Movies You Missed: 'The Muppet Christmas Carol'

Listener Audrey Wang watched The Muppet Christmas Carol for the first time this week. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with her about what she thought of it.

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It's time for Movies You Missed, where we ask friends, colleagues and listeners to watch classic films they just somehow never got around to seeing. Last week, it was "It's A Wonderful Life." This week, since 'tis still the season, "A Christmas Carol."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

DAVE GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) Hello.

SIMON: But not quite as Charles Dickens wrote it.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) Welcome to "The Muppet Christmas Carol." I am here to tell the story.

STEVE WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) And I am here for the food.

GOELZ: (As The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens) My name is Charles Dickens.

WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) And my name is Rizzo the Rat.

SIMON: How did Dickens lose his British accent?

Ebenezer Scrooge, the character whose last name has become a synonym for being stingy and cold, is played by Michael Caine. Scrooge, of course, is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, future and discovers the true meaning of - eh, come on, you know.

Audrey Wang had never seen "The Muppets Christmas Carol" (ph) - until now. She lives in New York City, works in communications and joins us from our studios at NPR New York. Thanks so much for being with us.

AUDREY WANG: Thanks for having me.

SIMON: So how did you ever miss this film?

WANG: Well, basically, in '91, when I was 8 years old, my family and I moved to the States from Taiwan. So we had American culture in Taiwan - you know, "Knight Rider," "MacGyver," "ALF" - but missed the...

SIMON: Oh, all the classics, yeah.

WANG: Right, exactly, all the '80s hits. But when I came to the States, I didn't know English. And I call the years of '91 through maybe '93 a cultural black hole in which I just had to go back and revisit - as I did yesterday - certain cultural touchstones.

SIMON: And this includes the Muppets.

WANG: Yes.

SIMON: "The Muppets Christmas Carol."

WANG: Yes.

SIMON: So you've seen the film, thankfully. And?

WANG: I thought it was very charming, you know. I think maybe people have certain nostalgia with "Sesame Street" or Muppets or this movie in particular that I don't have. So it's very cute. I love musicals, so that wasn't a detraction. It's a very charming movie. I can see why people would like it.

SIMON: Let's ask our producers - can we hear a little singing, Sami (ph)?

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

JERRY NELSON: (As Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim, singing) Life is full of sweet surprises. Every day's a gift. The sun comes up, and I can feel it lift my spirit - fills me up with laughter, fills me up with song. I look into the eyes of love and know that I belong.

SIMON: I'm getting goose flesh.

WANG: Yeah, I feel nothing (laughter).

SIMON: What? You feel nothing?

WANG: Yeah, I feel nothing (laughter). I'm not dead inside. I do love Christmas and holiday movies. But this isn't - maybe because I don't have the connection with Muppets or "Sesame Street" - you know, they weren't part of my childhood. So I do not - it's cute, but...

SIMON: Well - but I bet you knew who Michael Caine was before this film. What did you think of his Scrooge?

WANG: Good. I mean, I don't know how I would - I mean, I'm not an actor or an actress. So I'm not sure how I would handle being in a room with people with puppets on their hands crawling around and...

SIMON: (Laughter).

WANG: ...You know, navigating it. So I loved his Scrooge, you know - very serious, very, you know, wicked. And he gets redeemed at the end and buys geese for Muppets. It's - I believed in his Scrooge.

SIMON: You know, every actor we've ever interviewed who has acted with the Muppets have said inside of a few minutes, half a scene, you believe.

WANG: I can see that. I believed, you know, Muppets and humans populated this world. I can see that (laughter).

SIMON: Yeah. I still think they do. Now, may I tell you one of my favorite lines?

WANG: Yes.

SIMON: OK. So Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit says - (imitating Kermit) please, Mr. Scrooge, it's gotten colder...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As Rat Bookkeeper #1) Yeah.

NELSON: (As Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit) And the bookkeeping staff would like to have an extra shovel full of coal for the fire.

SIMON: Another bookkeeper says...

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As Rat Bookkeeper #2) All of our pens have turned to inksicles (ph). Now our assets are frozen.

SIMON: (Laughter).

WANG: That's a pretty good Kermit. I'll buy your Kermit.

SIMON: Yeah? Thank you. Thank you.

Well, did you have a favorite line or scene?

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) Christmas apples.

GOELZ: (As Gonzo the Great as Charles Dickens) We've got McIntosh, Red Delicious...

WANG: I liked in the beginning when Rizzo the Rat is eating an apple.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

GOELZ: (As Gonzo the Great as Charles Dickens) They won't last long the way you're eating them.

WHITMIRE: (As Rizzo the Rat) Hey, I'm creating scarcity - drives the prices up.

GOELZ: (As Gonzo the Great as Charles Dickens) Rizzo.

SIMON: (Laughter).

WANG: So I kind of enjoyed that part. I thought it was very clever.

SIMON: Yeah.

WANG: And I think if you're an adult, maybe there's parts of that that you can catch in the film, which may be in the Pixar-related world we're so aware of these days. But I liked that part.

SIMON: Has seeing the movie made you feel a little differently about this holiday?

WANG: I think it was a good start to, you know, the idea of snow and vacation and maybe Christmas cheer or holiday cheer.

SIMON: I mean, the message seems to be our hearts thaw in this holiday season.

WANG: Sure. I think that would be a good thing to feel all year-round as opposed to, you know, over two weeks. But I think that is the message that most people feel with family and, you know, realizing the wrongs and going into a new year with a better start.

SIMON: Well, I have that goose flesh again.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

NELSON: (As Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim) Bless us all who gather here...

SIMON: Audrey Wang, thanks so much for joining us on Movies You Missed: "Muppets Christmas Carol" (ph).

WANG: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL")

WHITMIRE AND NELSON: (As Kermit the Frog and Robin the Frog as Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, singing) No place on earth compares with home. And every path will bring me back from where I roam. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.