My holiday traditions don’t officially start until the Muppets show up, and nothing captures that perfect mix of heart, humor, and festive chaos better than The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Plenty of versions of Charles Dickens’ classic exist, but the Muppets created the one that somehow manages to be both the most faithful and the most joyful. From Tiny Tim (who did NOT die), Rizzo and his jellybeans, to Beaker shyly gifting his scarf, and Kermit leading the charming One More Sleep ’Til Christmas number, the film is packed with small moments that hit just as hard as the big ones. Above all, Michael Caine, the only human in the film, plays Scrooge with complete sincerity in a room full of felt and feathers.
For years, something important was missing from the widely available versions of the movie. The ballad When Love Is Gone, a key emotional moment in Scrooge’s backstory, was removed from the original theatrical release and later from early home video versions.
The scene gives depth to Scrooge’s transformation by showing the pain of the love he lost and the choices that turned him into the man Marley visits. After decades of being unavailable, the restored footage was finally announced at D23 in 2022 during the film’s 30th anniversary panel, and the full-length version made its way to Disney+ later that year.
Watching the complete cut takes a tiny bit of effort. It does not appear as the default playback option on Disney+. To see the restored film as intended, you need to visit the movie’s page, scroll to the ‘Extras’ tab, and then scroll all the way to the bottom to find ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol (Full Length Version)’.
While Disney wouldn’t officially acquire the Muppets until 2004, this 1992 film was the first major Muppet production created in partnership with The Walt Disney Company.
It was the first Muppet feature produced after Jim Henson’s passing, and his son Brian Henson made his directorial debut with it. It also introduced the idea of Gonzo as Charles Dickens himself; honoring the source material and leaning fully into Muppet-style storytelling.
Rewatching the complete version each year is like getting the movie back the way it always should have been. It is still the funniest, warmest, and most heartfelt telling of A Christmas Carol, and now it is finally whole again.
God save my little broken body.
Craving more holiday Muppets? Visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season? Don’t miss seeing some of the Muppet-worn costumes from The Muppet Christmas Carol in a seasonal exhibit now showing at Walt Disney Presents, or Kermit and Miss Piggy themselves, starring in Holidays in Hollywood during Disney Jollywood Nights!
