One of the most beloved Christmas films of all time, but also one of the most underrated, The Muppet Christmas Carol was first released in 1992 and featured everyone's favorite puppets, The Muppets, putting their own spin on the beloved tale of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Surprisingly faithful in its retelling of the Dickens classic, the film is widely regarded as one of the best adaptations of all.
It's also far and away one of the best Muppet films ever produced, and one of the franchise's sweetest films, too. In its depiction of relationships between the Cratchit family members, best friends Rizzo the Rat and Gonzo, and even in Scrooge's own character, The Muppet Christmas Carol never shies away from exploring the sweeter side of the season. We're taking a look back at the film's ten sweetest scenes.
"It Feels Like Christmas"
The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come play major roles in the story of The Muppet Christmas Carol, but the most beloved and jolly of them all is the Santa-like Ghost of Christmas Present. From the moment he enters the film, everything is lighter and brighter, and it's not exemplified anywhere better than in his introductory song.
As the Ghost of Christmas Present guides Scrooge through the streets of London, he leads the entire group of townsfolk in the rousing song "It Feels Like Christmas," which includes touching lyrics such as "It's in the giving of a gift to another, a pair of mittens that were made by your mother. It's all the ways that we show love that feel like Christmas."
Bob and Tiny Tim scat on the way home
The story of A Christmas Carol may be Ebenezer Scrooge's story, but the Cratchit family is just as important to its overall message. In the world of The Muppet Christmas Carol, the Cratchits are embodied by beloved Muppets like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Robin.
One of the first scenes we get to see of the family interacting together also happens to be one of the film's sweetest moments. As Bob Cratchit (Kermit) and Tiny Tim (Robin) head home from church at the end of the day, they engage in some jovial scatting and singing, while Bob lovingly carries the young Tiny Tim on his shoulder.
"When Love Is Gone"
Though it's a scene often removed from many of the home releases of the film, the bittersweet breakup song "When Love Is Gone" remains one of the most poignant, pivotal, and beloved scenes in the entire film. The cut song finds Scrooge's former fiancee, Belle, explaining to him how the love has gone out of their relationship.
As heartbreaking as the song itself is, a real moment of growth for Scrooge's character occurs in it, as the elder Scrooge, now weeping, joins in the song with Belle from afar. It's sweet in its bittersweetness, and it's capped perfectly by Gonzo consoling a weeping Rizzo on the sidelines.
Rizzo hugs Gonzo after he's hit by the door
The beloved comedic Muppet duo of Rizzo the Rat and Gonzo serve as the narrator figures for the entire film The Muppet Christmas Carol. When they're not on narrator duty, these two also get to share some of the film's sweetest moments, no matter how brief they might be. These best buddies often lapse into their familiar rhythms, even though Gonzo is meant to be playing Charles Dickens.
When Rizzo and Gonzo attempt to sneak into Scrooge's home, Gonzo has the door abruptly shut in his face, squishing his prominent nose. Always the supportive best friend, Rizzo quickly scurries over and hugs Gonzo, patting his chest reassuringly as he recovers from the nose squish.
Bean Bunny is a remarkable lad
Despite his undeniable cuteness, the tiny Bean Bunny often serves as a punching bag in many Muppet movies. But perhaps the worst treatment he receives comes in the first act of The Muppet Christmas Carol, which finds him verbally and physically abused by Scrooge, then sleeping among garbage on the freezing streets.
In the film's final act, however, Bean Bunny is given a hero's welcome. When Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning a changed man, Bean is the first character he encounters, and whom he assigns the task of purchasing the goose for Christmas with the Cratchits. What truly makes the moment is Scrooge calling Bean "an intelligent lad, a remarkable lad," which leads to an adorably bashful response from the Bunny.
Scrooge gives the mice family cheese
One of the sweetest moments in the entire movie comes as a result of the film's tiniest characters. Glimpsed early in the film in the songs "Scrooge" and "It Feels Like Christmas," a poor mouse family lives in a hole in the wall of one of the buildings near Scrooge's offices. They lament in the first song "Scrooge" that conditions are "even worse for mouses," and that there are "no cheeses for us meeces."
A now redeemed Scrooge decides to fix these problems, gifting the family in the film's final montage with a large block of cheese wrapped in a beautiful red ribbon. The cheese is larger than most of the mice in the family combined, ensuring that they will be well-fed for the foreseeable future.
"Bless Us All"
Tiny Tim has always been seen as the metaphorical soul of A Christmas Carol, a kind-hearted young boy who always sees the good in life despite his own ailments and fragility. The Muppet Christmas Carol perfectly embodies his innate goodness as the Cratchit family sits down for Christmas Eve dinner, and Tiny Tim leads them in song.
The song, "Bless Us All," is one of the film's most touching songs in a soundtrack truly packed with moving melodies. But it's Tiny Tim's selfless messages of prayer and compassion that elevate this song above the rest: "Bless us all with playful years, with noisy games and joyful tears. We reach for you and we stand tall. And in our prayers and dreams, we ask you bless us all."
Scrooge makes amends for his ways
Over the course of the entire tale of The Muppet Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge learns how to see the error of his ways, and what will happen if he doesn't change who he is. But it's the moments when Scrooge finally begins to change on Christmas morning, proving that he truly took his lessons to heart, which represent his greatest moments of growth and kindness.
On Christmas day, Scrooge travels with almost all the townsfolk to the Cratchit home, bringing a lavish feast and the promise of a generous raise to his hardest working employee, Bob Cratchit. The moment when he sits down to the feast, with the selfless Tiny Tim at his side, truly says it all.
Rizzo kisses Gonzo's nose
We've already talked about the sweetness that is displayed between best friends Rizzo and Gonzo in this film. But it turns out, these two take their displays of comfort and affection for each other to a whole new level in a truly blink-and-miss-it moment after a playful argument.
After Gonzo expresses frustration with Rizzo's flighty ways for one of only many, many times in the film, Rizzo leans in and kisses an unsuspecting Gonzo right on the tip of his nose. It's a sweet touch that not only strengthens the film's depiction of their relationship, but also highlights just how deep their bond goes.
Beaker gives Scrooge his scarf
The entire crux of A Christmas Carol might be the reeducation of Ebenezer Scrooge and the redemption of his soul, and that's definitely what the final act of The Muppet Christmas Carol conveys. But no moment in the film reflects it more succinctly, more meaningfully, or more emotionally than the moment shared between Scrooge and Beaker.
After screaming Beaker and Bunsen out of his offices earlier in the film, Scrooge apologizes for his ways and pledges a generous donation for their cause. Touched by the gesture, Beaker offers Scrooge a gift - his own plush red scarf - which truly touches Scrooge more than anything else ever has.