The Muppet Christmas Carol extended cut is finally getting its Disney+ release next month. Disney released The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992 to modest commercial and critical success. It has since enjoyed a niche following, spawning the 2002 sequel It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and remaining a Christmas staple among audiences for decades to come.

The film is a musical take on the 1843 Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, casting beloved Muppet mainstays in roles made famous by the book. For example, Gonzo is the narrator, Kermit is Mr. Cratchit, and Waldorf is Jacob Marley, to name a few. Scrooge himself is played by Michael Caine. The Muppet Christmas Carol was directed by Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, and was the first feature-length Muppets film to be produced after the original creator's death.

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Earlier this year, news broke that Disney+ will soon house the extended cut of The Muppet Christmas Carol. According to Gizmodo, the movie will make its grand streaming debut on December 9, just in time for the holidays. This extended version has been highly anticipated by fans for some time now.

What's Different In The Muppet Christmas Carol Extended Cut

The Muppets Christmas Carol extended cut will include the song "When Love is Gone", which was a major facet of the original theatrical release and VHS version, but later cut when it went to DVD. The song was considered by Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of Disney at the time of the DVD release, to be too sad for a children's move. However, fans immediately recognized that "When Love is Gone" had been left out, and found the cut to be jarring. The song was in many ways the heart of The Muppet Christmas Carol, and its removal from the DVD and subsequent streaming versions has become notorious among fans who grew up watching the original. The song was written by Paul Williams, who is best known for penning "That Rainbow Connection", featured in the 1979 film The Muppet Movie.

"When Love is Gone" has been featured as a Disney+ special feature for some time now, but the upcoming Muppet Christmas Carol release will integrate it back into the movie completely. This is the extended cut's biggest difference from the original version, and it's also the most anticipated change. Disney+ already has a slew of buzzy holiday releases coming, from the limited series The Santa Clauses to The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Now, The Muppet Christmas Carol joins the holiday festivities with its emotional musical moment fully intact.

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Source: Gizmodo