It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) (TV)

Director:

Kirk R. Thatcher

Writers (WGA):

Tom Martin (written by) and
Jim Lewis (written by)

Release Date:

29 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

More holiday fun then humanly possible!

Plot:

On Christmas Eve, an angel petitions God to send help for Kermit the Frog who has lost all hope after losing the Muppet Theatre.

Plot Keywords:

The Muppets | Christmas | Angel | Theater | Theatrical Show

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Steve Whitmire	...	Kermit / Rizzo the Rat / Beaker / Bean Bunny / Mr. Poodlepants / Statler (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	The Great Gonzo / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Waldorf
Bill Barretta	...	Pepe the Prawn / Dr. Teeth / Rowlf the Dog / Swedish Chef / Johnny Fiama / Bobo the Bear / Howard / Lew Zealand
Eric Jacobson	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Yoda
David Arquette	...	Daniel
Joan Cusack	...	Rachel Bitterman
Matthew Lillard	...	Luc Fromage
William H. Macy	...	Glenn
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Daniel's 'Boss'
Carson Daly	...	Himself - Cameo Appearance
Kelly Ripa	...	Herself
Joe Rogan	...	Himself - Cameo Appearance
Molly Shannon	...	Herself - Cameo Appearance
Robert Smigel	...	Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (voice) (as Triumph The Insult Dog)
Zach Braff	...	Dr. John 'J.D.' Dorian

Also Known As:

Das größte Muppet Weihnachtsspektakel aller Zeiten (Germany) [de]
Joyeux muppet show de Noël (France) (DVD title) [fr]
O Natal dos Muppets (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

100 min | Netherlands:85 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:G | Netherlands:6 | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Lion's Gate Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Trivia:

'Jerry Nelson' was sick during the production of this film so his characters were either dubbed later (Robin, Statler, Pops) or performed by another puppeteer ('Bill Barretta' performs Lew Zealand).

Goofs:

Continuity: Kermit's hand shifts on and off the back of the bench between shots during Gonzo's song in the alternate universe

Quotes:

Kermit: The park! It's back! I'm back! And I've got spit in my eye, but I don't care, because I'm back, thanks to you, Daniel!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs "Crocodile Hunter" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Lacrimosa

A Ridiculous Muppet Christmas Indeed

I think that the people who made this film had the people who grew up with the Muppets (people in their 20's and 30's) in mind. But that's the problem. We watch the Muppet movies to "escape" from the crap that other movies dish out, not wanting to see a movie that celebrates it. Basically, instead of using a plot, the movie tries too hard to use "pop cultural references" (such as referring to Britney Spears, or Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) and also uses inappropriate characters and situations (such as using seemingly gay characters; a rave scene where they have Scooter dancing as a cage dancer in a club, the Shrimp, Pepe, even using the word "sexy", etc.) It's not that we viewers can't "handle" more mature and modern Muppets, it's just that we don't want to. And I don't think parents want their kids to watch this. I just think this kind of stuff would confuse them. Plus the violence, although mild and cartoonish, is unnecessary. They have characters who say "let's go beat up" Fozzie, and fight scenes between humans and Muppets, and Muppets and Muppets, that are uncalled for, and not humorous at all. Bizarrely enough, the humans in this movie (except for one) all have these bizarrely happy smiles on their faces, and don't talk. It's just weird. It's almost like the Muppets are acting worse off than the innocent-looking humans. This movie just failed with me. I was upset how the people who wrote this tried to "sell out" and break something that don't need to be fixed. I will never watch this again, and I would not want to let kids see it. The Muppets have little personality in this, and any plot is substituted with references to other movies, as if the Muppets don't have any worth of their own. Which they should.