The Muppets Do Dickens

‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ underwhelmed at the box office when it was first released on 11th December, 1992 - but found its audience on video and DVD in the decades later, becoming a gold-plated Christmas classic, re-watched by families, year after year. There was darkness behind the scenes - from the sudden death of Muppets creator Jim Henson, to the legal wrangling over Disney’s acquisition deal for his company, and composer Paul Williams’s return from a difficult decade of addiction. But, despite this, or, perhaps, because of it, 28 year-old first-time director Brian Henson delivered a faithful and enduring adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how Steve Whitmire shouldered the daunting job of playing Kermit for the first time; consider Michael Caine’s masterstroke performance as Scrooge (‘as if playing opposite the Royal Shakespeare Company’); and reveal how Jerry Juhl’s script shifted from comedy pastiche to heartfelt musical… Further Reading: • ‘‘You’ll never see Michael Caine blink’: An oral history of The Muppet Christmas Carol at 30’ (The Independent, 2022): https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-muppet-christmas-carol-brian-henson-b2243015.html • ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol movie review’ (Roger Ebert, 1992): https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-muppet-christmas-carol-1992 • ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol Trailer #1’ (Disney, 1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNo-Q0IDJi0 #90s #Film #Christmas #Heartwarming Thanks so much for supporting the show! We massively appreciate it. The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Edit producer: Ollie Peart Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices