I spent two weeks working with the Muppets!

Holly Crawford goes behind the scenes of the much-loved film The Muppet Christmas Carol”.

 

WHILE the original story of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" didn't feature a singing and dancing amphibian, a furry blue narrator or a talking rat, the 1992 film version did, thanks to Jim Henson Productions and Disney.

In this version, the hard-working Bob Cratchit is played by Kermit The Frog, while his wife is portrayed by Miss Piggy.

Dickens, our narrator, is the Great Gonzo, while his companion, Rizzo the Rat, appears as himself.

A host of other Muppets make appearances, and a handful of human actors round out the cast.

My parents took me to see the film when it was released in 1992.

I remember emerging into the frosty December air mesmerised, as any seven-year-old would be.

After all, the film was scary one minute and hilarious the next.

I still laugh every time Rizzo has his tail set alight by a distracted Dickens.

"Light the lamp, not the rat!" he screams, before being shoved into a bucket of freezing water.

If you fail to be touched by the sight of Tiny Tim, who in this version is depicted as a poorly baby frog, then perhaps you could benefit from a visit by the three spirits as well! Audiences want to hear the film's heartwarming messages of forgiveness and redemption again and again, meaning the film is as popular today as ever.