With a few months still to go until the holiday season, Disney+ reveals a restored version of The Muppets Christmas Carol is coming this December. Brian Henson's 1992 reinterpretation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge living alongside the famous Muppet characters is widely considered as one of the greatest Christmas films of all time. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Disney will now be giving fans a new version of the movie for the first time ever.
At D23 Expo's Muppets Christmas Carol 30th Anniversary Panel (via Collider), Disney+ revealed that it will be releasing a fully restored version of The Muppets Christmas Carol. The new version will be released on Disney+ on December 11, and include a brand-new song which was cut from the theatrical version of the movie, titled "When Love is Gone." At the time of writing, it's unknown whether the restored version will stream in 4K, or in a lower quality.
The song was cut from the original The Muppets Christmas Carol version by former Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who thought it would be too dull for kids. It was deemed a baffling decision at the time, because the cut song fed into the movie's last scene, where Scrooge sang "When Love is Found" alongside The Muppets. Audiences will now be able to see Brian Henson's original vision of The Muppets Christmas Carol with the restoration streaming just in time for the holiday season.
Source: Collider