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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A classic title remade Muppet style!
I found this remake of the classic Dickens tale 'A Christmas Carol' to be entertaining again and again. The Muppet characters are true to their original personalities and the humour is reminiscent of the 'Muppet Show' days. Michael Caine is genuine and believable as Scrooge and does all his own singing. He is obviously not a singer per se but does a fantastic job and...
Published on 22 Mar 2003
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
Why have Disney cut the best bit from the DVD?
I originally bought The Muppet Christmas Carol years ago when it came out on video. I thought it was wonderful, great fun and, even with the Muppets playing many key roles, it was extremely true to the book. My favourite part was where a young Scrooge tells his Belle, his fiancée, that they're going to have to postpone their wedding because he doesn't have enough money...
Published on 21 Mar 2004 by A. Simmons
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
Why have Disney cut the best bit from the DVD?, 21 Mar 2004
I originally bought The Muppet Christmas Carol years ago when it came out on video. I thought it was wonderful, great fun and, even with the Muppets playing many key roles, it was extremely true to the book. My favourite part was where a young Scrooge tells his Belle, his fiancée, that they're going to have to postpone their wedding because he doesn't have enough money. Belle then says that he doesn't love her and sings a beautiful song called 'When Love is Gone'. I bought a DVD player just before Christmas and since my MCC video was well watched and worn, I decided to buy the DVD version. What a disappointment. This beautiful song was cut out, which I think is wrong as it is pivotal to the story. Disney haven't given a reason for it and it wasn't mentioned during the Audio Commentary of the film. The extras on the DVD are ok, but overall this is way below the standard I'd expect of a Disney DVD, particularly for the price. This is more worthy of being in the 'bargain bin' rather than full price. If you've got the video and are thinking of buying the DVD, don't bother - you're better off sticking with the video, and if you haven't got either, just get the video. If I was rating the video version I'd give it 5 stars but am giving the DVD version three stars, because of the cut scene and the general poor value for money.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful film, poor DVD, 10 Dec 2002
By A Customer
The Muppet Christmas Carol is a classic in its own right; wonderful entertainment executed with astonishing skill. But the Disney DVD release is extremely disappointing. The extras are nice and the menu design is fun, but Disney have done a serious disservice to the muppets in not releasing a definitive version of the film when transferring to DVD. Not only is the picture quality no better than the video, but the film has been cut in a pivotal scene, and has been released in 4:3 instead of widescreen. There is no excuse for this. Five stars for the muppets and all their human associates, but bottom marks to Disney. Buy the video version instead.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A classic title remade Muppet style!, 22 Mar 2003
By A Customer
I found this remake of the classic Dickens tale 'A Christmas Carol' to be entertaining again and again. The Muppet characters are true to their original personalities and the humour is reminiscent of the 'Muppet Show' days. Michael Caine is genuine and believable as Scrooge and does all his own singing. He is obviously not a singer per se but does a fantastic job and really enjoys himself. A true christmas classic!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Disney, what are you playing at?!, 23 Dec 2003
By A Customer
Ok, first off, the film is worth 5 stars on it's own, but the DVD is terribly put together and an insult to fans of the film:1) The cover is poor quality and grainy.
2) You'd expect a booklet inside to accompany it
3) It's not the widescreen version, it's 4:3 but if you play it on a widescreen TV the DVD stretches it to 16:9, tricking you into thinking it is the widescreen version, well, at least until an overly-wide Michael Cain appears
4) Disney have edited out an entire song from it's original release and this is NOT mentioned on the DVD's box. Why? Oh, well, hopefully Disney will hear all these complaints and re-release the film. If you have the film on video already, don't bother buying the DVD.
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
great on DVD - but where's the missing song?, 18 Dec 2004
We've been watching The Muppet Christmas Carol at home since 1994 on VHS and, as many others say, it has become a significant part of our Christmas Traditions!So this year we got the DVD to replace our ageing VHS - only to find that this was not the same film. Without any indication Disney have removed a vital part of the film - namely 'the love is gone' song, sung by Scrooge's girlfriend during the Christmas Past sequence. Corny as it was (and not part of Dicken's original!) it's still is a key moment of the film and provides an insight into the story. The DVD version we have simply cuts out the song, moving from a conversation to Rizzo and Scrooge crying - a totally inexplicable break without the song to explain. Why leave the song out - after all, Muppet movies are musicals? This is a great disappointment and a bit of a cheat I think. I also understand from the net that it is in the Region 1 version. I think we should have been told 'this is a cut version of the film'. V. Disappointed.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
DVD is cut!, 26 Dec 2003
This is a fine film, full of great songs, muppet humour and yet remarkably true to the original story. A 5 star film.However, you should know that having owned the VHS version for some years, we were disappointed to find that one of the best songs and most poignant moments of the film has been cut out of the DVD version. This is when Scrooge witnesses his parting from his only love Belle with the ghost of christmas past. What is left is a few lines, Gonzo and Rizzo inexplicably emotional and a cut back to Scrooge's rooms with a refrain from a song you haven't heard. Why Disney chose to do this is unclear (It is only 4 minutes after all). Better to get the VHS version or if you have multi region DVD, the U.S. version which seems to have the correct running time
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
A classic film spoiled by shoddy transfer, 26 Nov 2002
The Muppets Christmas Carol is the most assured and accomplished of the Muppets films (ok - the source material was fairly strong to begin with), and the casting of Gonzo as Mr Dickens is inspired; his interaction with Rizzo the Rat and their commentary on the action is hilarious and can diffuse some of the scarier moments for children.
The songs are tops too (why no CD re-release to accompany the DVD?), and luckily Michael Caine only has to sing in the final number.
This film is an essential part of Christmas in our house (and we're both far too old to be watching really), and it would automatically get 5 stars except that for a full price DVD I expect to get more for my money than a 4:3 ratio picture! What on earth are Disney playing at? The extras are few, though amusing enough, and the index slip is a scrap of paper; the cover is a poor quality rehash of the original film poster. It's all just not good enough.
To summarise, then this is an essential part of anyone's film collection, which you and the kids will watch many times...but save your money - buy the video - and wait another 8 years until the widescreen edition finally arrives...
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
A classic for the small screen, 19 Nov 2002
Firstly, I am not generally a fan of Christmas movies. In fact, I might as well have taken Michael Caine's role of Ebenezer Scrooge in this great movie, the only Xmas tale I really like. Brought to life by the Muppets, Dickens' classic is probably more accessible on this movie than the George C. Scott of A Christmas Carol for kids. Being the Muppets, it naturally appeals to students like myself and those young at heart. The DVD contains excellent extras: Director's audio commentary; Frogs, Pigs and Humbug; Christmas Around The World; On the set. The film is produced by Brian Henson, son of the late and great Jim Henson (who died two years before this films release) of whom I am a great admirer. In summary, a heartwarming Xmas tale for all!!!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A Family Favorite, 17 Nov 2000
By A Customer
I got this for Christmas years ago and now it's one of my son's favorite movies. We usually end up watching it several times every Christmas. I have always enjoyed the Muppets and this one of their best films. Gonzo is Charles Dickens, Rizzo the rat is his sidekick and Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit. Michael Caine is great as Scrooge. The film features some wonderful songs by Paul Williams. My personal favorite is the "Bless Us All" song that the Cratchits sing at dinner. I've seen this video at least 30 times and I am still not tired of it.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
The Muppets do their own version of "A Christmas Carol", 19 Nov 2003
I do not want to go so far as to say that it is impossible to put together a really unsatisfying version of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, first, because I have not seen all of the versions ever made, and, second, because I do not want to tempt the fates. This is a classic story for which most people have several favorites, from the 1951 Alistair Sims film to the animated "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" (I could have easily named another half dozen films to replace either one of those). Still, with all of those versions floating out there is still room for those that retell the tale with a humorous touch, the best of which involved Mickey Mouse and the Muppets.In "The Muppet Christmas Carol" Michael Caine is the sole "real" person, playing Ebenezer Scrooge. The performance is rather impressive when you take into account that he has to play straight man to the cast of Muppets but still manages to give the key moments of Dickens' story their gravity. Basically, this version works because Caine never lets you know he is working with Muppets. Persuading you to see this one is fairly simple. You know the story and if you mention that Kermit the Frog is Bob Crachit, Miss Piggy is Emily Crachit, Fozzie Bear is Fozziwig (who else?), Robert the Frog is Tiny Tim, Waldorf and Statler is Robert and Jacob Marley, and the Great Gonzo is Charles Dickens, that should be enough to fire your imagination. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come are "new" Muppets, which shows screenwriter Jerry Juhl and director Henson know how to preserve the spirit of the original while still letting the Muppets have their fun. All things considered, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is the merriest version of the Dickens' classic. The songs are by that living Muppet, Paul Williams, the best of which is "Marley and Marley," although the two big songs are "When Love Is Found" and "It Feels Like Christmas." None of these will become Christmas standards, but they are still enjoyable in the context of this charming movie. Even better, it is not just for kids, but for all those who know Christmas and keep it in their hearts (and who are old enough to get all the jokes).
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