{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/68a8aa1073bf5b62980b4bb6/691691d5243c8d887018829e?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)","description":"<p>It's a beloved holiday film. The Dickens source material is exceptional. Michael Caine plays it admirably straight. The Ghost of Christmas Past is genuinely unsettling. And yet — The Muppet Christmas Carol can't quite commit to being either a great Christmas Carol adaptation or a fully-realized Muppets film, and the tension between those two things undermines both. John and Zac dig into why: Gonzo and Rizzo's narration fragments the emotional pace; the Muppets feel shoehorned into roles that don't quite fit their energy; Tiny Tim lands less powerfully as a puppet; the musical numbers are uneven; and the middle drags. But Michael Caine is wonderful, the production design is gorgeous, and the Ghost of Christmas Future delivers real dread. A warm, flawed, perfectly fine Christmas movie. Zac gives it a 5-6. John gives it a 7.</p><p><br></p><p>SHOW NOTES</p><p>Film: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)</p><p>Director: Brian Henson | Music: Paul Williams</p><p>Starring: Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge</p><p><br></p><p>Topics covered:</p><ul><li>Does the Muppets format serve A Christmas Carol? (Complicated answer)</li><li>- Gonzo and Rizzo as narrators — charming but pacing-disrupting</li><li>- Michael Caine's committed and affecting performance</li><li>- Ghost of Christmas Past — genuinely creepy design</li><li>- Ghost of Christmas Future — the film's best sequence, punches pulled too early</li><li>- Why Tiny Tim doesn't land the same way in puppet form</li><li>- The Marleys (Waldorf and Statler) and Fezziwig (Fozzie Bear pun)</li><li>- Best Christmas Carol adaptations to compare (Alastair Sim, Mickey's Christmas Carol)</li></ul><p>Fast Facts:</p><ul><li>First Muppets film produced by Disney, after Jim Henson's passing</li><li>- Both enjoyed watching it, though neither thinks it's a great Muppet film or great Christmas Carol</li></ul><p>Follow us on Instagram: @jazmakeapodcast</p><p>Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Acast</p><p>Email: jazmakeapodcast@gmail.com</p>","author_name":"John and Zac"}