Drawn from the almost-forgotten tradition of telling ghost stories around the Yule Log, Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is a story that you just can’t have Christmas without. And what better way to enjoy it than with muppets?

And Michael Caine?

Michael Caine and muppets are two of the greatest things in the world, so it makes sense that “The Muppet Christmas Carol” is one of the greatest movies of all time. YES. OF ALL TIME. I am not exaggerating thing at all, and if you go watch it, I think you will see what I’m talking about.

Gonzo plays the author, and Caine is, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge. Kermit the Frog is perfectly cast as Bob Cratchit, with Miss Piggy as his wife. While Scrooge and a few other pivotal characters are human, all of the peripheral characters are muppets. And while the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come are not muppets, the Ghost of Christmas Present is recognizably so (and specially designed for the movie).

And the story is remarkably faithful to the original; they may be puppets, but they don’t screw around. I hesitate to say that it’s a great way to introduce kids to the story, because that might sound like it’s not a good way for adults to enjoy the story. It is. It’s great for everyone. Kids, adults, teenagers, tweenagers, geriatric people, and possibly muppets.

It might be a bit dark for children, I suppose, although I was told the story at a young age and turned out PERFECTLY FINE. Obviously. The message is a good one: be nice to other people during your lifetime, or else a bunch of Christmas ghosts will show you your own past and then your future, in which you will be mourned by no one and servants will steal clothes off of your dead body.

It’s a wonderful, funny, heartwarming story, and the muppets really do it justice. Though Jim Henson died before it was made, his son Brian took the reins and Steve Whitmire took over puppeteering for Kermit the Frog. Everyone did a wonderful job, and they should all be proud. Particularly Michael Caine, who still maintains his gravitas while acting with muppets.

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