Sfdebris.net

I think it's safe to say that A Muppet Christmas Carol is the seen as the overall best adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens' novel. Just about everyone knows this version of the story and even those who don't like it agree that it's a very faithful adaptation of the classic story.

But as is inevitable in any adaptation there are changes and for the most part they're positive changes. So, what changes are some of your favorite in this film, what alterations to the story do you like that you feel either improved the story or at least were interesting as a different take on a classic story.

For me one change that I like as it made an already creepy moment all the more disturbing which is the Marley Brother. Statler and Waldorf are often there just to hackle and spend most of their time just annoying the rest of the Muppets. But here they come off as completely and unrepresented evil who take joy at the pain and misery they inflicted on others. The only time they show regret is when the shutter at evicted an entire orphanage... AFTER they laughed about doing so.

This almost makes it come off that the reason they're here is because something is forcing them to tell Scrooge how he needs to change. That this is just them getting a brief moment to get out of Hell but once they've finished their warning they're dragged back to Hell, literally. And they use this time to torment and intimate Scrooge as much as possible.

In most adaptations and the original novel Marley is presented as a broken man who regrets his evil deeds and is now unable to change and is using this chance to warn Scrooge because it might lighten his chains and because he doesn't want the closest person he had to a friend suffer this fate.

So I like that the Marley's are presented as just terrible people with no real redeeming qualities and it was a fun chance to give Statler and Waldorf a different sort of role compared to their usual hackling selves.

There are other moments but it's Christmas and I want to spend more time with my family, let me know what's your favorite changes in this film and why you love these changes.

Thank You all and Marry Christmas.

Making the narrator a character by just blatantly saying he's the one telling the story does wonders for the pacing and makes including all the best prose feel natural. It's a shame more adaptations of more things don't imitate it.

I like how they have Gonzo and Rizzo peace out once the Ghost of Christmas future show up to be effective to show how the tone change.

Statler and Waldorf own that role so entirely that since then I've found it hard to remember that there really was just the one Marley originally.