A Muppet Christmas Carol * FIRST TIME WATCHING * reaction & commentary * Millennial Movie Monday
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- I almost lost it over Tiny Tim...
iMPORTANT TIME STAMPS:
preview review starts: 00:31 - 2:25
Watch With Me: 02:26 - 24:53
My Review : 24:54 - 29:29
Full list of Movies received/watched:
docs.google.co...
(THANK YOU SO MUCH TYLER FOR MAKING THIS!!!!)
Second Channel: • 🎉 First Day - FULL TIM...
📨 4636 Lebanon Pike #362 Hermitage, TN 37076
🎥 / awkwardashleigh
👕 teespring.com/...
✨Let's be Friends!✨
/ awkwardashleigh
/ awkwardashleigh
awk_ashleigh
DISCORD!: / discord
REALLY COOL INTRO DONE BY KELLY GREEN: / kellygreenprg
Hella Cool Logo by Barnes and Co: barnesandco.co
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Michael Caine's condition for doing this movie was that he would play the role of Scrooge completely straight and 100% serious; and it works perfectly
He understood the assignment.
It is one of the reasons that when a discussion of whose Scrooge is the best comes up he is either at the top or near it.
The grandiose way he says, "Rubber Chicken Factory" is one of my favorite parts.
He understood that only Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers ever purmuppeted the muppets. The human’s job is always straight man.
Many people have played Scrooge, and not all of them get it right. Conventional wisdom is that Alistair Sim was one of the best, but I like Patrick Stewart's version the most.
Fun fact: of all the adaptations of Christmas Carol, this version has the most direct quotes from the book.
Though the Jim Carry actually includes the anti church bit that almost every other version leaves out.
And the most period-accurate costumes!
I really must give the book a read. I can't wait to find Gonzo's Lines there. x3
Of all of them it's the one I've seen most at 37 years old - easily my favourite version of ACC.
The version I remember most from my own childhood is an animated one with Mr. Magoo.
Did we all collectively gasp when she said she didn't know who Jim Henson is?
YES! oh, yes, the face hiding "oh....." was so real. it hurt my heart.
Stunned shock is more like it.
Not in the slightest. She is a complete f0cking idi0t and every movie she ever watches she never knows who anybody is.
I was so sad when she said this. Jim Henson is such a legend! I hope she looks into more of his work.
Reminds me of a Walt Disney World commercial advertising Walt's 100 birthday. In it's beginning a grampa is taking his granddaughter to the Partners statue (Walt and Mickey together holding hands looking out to the horizon). He points to the Mouse asking who he is.
Granddaughter: Mickey!
He points to the man.
Granddaughter: ...
In time people we see as "Legends" if they are not shared and informed to others they can be forgotten even while their creations live on.
Scrooge didn't skip Christmas by choice when he was a boy. All the other boys' families brought them home for the holiday, but Scrooge's family just left him at the school every year and never sent for him. For him, Christmas was the time when all his friends received love and he was left alone.
I think it is sad that they didn't add the scene where his sister visits, given that it is a pivotal moment in the story.
IDK the book very well, but the parts with his sister, and then her death are important to why Scrooge cut ties with his nephew.
@@vapoet There are a shocking amount of people who think it is unnecessary and nonsensical. And that pisses me off.
I was about to say the book had the scene when his sister picked him up for Christmas
It was his Father that didn't want him around. Then one Christmas his sister, who they cut out in this version, and the mother of Fred, goes to collect her brother and tells him that Father has changed. Though personally for how he turned out I really wonder just who his father was and how awful he was.
There's a channel that focuses on costume design, and during their Muppet Christmas Carol episode, they revealed that it's probably one of the most accurate films to ever depict this era of history. The amount of detail, research, and time period appropriate bits (down to the exact year) that went into their clothing, are astounding.
channel name? would be interested in checking it out
@@circabooks4549 Abby Cox. The Costumes in The Muppet Christmas Carol Deserved an Oscar | A Dress Historian Analysis
@@circabooks4549 Her friend and fellow dress historian Nicole Rudolph also made a fully human-sized Gonzo Christmas Carol outfit. She's got a whole playlist for each of pieces, but the final reveal is in Getting Dressed in Victorian Menswear : Gonzo Cosplay from Muppets Christmas Carol
Ashleigh: "I mean , I know the story of A Christmas Carol."
10 minutes later Ashleigh: "DOES TINY TIM DIE!?"
tbf not everyone has watched several versions of it over and over again at Christmas for their entire life.
I could see people who only watched it once or twice as a kid being less sure about the plot.
Same thing for me an It's A Wonderful Life - my grandparents put it on every Christmas but I never got into it and put it entirely out of mind until watching it fully for the first time at 33.
Not gonna lie I was in bits by the end.
"'e got betta." 😁
@@mnomadvfx She didn't even know there were ghosts in the story.
Knowing about A Christmas Carol and actually knowing everything that happens are two different things.
@@ronfehr7899 Showing the death of Tiny Tim Is a major plot point, if not the most significant part of the story. And knowing about A Christmas Carol and knowing the story of A Christmas Carol are also 2 different things. Besides, I was just having g fun, relax.
Ashleigh: Will I watch it every Christmas? No.
Narrator: Ashleigh did indeed watch it every Christmas, and held the spirit of it in her heart all year.
Even funnier if the narrator is Ron Howard
Morgan Freeman's voice.
".... and she did the same with National Lampoons Christmas Vacation."
@@texasdustfart It was indeed Morgan Freeman I heard in my head.
@@RichardX1 I heard Michael Caine. lol
Jim Henson was probably one of the most important people to entire generations. When he died so young and unexpectedly, it really shook me to my core. The memorial service with the performances…God, that makes me weep to this day.
Absolutely
I still cry when I hear Rainbow Connection.
I wonder what sort of Muppet projects would have happened if Jim had not died so young. As for his funeral, it can be seen* here on UA-cam. Here are two things from that that I always go to whenever I watch it: A great song from the whole gang and Frank Oz telling one of the funniest stories I have ever heard:
- A great song from that: ua-cam.com/video/mEArJXD8YFY/v-deo.html
- Super funny story: ua-cam.com/video/mEArJXD8YFY/v-deo.html
* There were two memorial services, one in the US (New York) and one in England. I have not been able to find the London, England one.
He was the first celebrity death that affected me because I was a kid when he died too. He was like my generation's Walt Disney. I am glad Frank Oz is still alive. As much as I dislike The Last Jedi, the one good moment was seeing Frank Oz returning to do Yoda. I purposely watched the credits to see if that was him, and it was.
Same here,the.muppets.all were there
I'm so glad you saw the version with "The Love Is Gone" song that Belle sings. It gets cut out a lot but it's kind of important to the story and putting the proper emotional weight on his heartbreak.
THIS, it was actually completely taken out in many versions and the original version was "lost" for over a decade but it's been found again and finally being re-released with the song kept in. It was cut because it was believed to be too sad for kids to handle. What bullshit! I watched this as a kid with that song in it. Love it that way. Bought the digital film and the fuckers cut the song so I have to find a new copy with the song on it....
Also, given that the song is reprised at the very end of the movie, it's always been... an awkward cut...
I have NEVER seen that scene before in the past 30 Years since i watched that film for the first time and had no idea there was an extra song. I just always felt that Belle's role was VERY short and their break up was quite quick and did not really have the proper impact it should have. I guess now i know why... No version i saw (no matter if the original theatrical version nor the homevideo releases and TV broadcasts) included this scene :/ Was this a US only kind of thing with that song? Like that longer cut with extra songs in "Pete's Dragon"?
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 It was only in the original VHS release of the movie, not long after Disney complained that it brought down the mood too much and had the song and whole scene removed, and then the footage was lost for decades, except to those of us who had the VHS. But thankfully in 2020, Brian Henson had found the original footage of that scene as well and now on the 30th anniversary DVD release and on Disney+ the original version with the song included has been released! Please watch the full version, it makes the movie make much more sense than the version without the song, as you know.
@@killinglonliness88 WOW i had no idea. My VHS was already released by Disney and never had that Scene. it was also 4:3 Pan Scan. I guess Disney really went all the way regarding these cuts when it came to the European market :( I'll check out the new release.
This was the first movie after Jim Henson died. I was so devastated by his death. I remember when this came out there was a pretty bad snow storm and my family and I still went to see it, and I cried so much. I cried when I realized Kermit’s voice was different especially. Just for you, you might really enjoy Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. It’s a Henson production but not Muppets. It’s from ‘77. It’s less than an hour long, and one of the most charming things you ever did see. It’s got a very Appalachian vibe to it, and considering your love of all things Dolly, might appeal to you.
Emmet Otter was my favorite Christmas show growing up. The Muppets should have done a battle of the bands between Dr Teeth & the Electric Mayhem and the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.
A dressing gown in the UK is something you wear over your pyjamas. Some people also call it a house coat :)
Jim Henson was the man that created everything Muppets. He also was the person in charge of the puppetry and animatronics for The Witches and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles both of which you watched.
He also was the puppeteer and voice for many of the muppet characters including Kermit the Frog.
The one scene that makes me cry everytime I watch the film is when Scrooge whispers how much moneh he will give and then he is given the scarf. It just has me bawling every time.
Same here, when he gets the scarf is when I get misty-eyed. Such a wonderful movie.
Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, Dinosaurs, The Dark Crystal and Labrynth are probably his most popular projects. He's fantastic.
Made me wish Ash would do the Defunctland's 6 part series on the life and times of Jim Henson.
I rather think of Sesame Street as the breakout (not debut) of the Muppets as the actors. Certainly some of the future, regular Muppets developed out of SS & later productions, but enough go back to J.H. beginning. We share the same high school.
James moyner , right . What is your favorite Muppet movie ?
As someone who read the book, I can honestly say this is not only the best film adaptation, it is the most faithful adaptation, given the frogs, pigs, and whatever Gonzo is.
I'm an English teacher and I've seen literally 20 different adaptations of the book. This is hands down the best one and most faithful, with the George C Scott one in a close second.
Gonzo is a weirdo, officially. He's best friends with a rat and has a chicken for a girlfriend.
@@joescott778 Yep. Though he did once try to woo Madeline Kahn lol. (Who can blame him?)
@@SarahRichardsGraba For me, it's always going to be the 1951 version with Alistair Sim. He was by far the best Ebeneezer Scrooge, IMO.
I think there was a movie that revealed Gonzo is an alien.
When she said she didn't know who Jim Henson was when she's watching a muppet movie, my jaw hit the floor. I grew up with Sesame Street, The Muppets, Dark Crystal, and my all time favourite movie is Labyrinth. He was a genius who left us too soon. A Muppet Christmas Carol deserves more respect that it gets. It has many quotes directly from the book, period accurate costumes, great acting by Michael Caine, doesn't just cater to kids as people might expect, and has wonderful songs (many of them are on my Christmas playlist that I listen to every year). I have watched this movie many times over the years. It never gets old to me and the jokes are still funny.
"There is no doubt that Marley is dead. This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate"
If he ain't dead, he ain't a ghost, if he ain't a real ghost his warning means nothing, if it means nothing the story means nothing. Him being dead is, as the narrator tells us, key to the story having a valuable meaning. It's one of the best intros ever.
And that line was faithful to the book.
Well, that about does it. We’ve GOT to get our Ashleigh to watch the original “Muppet Movie” from 1979.
That movie is a classic and maybe one of the best movies ever made.
🎵 Why are there so many, songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?
All the muppet movies
The first three Muppet movies are the only ones I watch but they are forever great. I just can’t get into anything made after Jim Henson died, and also Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson. The heart and soul is gone.
.... pay up....only Patreons have a say.....just sayin'....
I've watched this 25 years in a row. It's not Christmas until rizzo says "light the lamp, not the rat!" thanks for checking it out!
Best line in the movie, says my inner-10-year-old.
RatVerified approved
"one more sleep 'til Christmas" is a thing in our house. that's what Christmas Eve is.
It’s my family tradition to watch this on Christmas Eve before bed
"Our assets are frozen!"
I love how Ashleigh doesn't edit out any of her mixups, or occasional coughs. Its like watching a stage play. 💯❤
The coughing usually comes from the audience
It's authenticity shines.
It’s more than that; not only are those kinds of things not edited out, they’re highlighted. She calls attention to them.
She knows what we want to see
@@christopherlundgren1700 Like the old Carol Burnett Show, where any moment involving screw-ups or cast members breaking character with laughter was the best part of the show!
My favorite moment in the whole movie is when Beeker gives Scrooge his red scarf! It is so touching and I cry every time
This comment makes me feel seen lol
Yep. And Michael Caine sells the subtle emotion so well
Yes!! The emotion caught me off guard on that one. ❤
Yes, so happy you did the full extended version. "When Love Is Gone" is such an important emotional song to this movie, and it always sucked that most versions cut it out because Jeffery Katzenberg (yes, one of the founders of Dream Works) thought it was "too boring" for kids. It is one of the key moments of understanding Scrooge's character arc, especially since it gets a call back in the final song with "The Love We Found"
DAMN YOU, KATZENBUUUURG!!
"The best story in existence is a Christmas Carol, and the only way it can be improved is with Muppets"
- Ricky Gervais
Jim Henson was a visionary and far ahead of his time. The world needs someone like him again, along with Harold Ramis, John Hughes, and Richard Donner. Their feel good family movies are truly missed.
IMHO while people praised GB Afterlife it was a hollow shell of a film compared to the original completely lacking the subtleties of the comedy and danger expressed by Ramis and Ackroyd's script.
They turned Gozer into some half baked slasher villain rather than a literally shape shifting interdimensional destrcutive demigod - plays out like they just read a read through of Ghostbusters rather than actually watching it.
That moment when you realize this is Ashley's full introduction to the story of this classic.
Even knowing how much younger Ashleigh is than I am, I'm still shocked at how many cultural references and things I take for granted that she has never heard of. Especially when it's someone with the impact of Michael Caine or Jim Henson.
same...I was born in 1984 elder millennial
Fun fact: this movie has some of the most historically accurate and beautiful costumes. Abby Cox does a great breakdown of all the pieces!
I came here to say that. I watched the video where Abby went into depth on Gonzo's costume. It's amazing how historically accurate they were at dressing puppets.
One of the best versions of this classic story. Love how Michael Caine took this part seriously and treated the muppets as if they are humans.
The Dickens Society rates it as the best adaptation, apparantly, in terms of the tone of the message and the closeness to the source material.
"... and treated the muppets as if they are humans" like every MSP (muppet socialized person) would do. 😀
I love when he dances with the Ghost of Christmas present.
he crushed this role for sure
As has already been mentioned, Jim Henson was the creator of the Muppets, and the original voice of Kermit and many others. Richard Hunt was a long-time Muppeteer who performed Scooter & Janice, and died of AIDS. Brian Henson took over after his dad died; Brian is the voice of Hoggle in Labyrinth and is married to Mia Sara, who played Sloane in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
I’ll echo other commenters in saying you should check out the George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol, I think it’s the best one (David Warner is magnificent as Bob Cratchit).
That’s a good version (young Ebenezer is played by Mark Strickson, known to Classic Doctor Who fans as one of the Fifth Doctor’s companions), but my favorite is the 1951 film starring Alistair Sim, who is amazing as Scrooge.
Alistair Sim or George C. Sott, both deliver amazing performances as Scrooge. And both approach the role very differently. I also have to say the animated version that Disney did with Jim Carrey voicing scrooge actually follows the dialogue almost word for word from the book. It would have been better if they left the slapstick out. I'd also recommend reading the book.
"Brian is the voice of Hoggle in Labyrinth and is married to Mia Sara, who played Sloane in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off"
Did not know either of those Brian Henson facts, interesting - and the luckiest puppetteer alive let's face it, she fine.
"David Warner is magnificent as Bob Cratchit"
Considering the other roles I've seen him in were either the miserable old father of Kurt Wallander or villains in TRON and Time Bandits I have some trouble seeing that, but I'll give the version a go for GCS.
Some questions Ashleigh asked ("why are they in shackles?" "why is the ghost so big" "is Tiny Tim dead") makes me wonder if this is the first traditional interpretation of A Christmas Carol that she's seen. I know she watched Scrooged, but that's meant to be more of a modern take on the story.
If this is her first introduction to the traditional story, it's kind of perfect. The Muppet version is where a lot of us had our first experience with the story as kids.
Edit: I hope she'll react to the 1951 version next Jingle Beans.
I kept thinking the same thing...."she does know the story, right?!??"🤔 I'd forgotten she's seen "Scrooged" but that means she didn't understand it.😔
A millennial, ignorant about anything before they were born...
Disappointing reaction 😞
@@PSB1983 That's an unfair label to put on Ashleigh. She's plenty savy about music and theater, and now thanks to her hugely successful YT channel, savy about movies as well.
Everyone has blind spots. It's not exclusive to millennials.
Fun fact: the heartbreaking song "When Love Is Gone" was cut from the film when it went to theaters because they thought kids wouldn't appreciate or understand the slow down in action for a sentimental song. Luckily it was on the VHS when it was sold. I grew up playing that song over and over as a kid. I absolutely loved and appreciated that moment and this movie quickly became a childhood favorite for me. Nostalgia all over again!
Fuckin' Katzenberg thinking it was too boring to stay in the film. He almost did the same thing to Part of Your World
behind the scenes, apparently from the channel of the actress
meredithbraunonline
ua-cam.com/video/P8SPHMk-lAE/v-deo.html
Te reason we see the bunny character suffer so much is because the puppeteers thought he was too adorable, so they took delight in making him suffer.
Plus, he was also seen as the Muppet version of Elmo. Yes, I know, technically, both Elmo & Bean Bunny are both Muppet creations of founder Jim Henson, but in terms of paralleling Bean Bunny with Elmo, the Muppet marketing team were keen on basically making Bean Bunny the new mascot that could've supplanted Kermit just as Elmo seemingly replaced Big Bird as the star of _Sesame Street_ so in playful jest, the Muppet team delighted in making Bean Bunny suffer. Ironically, Bean Bunny and post-Jim Henson Kermit the Frog were both performed by Steve Whitmire.
He's the Chief O'Brien of the Muppets
IYKYK!
During one take of Tiny Tim's death, the puppeteer for one of the daughters improvised "Can I have his dinner?"
Bed-curtains were the reason beds had four posts. They're meant to keep the sleepers warm, saving wood and coal. Ashleigh, you really need to read the book to appreciate the three ghosts, and so much of the story, which couldn't be rendered in "Muppet."
I've always wanted to sleep in a four-poster
I agree: it isn't long, and Dickens is a wonderful writer with a warped sense of humor.
The animated rendition with Jim Carey was fantastic.
@@melenatorr It is the Dickens story I most enjoyed. Unlike his other novels, he was not paid by the word for it, so it does not have the padding his other famous works indulge in.
Jacob's brother being Bob is a wonderfully understated joke.
I watched almost the entire movie before that clicked for me.
Oh my God I just got that.
also when Scrooge made a joke that they said was terrible - "Leave comedy to the bears!"
@@peterusso4873 Waka, waka, waka!
@@peterusso4873 I literally only heard that line clearly for the first time 2 days ago lol
"I never knew the Chef's hands were real hands"
Oh yes, Swedish Chef routines require a lot more dexterity than even the usual "live-hand" Muppets, so... human hands.
We always watch this movie after Thanksgiving dinner while we’re eating dessert. It officially kicks off our Christmas season.
That’s so CAUUUUUUUTE!!!❤❤❤
There are fashion historians that comment about the amazing period accuracy of the Muppet's clothing. One youtuber, Nicole Rudolph, makes an entire Gonzo's outfit for herself, from head to toe. Including the shoes. It's amazing.
Abby Cox getting overjoyed at Gonzo's layers and side-lacing boots was a memorable treat.
Abby's a lot of fun. I love watching her examine an antique garment she has just added to her collection. Such infectious enthusiasm.
OMG! Have never heard of her, but I need to check that out!
Thanks for the tip! Here it is if anyone wants to watch it: ua-cam.com/video/5hQ7dIvZCPA/v-deo.html
Brian Henson: "Alright Michael, don't forget it's the Muppets so just have fun with it."
Michael Caine: "I'm going to take this as serious as a car crash."
I love this movie sooo much, I watch it almost every year, sometime not even during Christmas XD. I love that Michael Cain accepted the roll because he wanted to make a movie that his daughter, who was 7 at the time, could watch. Also, he basically told them he was going to play the Scrooge roll as seriously as if he was acting alongside people instead of muppets. If I'm remembering correctly, most agree that (muppets aside) this is one of the most accurate screen adaptations of A Christmas Carol to date, which just is *chefs kiss* cherry on top.
Me too.
Beat me to the punch about Michael Caine. He refused to play Scrooge as a comedic character. This movie rocks for that reason.
I totally agree. Although if I had to have one other rendition of a Christmas carol it would be Mickey's Christmas carol
Unfortunately, this is FAR from accurate in its adaptation of the original text by Charles Dickens (It is not the least accurate, but it is definitely on the lower end of accuracy). I've read the novella about 15 times (it's a tradition I have, reading it every year). I would say that the Patrick Stewart (as Scrooge) version is most true to the original text.
Caine's complete sincerity really makes this movie for me!
2:49 Jim Henson was the creator of the Muppets. He voiced & performed Kermit, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, & Swedish Chef. He passed away in May 1990 from toxic shock syndrome coincidentally 7 years to the day before I was born. Richard Hunt performed Beaker, Sweetums, Scooter, Janice, & Statler. He passed away in January 1992 from HIV/AIDS related compications.
Woooooow, starting off the season with Muppets Christmas Carol? That's a Bold move. This is my absolute favorite Christmas movie ❤️
Also I'm SO glad you saw the full version, a lot of copies cut out the sad love song and it's SO pretty ❤️
"I didn't expect it to be so dark"
that was a quote from the original story. this is the most faithful adaptation of that story I have ever seen, despite the Muppet shenanigans.
When is it said in the story?
Also, there is a UA-cam video showing how this is the most faithful version of the story. :)
tiny tim having the heart to give thanks for ebenezer scrooge not because tiny tim is ignorant of his cruelty but because Christmas means love and goodwill to all, no matter how unpleasant, that's what always breaks me. His mother talking about giving scrooge a piece of her mind and the audience going 'yeah! screw that guy!' and tiny tim reminding everyone both in the scene and in the audience that spite is not what the season is about, that's too much for me. I always end up bawling my eyes out.
Michael Caine's performance always gets me no matter how many times I watch the movie.
Scrooge was conscious of a thousand odors, in other words, he became aware of lots of familiar smells and 'tastes', the place of childhood that sent a wave of emotions and nostalgia. So poetic.
I should really read the book XD
Fozzi Bear is a 'comedian' so the rubber chicken is in-line with his character basically.
“Well I can’t dip out neither should you!” Laughed hard at that one, thank you 😂
It's a real good way of using character to get them out of the story, so that they don't interrupt the depressing and sad version of the future. They can focus entirely on the consequences of Scrooge not changing his ways to hammer it home better.
I am so happy that you got to see the version with "When Love Is Gone" in it. That song has been cut out of a lot of versions
I always feel it should be left in. It makes "the love we found" more impactful, despite being so incredibly sad..
It really ads to the self imposed tragedy of scrooge
@@thomasplummer8103 It's also just such a beautiful, if sad song; and without it, there's hardly anything to the break-up scene. Such a stupid move to take it out.
My favorite muppet was always Gonzo. I always identified with him the most. I was the oddball everywhere I was, even within my own family, often leaving me feeling very lonely. Gonzo showed that being the weird one not only wasn't bad, it can be a joy in itself.
This is unironically the definitive telling of A Christmas Carol for me. There was so much heart put into this it's ridiculous.
It's a Muppet movie for Chrissake and Michael Caine didn't have to go that hard but he brought his A Game and delivered the best performance of Scrooge I have ever seen.
The soundtrack is absolute fire. I had it on cassette as a kid and wore it out.
I believe Michael Caine has said this was one of his favorite movies to work on and roles to play. That's saying a lot given his illustrious career, but his Scrooge is one for the ages.
I feel ya. I got the soundtrack on CD and play it every year. 2nd fave Christmas album in my collection (Ella Fitzgerald's covers of christmas classics has to be #1, just because I adore her).
But the one song for Christmas I WILL repeat the most is "Marley and Marley". It's just fantastic.
And Michael Caine. I love how he said he basically just pretended the Muppets were regular human actors and treated them accordingly, which sold the performance.
Its good but the George C Scott version is the best imo
Not only did Michael Caine not have to go that hard, the whole production didn't have to.
They made dozens of unique Muppets for this movie, and the Ghosts of Christmas would absolutely been expected to be cast with cameos from famous established Muppets, but they made completely new ones they never planned to use again.
@@tallyp.7643 "It's good to be heckling again!"
"It's good to be doing ANYTHING again!"
"Doooohoohohohohohoho!!"
Some of my favorite lines……
“I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link and yard by yard.”-Jacob Marley
“I want nothing of you. I ask nothing of you. Why can’t we be friends.”-Fred
“His father holds him a grudge. His mother died in childbirth. His childbirth.”-Scrooge looking on himself as a child.
“It may be in the sight of heaven you are more worthless and fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child.”-Xmas Present.
The scenes with his sister, and her death are important too.
That one little snippet of your singing voice during "Bless Us All," .....GURL....you have such a pretty singing voice.
Every version of A Christmas Carol I watch, even though I know it's coming, I bawl like a baby over Tiny Tim.
Favorite Scrooge? I'm a big Christmas Carol fan.
absolutely valid!
Have you seen "The BlackAdder Christmas Carol" by any chance? I know it is a short version, but that one may surprise you.
@@jaquesshugossen9398 For people who need less Christmas cheer! Haha!
@@oaf-77Bill Murray
The name "Rizzo the Rat" is a parody of "Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo," the name of Dustin Hoffman's character in _Midnight Cowboy._ At some point you ought to watch _Midnight Cowboy_ (1969) as it is an important film in the history of American cinema.
Also released in 1969 was _The Italian Job,_ a classic heist comedy starring the young Michael Caine, who, you will find, could definitely have got it.
A men's dressing gown is cut like a bathrobe but made of more decorative fabric and without absorbent material. It is worn around the house when one is just out of bed or as an informal way of dressing around the house when in shirt sleeves.
In houses without central heating walking around only in shirt sleeves is uncomfortable during cold weather so one needs something, but wearing a suit jacket all day can feel restricting, thus the dressing gown. Also, in the decades when men's jackets were long a dressing gown would keep you from sitting on the tails all day. They were popular from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries. They fell out of use after WWII with the move away from formal dressing and, more importantly I surmise, with the near universal adoption of central heating.
It took me about 20 years to figure out the Rizzo reference, but I *LOVE* that they did that.
I think "dressing gown" may still be the British expression for what we would call a "bathrobe". My source for that is that Arthur Dent in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is described as wearing his "tatty dressing gown". lol
That's pretty cool, I never knew that about Rizzo the Rat.
Caine was also great as "Ipcress". A more grounded James Bond kind of Spy.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6"The IPCRESS File" is of the genre I call espionage films, as opposed to the Bonds, which I categorize as super spy movies, the difference being that espionage films are realistic portrayals of the business of spying. The novels of John le Carre make especially good movies of the type. My favorite of them is "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold."
Child Scrooge hated Christmas because he was the one boy at school left behind. His mother died giving birth to him, so his father couldn't stand the sight of him. Sent him away to boarding school and left him there all year round, poor kid. There's a scene in the book (and it might be Mandela Effect but I swear I remember seeing it in Muppet Christmas Carol in the theaters) where his sister shows up one year, having begged Dear Old Dad to let her little brother come home for the holiday. She was the only kind, loving person he knew growing up, but tragically died in childbirth same as their mom did. This in turn is why Scrooge hates his nephew.
“When Love Is Gone” is one of the most heart wrenching songs ever.
Genius to switch in the old Scrooge in for the young one during the song
If you haven't seen it watch...
The SNOWMAN⛄
No. Not "Frosty the Snowman". Just, The Snowman.
Beautiful achingly haunting animated film with a song that will never leave your heart once you hear it!💖
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs? Seconded.
@@AlmightyCRJ he created a true piece of artistic magic. So pretty it hurts💖
When Ghost of Christmas Present says "Come in, and know me better," he's telling Scrooge to know *Christmas* better. To learn about the Spirit of Christmas. At least, that's how I've always interpreted it. Also the Ghost of Christmas Past is *supposed* to be unsettling, being described in the original novel as “... a strange figure -- like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being diminished to a child's proportions. Its hair ... was white as if with age; and yet the face had not a wrinkle in it, and the tenderest bloom was on the skin. The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same, as if its hold were of uncommon strength. Its legs and feet, most delicately formed, were, like those upper members, bare. It wore a tunic of the purest white, and round its waist was bound a lustrous belt, the sheen of which was beautiful. It held a branch of fresh green holly in its hand; and, in singular contradiction of that wintry emblem, had its dress trimmed with summer flowers.”
So glad you watched this one; it's one of the best versions in my not-so-humble opinion. If you liked the Muppets in it, then you should give "The Muppet Movie" a try (the 1979 version). While most of the characters in it come from the Muppet Show, there are cameos by Sesame Street Muppets, too.
The effect of the Ghost of Christmas Past is also easily the best puppetry in water projection effect I have ever seen, even better than the one in Poltergeist with the skeletal demon outside the kids bedroom door at the end.
I feel like "know me better, man" sounds anachronous to us in part because we associate "man" as a term of address with the 1960s rather than the 1840s, at least when delivered in an upbeat, cheerful way. We have this idea that if someone from the 1840s calls someone "man", it probably means they're annoyed, as in "don't be a fool, man". My guess is that "know me better, man" must have been a common figure of speech in Dickens' lifetime, because it doesn't make much sense otherwise.
@@mnomadvfx Water projection - I've not heard the term but it's certainly descriptive. Off to go find out more about it, thanks!
@@susanowen1709 I'm not sure exactly whether it used a projector or not but it definitely involves a puppet in a water tank to get that creepy flowing cloth look the ghost has.
This was the first Muppet movie after the sudden & surprising death of Jim Henson (the creator of the Muppets) in 1990. His son Brian Henson directed this movie and absolutely nailed it. I'm sure his dad Jim would have LOVED it. I remember my mom told me back then when Jim Henson had died. I had already watched the german Sesame Street and never knew who created the whole show, the concept and the puppets. So yeah, there goes your answer, Ashleigh :) I also watched that movie at the theaters back when it came out. Together with my best friend from school and my mother. Yes that Ghost of the Christmas future DID scare me but it was one heck of a ride and absolutely appropriate.
Ninja Turtles 2 actually was the last movie he worked on
@@treyjohnson4035 yeah but also very reluctant because he did not like the violence.
The Story of "Christmas Carol" never gets old no matter which Movie Version. I love the Muppets Version very much ❤
10:58 Yes. On the Muppet Show, these two characters (Statler and Waldorf) would always make fun of Fozzie Bear's comedy act. They'd heckle him constantly. Interesting side note: the original Christmas Carol story only has one Marley. But these two are a package deal, so they made up another one to put them in the role!
I love that you had a good time with this! I'd also recommend Muppet Treasure Island if you want some more Muppet fun. Tim Curry's in that one, so always a good time. :D
I think I have every movie version of A Christmas Carol ever made on dvd. I love this story. Michael Caine's acting in this superb.
A "dressing gown" is basically a bathrobe. In Harry Potter "dress robes" are formal school robes that are a bit fancier than their everyday robes.
I know, right! It's like Hamlet. People will put on this production for an untold number of generations. No two will be alike.
A dressing gown isn't the same as a bathrobe. A dressing gown is like a bath robe but designed to go over your nightwear. A bath robe is absorbent and designed to be used after a bath or shower. Most think they are interchangeable but a proper dressing gown wouldn't be good for after bathing.
@@rexwilliams7643 I know but I went with the easiest description and I always call mine a bathrobe. They're even listed as bathrobes in stores.
Muppets, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock (all created by Henson) exist in a shared universe, but are separate shows.
Every time Miss Piggy starts to tell Scrooge off, my husband laughs and tells me how much it reminds him of how I am when I get my craw full 😂 I always wanted to be compared to a celebrity. I should have been more specific.
I had a strange case of believing she had already done a review of this. I’m glad I was wrong, this was a delight. No small part in the fact that this was a favorite of mine when I was younger.
I bet Ashleigh would have a hoot with so much of the Muppets’ shows. Most presently I’m thinking she’d enjoy A Muppet Family Christmas.
And the “know me/him better man” line is a personal favorite of mine. He’s the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the only way to know him or anyone is to be ‘present’ with them.
British fan here: 'dressing gown' and 'bathrobe' are pretty much the same thing. Dressing-gowns can feel like a towel or made of other types of material; people wear them over their pyjamas if they're cold/want to be more modest hanging out in company. Hope that makes sense.
You really should also see the Christmas Carol staring George C Scott, that version in my opinion is objectively the best. That said this version certainly has the best introduction to Scrooge with that iconic opening song
That's my personal favorite. Scott has so much humanity.
That is an excellent version. However, I like the one with Patrick Stewart just a smidge better. The Muppet version is a close third for me.
yeah that's a great version too! And there's also one with Patrick Stewart.
My top 5 scrooges ranked goes Scott, Sim, Caine, Stewart, Finney
The very best version.
My most favourite ever Christmas movie!!! It's not christmas until he says "Light the lamp not the rat! Light the lamp not the rat!" I'm also glad you got the version with When love has gone, it never should have been left out for all those years.
This is my ABSOLUTE favorite christmas movie and I'm so thrilled that you got the good version. When Disney's current president saw this for the first time, he decided that Belle's song--you know, the really sad one that explains why he never took a risk on happiness again and proves that he was already on a bad path that prioritized money and that her leaving was justified?--was too sad for children and HE LITERALLY HAD THEM CUT IT OUT OF THE MOVIE. For the longest time, you couldn't find the version with the song, and it's my favorite song in the whole movie and has been ever since I was a kid when I first saw this (because kids actually aren't adorable morons who can't handle feelings like the stupid guy assumed). I'm so glad that you got this version, because it makes so much more sense for his character and his arc, and the fact that the reprise at the end when he's singing about love carrying on is HER SONG, just with happier lyrics, only makes sense and completes his character arc if you have the earlier song intact. Sorry for all the caps lock, I just have a lot of feelings about this movie, lol.
“You can hit through those bars?”
“Yeah.”
“You are such an idiot.”
😂😂😂😂Best part ever!
There are a couple of hidden sight gags in this movie. Scrooge walks past a shop called Micklewhite's, which is a reference to Michael Caine's real name, Maurice Micklewhite. Towards the end of the movie there is another shop with its sign partially covered, but it's called Statler and Waldorf, which are the names of the two muppets who play the Marley brothers.
Merry JingleBeans! This movie is a family tradition, we put it on every Black Friday when we begin decorating for the season. I am envious that you had the full version with Belle's song. It is heart wrenching but I feel necessary for the journey, and it was cut because the Jeffery Katzenberg thought younger audiences would 'check out' during the highly emotional ballad (it was in the theatrical release and on the soundtrack, but not the original VHS). Especially important when they do the reprise at the very end, which is lovely but means a lot less without the build-up of Christmas Past. Happy holidays to you and yours. (tip of the top hat).
OMG, I'm so excited she got the uncut version! ❤️
Disney+ is (or has) put the full version up for the 30th anniversary
@@sarahfemmenicole88 I saw that, goes up 12/9 I think I read?
I find it funny, because as young kids, my brothers and I definitely fast-forwarded through that song every time.
As an adult, I can see the value it adds to the overall story....but I might still skip it...I'm not really sure 🤷♀️
@@luludee1300 OMG, we did too. Well, sometimes we would riff on it. We cracked up because her nostrils flare a lot while she's singing. We were 10 & 12. But, I really think it adds to the story. Especially the reprise at the end.
One of the funny things about the Muppet Christmas Carol is that it's one of the most accurate adaptations of the book, with several lines from the book quoted verbatim by Gonzo.
This is hands down the BEST version of A Christmas Carol ever made. I am SO GLAD you are finally watching it!
I remember reading somewhere that Scrooge's mother died giving birth to him and this led to his father resenting him, and his sister was the only family member who cared about him. This was why he preferred to stay at school during the holidays. Also he was so cold to his nephew because Scrooge's sister died giving birth to him, so Scrooge treated his nephew the way his own father treated him.
Jim Henson was the guy who started the Muppets in 1955 on the show called Sam and Friends (which was Kermit's debut though he was an abstract lizard, he became a frog in TV special Hey Cinderella!), made the muppet segments in Sesame Street and did The Muppet Show. He sadly passed away in pneumonia at the age of 53 in 1990. He played Kermit, Dr. Teeth, Rowlf, The Swedish Chef (Oz did the hands), Waldorf, Link Hogthrob, amongst others.
Richard Hunt played Sweetums, Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Junior Gorg, Gladys the Cow and many more. He passed away from Aids in early 92 at the young age of 40.
I am dying at the mash up in Ashleigh's brain of the Muppets and Sesame Street. Love it. Also, Michael Caine is brilliant in everything he's in even if the movie is atrocious.
Technically the Sesame Street puppets were originally Muppets. They started to drift apart after Disney bought the Muppets, and were completely separate entities (albeit with some puppeteers in common) by the time that HBO bought out Sesame Street.
If you want Ash, go check out Jim Henson's funeral gathering video. As sad as it may sound, all his friends and Muppet creations went there and joked about him and performed music and sent him off the way he lived, sharing joy and celebrating life.
“You need to pay Kermit more money…so he can have good doctors” 😂 I love it lol
My teenage son and I watch this movie every year, now in remembrance of my late husband/his late father who loved it to pieces. We sing the Marley and Marley song with extreme gusto! Glad you enjoyed it as well.
I watched this for the first time recently, and the tears were FLOWING over Tiny Tim, who doesn't even die for real. Kudos to Brian Henson for making people cry over a little frog puppet. Not to mention Kermit's speech. "Life is full of meetings and partings" 😭😭😭
Surprisingly this adaptation has the largest percentage of dialog and narration taken from the actual book
I think there is, completely unironically, a strong case to be made for this being the best version of this story put to film. It really is mostly the actual Dickens story with Muppets in it as opposed to a Muppet-ified version of the story. One of the strongest elements is Michael Caine playing it completely straight as Scrooge the whole time. He never for one second ever slips into goofy kid movie mode or anything. He has said that going in his intention was to play it as if he was doing a production for the Royal Shakespere Company the whole time. Absolutely fantastic movie.
It's my favorite version of the story.
Yeah, Caine smashed it.
I always crack up when he says he worked at Fozziwig's old rubber chicken factory like that's completely normal 😂 I don't know how he kept it so straight on that line, I could never 🤣🤣🤣
@@SarahRichardsGraba Funny enough the character's name in the original Dickens is Fezziwig. It's not a runner chicken factory but the name is just as silly.
@@randomjunk1977 oh yes I know, I've read the book many times haha 😂 the Muppets are so good at making it high art and low art at the same time. I love them 💖
I took a school field trip to see this when it first came out. To this day, I BAWL like a little baby when the family is having dinner without Tiny Tim. Part of it is that the scene is played entirely straight. The other reason, and the major reason, is that we're seeing Kermit and Miss Piggy entirely devastated while also trying to remain strong. You NEVER see them like this. In decades, this is the most vulnerable you ever see them, and it is utterly heartbreaking.
The film was dedicated to Jim Henson,, the creator of The Muppets and Sesame Street, who died two years prior to shooting.
Jim Henson, created the Muppets. Without him there would be no Muppets, he was the voice of Kermit, until he died.
Happy Jingle Beans! The "Know him better, man" line in this movie is meant to teach scrooge to learn the meaning of Christmas. Each ghost wanted to teach him. They followed the original story as best as a Muppet movie could. Kermit's legs have been shown many times (See The Muppet Movie, hint). The Muppets are a part of Sesame Street but not all. Just Kermit.
I played the ghost of christmas present in a college production. Said that line. Scrooge needs to "know the holiday spirit"
Oh YAY! She got the version that kept "The Love Is Gone" and didn't edit it out in a way that feels really awkward and empty... Awesome!
Credit to Charles Dickens. His works and advocacy changed how we see Christmas forever.
This has always been and always will be my favorite version of Christmas Carol, and one of my favorite movies in general. I adore the Muppets and always will ♥️
I also completely agree about Bean Bunny, I would absolutely adopt that adorable little guy and give him so much love ☺️
One of the things I love about this movie is how they utilize Scrooge’s singing. In other Christmas Carol musicals, Scrooge sings from start to finish and that to me just never made sense. Scrooge is not a character who would express himself through song, at least not at first. Here they only have Scrooge sing when he feels love. He sings briefly with Belle as he remembers the love he lost and at the end of the movie, when he realizes he has so much love to give. It gives his journey so much more weight. I also love how he finally expresses the love he has to give after accepting a gift something the old him would have never done. That simple red scarf becomes something incredibly meaningful to him and the story. To this day, it’s not Christmas for me till I’ve worn a red scarf.
The best ever telling of “A Christmas Carol”. I’m willing to die on this hill.
OMG Ashleigh you’re gonna love The Muppets Christmas Carol! It’s a classic and happens to be one of my favorite interpretations of the classic story by Charles Dickens! Michael Caine did a fantastic job as Ebenezer Scrooge in this movie and the muppets themselves really made this a great movie even after the untimely and tragic passing of Jim Henson prior to the theatrical release.
Nice reaction Ash. Another Jim Henson Christmas movie is Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas. It was a favorite of mine growing up. It's a cute little movie. Less than an hour, more of a TV special.
🎵 You're nails won't break and your toes won't stub. You'll never get a fever when there ain't no hole in the washtub.
@@hippychikforever I always loved the Riverbottom Nightmare Band 🤘🤘🤘
Woot- you got the version with "The Love is Gone" Still in it!
You got to see Muppet Treasure Island. Tim Curry gives it all he has as one crazy performance to remember
Aaaaaaaa! No way! This is my favorite Christmas movie of all time! I watch it every year without fail. I can't wait to see your reaction! Thank you for this, Ashleigh!
The most accurate translation of "A Christmas Carol" EVER put to film.
This was a staple Christmas movie in my life. I saw it as a kid in Theatres. I had the cassette tape which I murdered lol. This and Mickey’s Christmas Carol were both super well done. I also the Beans inspired holidays 🤣. Keep up the great work! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤩👏🏾👏🏾
Almost every line spoken by Scrooge is taken directly from the novel, as well as most of the lines spoken by Gonzo as Charles Dickens. This is a condensed version, but very accurate to the novel. I think you'll also enjoy "Scrooged" with Bill Murray. It's a modernized version of the same storyline, and is hilarious.
Sidenote: When Jim Henson started "The Muppet Show", Kermit was the only character from Sesame Street to make it to the new show, other than occasional cameos by the other Muppets.
Dressing Gowns were evening wear that one would wear at home, generally over underclothes/nightclothes iirc. You didn't go out in them, but they were more "appropriate" and formal than just wearing your pajamas, which would've been highly inappropriate.