This retelling of Charles Dickens' novella starring your favorite muppets in supporting roles has become a Christmas classic in its own right. Michael Caine is perfect as Scrooge, and his chemistry with the muppets in tow are an amazing match. The movie is legitimately funny, spooky or touching all at the right moments—it's one of those rare films that hits the right note every single second. There doesn't seem to be any pattern with the intermixing of humans and muppets, but regardless, it works just fine without any distractions. Perhaps the strongest point of all is the musical numbers composed by Miles Goodman and written by Paul Williams.

**** (out of four)

Having seen previous Muppet offerings that were, frankly, banal this little gem almost escaped me. This film is best enjoyed if you already know the Dickens tale inside out so that you can relish the way it has been adapted to fit well-known Muppet characters and also so that you can spend you time watching for the throwaway comedy in the background. This is the same throwaway humour that Nick Park (Chicken Run) has become famous for. I recommend buying this movie on video and getting it out once a year, in the run-up to Christmas, as a family tradition.

SOMEONE NEEDS TO DUST OFF THOSE PUPPETS! THE GRIME IS MAKIN' MA EYES WATER! Dickens and Muppets are such a great combo; the biting dialogue, meta-textual storytelling, the mixture of heart and humor. The best Christmas Carol film adaptation ever. Deal with it.