Disney will bring back a long-lost song to The Muppet Christmas Carol, fixing a 30-year-old mistake and adding some joy for fans for the holidays. The news was recently revealed by director Brian Henson, son of the legendary Muppet creator, Jim Henson. The song, "When Love Is Gone," is seen when the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge (Michael Caine) his younger self with Belle (Meredith Braun), his former fiancée, who sings the song to him.
It's a melancholic and sad scene, made even more emotional when seen through the POV of the older Scrooge as he looks back at his lost true love. It's also an important part of Scrooge's backstory, showing why he turned bitter and without an ounce of Christmas spirit. The song was originally seen in the VHS version of The Muppet Christmas Carol, but then cut for the cinematic release, after which the video master and negative were somehow lost.
Why Disney Cut "When Love Is Gone" From The Muppet Christmas Carol
A somewhat controversial choice for fans, "When Love Was Gone" was originally cut for the movie release of The Muppet Christmas Carol because Disney felt it was too mature and sad for young viewers. In particular, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg said he thought the song was too "sophisticated emotionally," and Brian Henson also mentioned that it was also cut for time. But after the scene was cut, it somehow became lost, much to Henson's disappointment.
Despite this, Henson never gave up hope that it would one day be found, mentioning that he called "like every month to ask if they’re still looking." The director's wishing and hoping finally came to an end in 2020 when he received a call letting him know that The Muppet Christmas Carol was to receive a 4K remaster and that he should check it out, along with an extra reel of footage to review. To his complete surprise, this reel included the lost song, and the complete, restored classic Muppet movie is now nearly ready for streaming on Disney+.
Why "When Love Is Gone" Is So Important In The Muppet Christmas Carol
Other than delivering an emotional gut punch for viewers, full of Caine's teary heartbreak and regret, the missing "When Love Is Gone" is also important to understand just why Scrooge turned out the way he did in The Muppet Christmas Carol. As Belle sings the song, the audience learns that they separated because Scrooge was too involved in his work and is no longer the man she once knew, and so their love is gone.
Understanding that his bitterness is not without cause makes his character more sympathetic and likable in The Muppet Christmas Carol adaptation and allows for more of a redemption arc when the audience sees him come full circle to find happiness again by the movie's end. This finale provides perhaps an even more obvious reason why "When Love Is Gone" should have never been cut in the first place since the story wraps up with the song, "When Love Is Found/It Feels Like Christmas," showing that the two tunes were always intended to be bookends to Scrooge's story.
As sad as it is, it only makes sense that "When Love Is Gone" should return to the movie. After such a long search to find it and Henson's jubilation after its discovery to it finally finding its way back to its rightful place 30 years later, there is no doubt that watching The Muppet Christmas Carol will be a bit sweeter for people this year. Viewers who remember the song from childhood VHS rewatches can rest easy knowing it's now back to stay.