Muppet Christmas Carol (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

It might have been better had the film stuck more closely to Dickens' original storyline, but it's close enough, and the augmentations do no harm. "The Muppet Christmas Carol" hits exactly the right spot in terms of Christmas cheer and seems to me perfect for children and adults alike.

Video:
The movie is presented in two screen sizes on the same side of a single disc, its original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 (here measuring about 1.77:1) and a pan-and-scan rendering that crops about 25% of the image from the left and right sides of each frame. I watched in widescreen and found the video excellent, thanks to a high-bit rate, anamorphic transfer. The only minor distraction is a touch of grain from time to time; otherwise, colors are deep and firm, definition is mostly sharp, black levels are substantial, and colors are as bright as they ever need to be. It's a radiant-looking movie in the daylight scenes, and even nighttime shots come off with clarity and detail.

Audio:
The English audio is a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, which is adequate for the front channels but does little in the surrounds except add a small bit of musical and environmental ambience. It sounds fairly ordinary, actually, with a wide front-stereo spread but a limited dynamic and frequency range. I can't imagine anyone objecting that the soundtrack does not remind them of "Star Wars," so it does its job. French is in 2.0 stereo only.

Extras:
Here's the thing: Because the powers that be at Disney figure that the movie is primarily aimed at children (a "family" picture), they provide an audio commentary by director Brian Henson and an extra scene only in the fullscreen version. OK, to be fair, the pan-and-scan rendering was the only available option on the film's first DVD release, so the commentary and extra scene probably just carry over with it. As one who almost never watches a movie in fullscreen, though, it seems kind of unfair to make me to do so if I want to enjoy all of the disc's extras. Oh, well.... The extra scene included with the fullscreen version is a song by Meredith Braun sung when her character breaks up with Scrooge, which the director tells us was cut from the theatrical release to shorten the movie.

In addition, the extras include "Pepe Profiles Presents Gonzo: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Weirdo," about five minutes; "Christmas Around the World," about three minutes; and several outtakes and bloopers, a couple of which are quite cute. The bonuses conclude with ten scene selections and a chapter insert; Sneak Peeks at seven other Disney titles; English and French spoken languages; and English captions for the hearing impaired.

Parting Thoughts:
"A Christmas Carol" never seems to lose its magic, whether it is a classic movie with Alastair Sim or Reginald Owen, a television show with Patrick Stewart or George C. Scott, a musical with Albert Finney, a cartoon with Scrooge McDuck or Mr. Magoo, or any of dozens of other interpretations. Certainly, there is magic to spare in the Muppets' congenial and moving version with Michael Caine. Perhaps the addition of Gonzo and Rizzo narrating throughout the film was a bit much, but they do no harm and provide a few moments of refreshing uplift. Combined with a deft directorial touch and some charming songs, the movie is a welcome Christmas treat.

"...it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!" --Charles Dickens

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---