Tuesday, December 17, 2019

9 Reasons Why The Muppet Christmas Carol is the Best Christmas Movie Ever


Every year the debate comes up about which Christmas movie is the best. There are some classics like White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life that are always mentioned alongside somewhat newer movies like Love Actually and The Holiday. Then, there are more humorous movies like Elf and Home Alone

All of these movies are classics, but when it comes to the best Christmas movies, there's just no way to beat The Muppet Christmas Carol

1. The source material is well-written. Obviously, Charles Dickens is a celebrated writer for a reason. The serious of the theme juxtaposed with the warmth of the Christmas season is so compelling. Dickens was one of the most well-known writers of his own time period, and the characters that he created in A Christmas Carol have proven to be timeless.

2. The Muppet adaptation honors the original surprisingly well. Even though the Muppets' style of humor is present throughout the film, the core of the story remains the same.

3. Gonzo makes the most perfect Charles Dickens. Having a character play the author keeps the story on track and makes the setting more accessible. In some movie adaptions, the loss of the narrator means that crucial pieces of the story have to be reworked, but this movie manages to avoid that issue. It also helps that Gonzo is absolutely sure that he is Charles Dickens despite being a long-nosed blue unidentifiable creature.

4. Same the Eagle is British. This might only be entertaining to those who are already Muppet fans, but the idea to make the over-the-top patriotic character British is completely hilarious.

5. Kermit and Miss Piggy are a married couple. As much fun as it is to see Cameron Diaz and Judd Law get together in The Holiday, seeing Kermit and Miss Piggy together is 1000 times more satisfying. Things are difficult in the family's life, but you believe that regardless of what may go wrong, Kermit and Piggy's characters are committed to each other. How is it even possible to feel this emotional over puppets?

6. Michael Caine plays the best version of Scrooge. Everyone already knows that Michael Caine is a skilled actor. But, it's especially apparent in this movie. You can't even tell that he's working with puppets rather than people. And, his transition fro the cold, heartless version of Scrooge at the beginning of the film to the changed, repentant version at the end comes across as authentic rather than cheesy.

7. The movie's soundtrack could be played on repeat for hours. From the opening song that perfectly builds Scrooge's ominous character to the cheeriness at the end of the film, every single song adds to the mood and moves the story forward. Also, if you don't listen to "One More Sleep Til Christmas" at least 25 times on December 24th, then are you really even ready for Christmas.

8. The film is written for both children and adults in mind. At first glance, it might seem like the movie is just for children, but the movie isn't actually childish. The theme is applicable to everyone. And, the movie is full of moments and jokes that adults will enjoy, but that children won't even notice.

9. The movie ends with Gonzo telling the audience to read the book. Honestly, this is the way that all movies should end. There's nothing more to add.

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