that because of Jim’s passing so recently the voice characters, Whitmire and Oz just thought of him when they filmed the scene of Tiny Tim’s passing making it very real and believable
4:45 For the wide shots, I think they built a platform/ Caine would take the walkways while the puppeteers would used the openings. Notice that you don't see the ground during those shots. Also, this film was credited as THE FIRST film to ever use Green screen, which they use to erase the puppet strings and actors in certain shots. It's also the first Muppets film made after Jim's death, which can be felt in the themes and performances. Just replace Tiny Tim's name in Kermit's speech with Jim's and you get the sentiment of the crew about honoring his legacy. There's such a melancholy journey throughout the whole thing.
9:18 I think they put a puppet in a water tanks for the motion effects and green screen.
12:10 it's implied that his parents were neglectful, which is why he didn't want to go home for Christmas. The only person who unconditionally loved him was his sister, Faye, who is very reduced in this adaptation. She died very young after the birth of Fred, which is why Scrooge isn't as cruel to Fred.
2:11 - Also the one I grew up with. 😊
I think the skewed angle might be trying to give us a child's POV a little bit. Like when you're little and looking up at an adult, it's kind of at this slanted angle. Same goes for the muppets since most of them are waist high
I don't know if this has been done already in a comedy version of A Christmas Carol, but I thought I'd suggest it. You know when Marley tells Scrooge 'You will be visited by three ghost', well I thought it should go like this: Marley tells Scrooge that he will receive three spirits tonight, to which Scrooge replies, 'That's great, I love getting free stuff, especially when it's alcohol.
When Kermit walks up with tiny Tim on his shoulder he was put on a rotating drum that looked like the streets to appear that he was dancing
The Muppets movie are very fun and the tons of the appearance from popular artists and actors are very fun to watch XD
Frank Oz voices Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Sam the Eagle and various others
In almost every single version of a Christmas carol he gets broken up with at Christmas time, that was a very integral part of the story in the Charles dickens novel
ShanelleRiccio
👆👆👆👆👆👆
Congrats!
Thanks for watching
Send a DM through the platform above .
The package is yours!!!..
I’m not sure if anyone else has said this but the restored version with the song is on Disney+ now but you have to find it in the extras bit under the movie.
It's hard to tell with the edited down version for RUclips, please tell me the cut you watched had Belle singing "The Love is Gone" in it! If not, you have to look it up. It's such a beautifully sad song; and works so well with Scrooge and his past.
It was such a stupid decision to take it out (especially since it shortens that scene so much). I'm glad Disney is working to put it back in; and was happy to see it was in the version Ashleigh Burton reacted to recently.
The restored film was put on Disney+ yesterday.
This is what I get for commenting while still watching. Glad she eventually saw the song/scene; shame it wasn't contiguous with the movie.
@@samgreenbergart I'm curious what Ashleigh watched, since her reaction was released early this last week and it had the song in. It's possible she had one of the old anniversary cuts, but it looked widescreen; and those DVDs that had the song usually only had it in "Full Screen". Because I've tried finding a wide screen cut of it for ages.
A personal and family favorite of mine, I think it’s the best version of A Christmas Carol. I only ever saw it on VHS so I didn’t know that Belle’s song was cut for the theatrical version… it’d make the ending strange since Scrooge and Tiny Tim sing an altered version of it to end the movie. This was the first time Gonzo and Arizona were paired up, I think, and they carried that trend forward ever since. After this movie, they also made Muppet Treasure Island, I guess to see if they could adapt other novels in the public domain. That one features Tim Curry as Long John Silver and is a lot of fun, but not quite as wholesome as this is.
Yeah oh Disney+ you have to go to the “extras” under Muppet Christmas Carol to find the extended version with the added musical sequence. And yes! You absolutely must watch the 2011 Muppet Movie!
Frank Oz was Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Animal and Sam Eagle. Gonzo was voiced by Dave Goelz
you should definitely also react to Muppet Treasure Island (with Tim Curry as Long John Silver) also has some bangers on the soundtrack (obviously Tim Curry sings in it too)
Yes, Jim Henson died in May of 1990 from pneumonia, and Richard Hunt died in January of 1992 from AIDS complications. Edit: The puppet used for the Ghost of Christmas Past was rather unique. I'm sure someone in the comments explained how it was done, so I won't say anything more. 2nd Edit: Guess they still haven't restored that cut song for the Disney+ release. 3rd Edit: Oh, the Ghost of Christmas Present was the best of the Muppets for this film! And the late and great Jerry Nelson's voice? Perfect! That Muppet is easily a fan-favorite! 4th Edit: The Ghost of Christmas Future (or Yet to Come). YEESH, that Muppet would CREEP YOU THE F OUT. 5th Edit: The Muppets weren't meant for kids, nor were they weren't meant for adults. They were meant for EVERYONE. 6th Edit: Wait, if it has been restored, then...
They didn't actually "restore" it; they just included it with the "extras" section on DISNEY+
@@van8ryan No, no, no. They said they were planning on ACTUALLY adding it back into the film itself for the Disney+ release. You missed that bit. Most likely, it'll be included in the versions column if that fully restored version ever DOES get released (hopefully, before Christmas).
@@van8ryan actually in the extras section of the movie there's another whole cut of the film with the song back in
If by somehow you never seen the Christmas Carol from 1951 staring Alistair Sim I recommend it
It has the trauma and origin for scrooge you are looking for. It also quite the gothic horror
My favorite Christmas Carol movie to this date.
I believe the ghost of Christmas past was a puppet or doll that was filmed underwater and then superimposed into the scene
ShanelleRiccio
👆👆👆👆👆👆
Congrats!
Thanks for watching
Send a DM through the platform above .
The package is yours!!!...
"Ghost of Christmas Present, the most boring one."
COME IN AND KNOW ME BETTER MAN INTENSIFIES.
I feel like we really missed something by taking out "The Love is Gone" from this movie. I refuse to show my friends a version of the film without it
Yes! Go ahead and watch more Muppets! The first ones are worthwhile too, and Muppets Take Manhattan from the 80’s is one of my faves. The muppets all around are great. They’re just as legit of actors as any human, I think.