SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
I will be honest about one reaction I had to the new "Nosferatu" movie. It was a little hard to take seriously - not because of anything in the film itself. It's because the characters were all wearing top hats and tail coats and walking around the narrow, grimy cobbled streets of a 19th century European city, and all I could think about was "The Muppet Christmas Carol."
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")
DAVE GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) My name is Charles Dickens.
STEVE WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) And my name is Rizzo the Rat. Hey, wait a second. You're not Charles Dickens.
GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) I am too.
WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) No, a blue, furry Charles Dickens who hangs out with a rat?
DETROW: All month, we have been hearing about various ALL THINGS CONSIDERED staffers' favorite Christmas movies. Well, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is mine. Why? Well, to start, there's Gonzo, who's not only playing the role of Charles Dickens but narrating this absurd Muppetscape (ph), while also somehow sticking in many parts word for word to Dickens' original text.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")
GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) The Marleys were dead to begin with.
WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) Oh, pardon me?
GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) That's how the story begins, Rizzo. The Marleys were dead to begin with - as dead as a doornail.
DETROW: There's also the fact that this was the very first Muppet film to be made after Jim Henson's death. There's something to be said for that leap of faith it took to make the movie. And then there's - and I'm tempted to do an impression here, but we all know how it would come up short. There's Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")
MICHAEL CAINE: (As Scrooge) Let us deal with the eviction notices for tomorrow, Mr. Cratchit.
WHITMIRE: (As Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit) Tomorrow's Christmas, sir.
CAINE: (As Scrooge) Very well - you may gift wrap them.
DETROW: Caine plays the key role of the human main character who is inexplicably surrounded by felt animals. As is often noted on social media during the holiday season, the two-time Oscar winner took the role seriously. As Director Brian Henson once told The Guardian, Caine told him, quote, "I am going to play this movie like I'm working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink. I will never do anything Muppety (ph)." Finally, there is the broader fact that "A Christmas Carol," whether it's the Muppets or Mickey Mouse and his friends or any other adaptation of the work, is the original Christmas tale - well, other than, you know, the actual one from the Bible. I will be watching it Christmas Eve with my family, and while I likely won't march through the streets singing like Caine does...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THANKFUL HEART")
CAINE: (As Scrooge, singing) Every girl and boy will be nephew and niece to me.
DETROW: ...I hope it'll leave me just a little warmer and friendlier to everyone I come across. That's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED for this Sunday. Thanks for listening. Enjoy the holidays. We'll talk to you again soon.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THANKFUL HEART")
CAINE: (As Scrooge, singing) And every day will start with a grateful prayer and a thankful heart. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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