Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media , the topic first appeared in literature and in music . Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptations of Christmas novels , in the forms of Christmas films , Santa Claus films , and Christmas television specials .
129-465: The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 American Christmas musical film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut), adapted from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens . Although artistic license is taken to suit the aesthetic of the Muppets, the film otherwise follows Dickens' original story closely. It is the fourth theatrical film featuring the Muppets , with
258-635: A Bachelor of Science degree in home economics . Henson began working at WTOP-TV (now WUSA-TV) in the late spring of 1954, at age 17, hired to "manipulate marionettes" on a Saturday morning children's show called The Junior Morning Show , until the show was cancelled only three weeks later. This first break into the Television industry was short-lived, but his talent landed him and his puppets an opportunity to continue working at WTOP-TV, lip-syncing on Roy Meachum's Saturday show. Henson's employment at WTOP-TV lasted only until August, when Saturday
387-457: A Christmas parade at Walt Disney World Resort and along with its sister cable network, ESPN (since they jointly acquired broadcast rights to the league in 2002), NBA games featuring some of the league's best teams and players, broadcasting a doubleheader (or as many as five games between the two networks in certain years); the NBA's Christmas Day games are notable as they historically serve as
516-626: A backdrop for the film (though the films themselves are often filmed in British Columbia due to favorable film tax benefits). As of 2020 The Grinch is the highest grossing Christmas film of all time. Green Book was the last movie with a Christmas setting to win the Academy Award for Best Picture . Before 1962, when Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol premiered, true Christmas specials made for TV were either adaptations of stories such as A Christmas Carol (with live actors), or
645-410: A big city person has to go to a small town, in either case deciding that the small town is where they should remain. A main character will also have a Christmas-sounding name (such as "Holly") and/or the small town will (such as "Christmas Valley"). The settings are usually in the northern United States, or in a mountain area (such as Colorado), where snow (and the ensuing "White Christmas") are used as
774-521: A cannon, struck in the head with a hammer or baseball bat, or have a pie thrown in his face. The Jim Henson Company has posted a short selection of them. Henson later explained, "Till then, advertising agencies believed that the hard sell was the only way to get their message over on television. We took a very different approach. We tried to sell things by making people laugh." The first seven-second commercials for Wilkins were an immediate hit and were later remade for other local coffee companies throughout
903-1105: A disabled beggar boy living with his (presumably) widowed mother in the Holy Land. They are visited by the Three Wise Men who are on their way to see the Christ Child, and when Amahl offers his crutch as a gift, he is miraculously cured. In 1978, it returned to television, with less success. TV programmes which have had special Christmas episodes in the United Kingdom include Top of the Pops (from 1960s-2006), Morecambe and Wise (1970s), The Two Ronnies (1980s), Stars in Their Eyes , Only Fools and Horses (both 1990s), and more recently, Doctor Who , Top Gear (both 2000s), Downton Abbey (2010s) and The Repair Shop (2020s). The 1982 animated tale The Snowman has been screened for many years during
1032-480: A false but widespread rumor that Henson had died of AIDS — a rumor that was swiftly and directly refuted by Gelmont. Frank Oz believed the stress of negotiating with Disney contributed to Henson's death, stating in a 2021 interview: "The Disney deal is probably what killed Jim. It made him sick." His remains were cremated , and in 1992, his ashes were scattered near Taos, New Mexico . News of Henson's death spread quickly and admirers of his work responded from around
1161-474: A hospital. Two hours later, Henson agreed to be taken by taxi to the emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan . Shortly after admission, he stopped breathing and was rushed into the intensive care unit. X-ray images of his chest revealed multiple abscesses in both of his lungs as a result of a previous Streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat) bacterial infection he had apparently had for
1290-517: A loaf. In 1969, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney and her staff at the Children's Television Workshop were impressed by the quality and creativity of the Henson-led team, so they asked Henson and staff to work full-time on Sesame Street , a children's program for public television that premiered on National Educational Television on November 10, 1969. Part of the show was set aside for
1419-480: A lot more of my time on the creative side of things" with Disney handling business matters. By 1990, he had completed production on the television special The Muppets at Walt Disney World and the Disney-MGM Studios attraction Muppet*Vision 3D and he was developing film ideas and a television series entitled Muppet High . Henson and fellow puppeteer Jane Nebel were married on May 28, 1959, in
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#17327724446211548-585: A medley of Henson's favorite songs in their characters' voices, ending with a performance of "Just One Person" while performing their Muppets. In accordance with Henson's wishes, no one in attendance wore black, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band finished the service by performing " When the Saints Go Marching In ". The funeral was described by Life as "an epic and almost unbearably moving event". The Jim Henson Company and
1677-436: A pair of jeans forming the sleeve for the puppeteer's arm. Though Henson told people that "Muppet" was a portmanteau of " marionette " and " Puppet ", many early Muppets were actually hand puppets , rod puppets , or some combination of the two. Direct control over the puppet's mouth, in combination with the softer construction materials, allowed the puppeteer to express a wider range of emotions and to more accurately move
1806-437: A part of it, but he ultimately concluded that "what we were trying to do and what his writers could write for it never gelled". The SNL writers were not comfortable writing for the characters, and they frequently disparaged Henson's creations. Michael O'Donoghue quipped, "I won't write for felt." Henson began developing a Broadway show and a weekly television series both featuring the Muppets. The American networks rejected
1935-751: A performing partnership that lasted until Henson's death; their teamwork is particularly evident in their portrayals of Bert and Ernie , Kermit and Miss Piggy , and Kermit and Fozzie Bear . In New York City, Henson formed a partnership with Bernie Brillstein , who managed Henson's career until the puppeteer's death. In the years that followed, more performers joined Henson's team, including Jerry Nelson , Richard Hunt , Dave Goelz , Steve Whitmire , Fran Brill , and Kevin Clash . In 1964 he and his family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut , where they lived until 1971, when they moved to Bedford, New York . Henson's talk show appearances culminated when he devised Rowlf ,
2064-461: A person who has "lost the Christmas spirit" and through "Christmas magic" regains it (commonly by a romantic encounter; frequently one of the two in the romance is a single parent or has lost someone special around a prior Christmas season). Another theme plays on the "big city-small town" dynamic, whereby a lead character has either left a small hometown for the big city (and has had to return), or
2193-437: A piano-playing anthropomorphic dog that became the first Muppet to make regular appearances on The Jimmy Dean Show . Henson was so grateful for this break that he offered Jimmy Dean a 40-percent interest in his production company, but Dean declined, stating that Henson deserved all the rewards for his own work, a decision of conscience that Dean never regretted. From 1963 to 1966, Henson began exploring filmmaking and produced
2322-473: A puppet film," but derided Paul Williams's songs as unmemorable. Likewise, Variety praised the production design and criticized Williams's songs, writing Muppets Christmas Carol is "not as enchanting or amusing as the previous entries in the Muppet series. But nothing can really diminish the late Jim Henson 's irresistibly appealing characters." Giving the film three stars out of five, Almar Haflidason of
2451-537: A screenplay written by Jerry Juhl . It stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge alongside Muppet performers Dave Goelz , Steve Whitmire , Jerry Nelson , and Frank Oz . It is the first Muppet film to be produced following the deaths of creator Jim Henson and performer Richard Hunt ; the film is dedicated to both. The film was released in the United States on December 11, 1992, by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution under its Walt Disney Pictures label. It
2580-852: A series of experimental films. His nine-minute experimental film Time Piece was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1965. He produced The Cube in 1969. Around this time, he wrote the first drafts of a live-action movie script with Jerry Juhl which became Tale of Sand . The script remained in the Henson Company archives until it was adapted in the 2012 graphic novel Jim Henson's Tale of Sand . During this time, Henson continued to work with various companies who sought out his Muppets for advertising purposes. Among his clients were Wilson Meats , Royal Crown Cola , Claussen's Bread, La Choy , and Frito-Lay , which featured an early version of his character Cookie Monster to promote their Munchos line of potato snacks. Like
2709-507: A series of funny, colorful puppet characters living on Sesame Street, including Grover , Cookie Monster , Bert and Ernie , Oscar the Grouch , and Big Bird . Henson performed the characters of Ernie, game-show host Guy Smiley , and Kermit, who appeared as a roving television news reporter. Henson's Muppets initially appeared separately from the realistic segments on the Street, but the show
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#17327724446212838-525: A short-form comedy television program on WRC-TV , while he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park , in collaboration with fellow student Jane Nebel . Henson and Nebel co-founded Muppets, Inc. – now The Jim Henson Company – in 1958, and married less than a year later in 1959. Henson graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics. In 1969, Henson joined
2967-469: A small ceremony at Jane's family home. They had five children: Lisa (b. 1960), Cheryl (b. 1961), Brian (b. 1963), John (1965–2014), and Heather Henson (b. 1970). Henson and his wife separated in 1986, although they remained close for the rest of his life. Jane said that Henson was so involved with his work that he had very little time to spend with her or their children. His children began working with Muppets at an early age, partly because "one of
3096-409: A song that he had debuted on The Muppet Show , as each member of the congregation waved a brightly colored foam butterfly attached to a puppet performer's rod. Later, Big Bird (performed by Caroll Spinney ) walked onto the stage and sang Kermit's signature song " Bein' Green " while fighting back tears. Dave Goelz , Frank Oz, Kevin Clash , Steve Whitmire , Jerry Nelson , and Richard Hunt sang
3225-483: A straight-faced, remarkably convincing performance as the notorious tightwad Ebenezer Scrooge while surrounded by pint-sized veteran scene-stealers", though she did write that "the songs by Paul Williams tend to sound exactly alike." Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times said that "die-hard Muppet fans may get a boost from the film but Dickens lovers will fare less well. Somewhere along the way—'round about
3354-550: A television release. The English actors David Hemmings , Ron Moody , and David Warner and the American comedian George Carlin were considered to portray Ebenezer Scrooge. Henson later offered the role to Michael Caine , who replied: "I'm going to play this movie like I'm working with the Royal Shakespeare Company . I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it
3483-801: A variety of prominent characters, notably Miss Piggy , Gonzo the Great , and Fozzie Bear , in addition to its large cast of supporting characters such as the Muppet musicians Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem with their chaotic drummer Animal . Henson's teammates sometimes compared his role to that of Kermit: a shy, gentle boss with "a whim of steel" who ran things like "an explosion in a mattress factory." Caroll Spinney , who performed as Big Bird , remembered that Henson would never say he did not like something. "He would just go 'Hmm.' ... And if he liked it, he would say, 'Lovely!'" Henson recognized Kermit as an alter ego, though he thought that Kermit
3612-497: A young woman named Belle, with whom he falls in love but loses as he chooses money more over her. Seeing this, a tearful Scrooge tells the Ghost to leave him and is returned to his home. Scrooge next meets the gigantic, merry Ghost of Christmas Present , who shows him the joys and wonder of Christmas Day. Scrooge and the Ghost visit Fred's house, where Scrooge is made fun of for his stinginess and general ill will toward all. Scrooge and
3741-598: Is Christmas Day. Filled with glee, he begins spreading happiness and joy around London, agreeing to give money to the gentlemen's charity and reconciling with Fred and Fozziwig. Scrooge has Bean buy the poulterer's prized turkey and they, along with Dickens, Rizzo and the gentlemen, deliver it to Bob's family. Scrooge tells Bob he will raise his salary and pay off his mortgage, Dickens tells that Tiny Tim escaped death thanks to Scrooge's new generosity, and everyone celebrates Christmas together. Following Jim Henson 's death in May 1990,
3870-534: Is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me." He took inspiration for the role from "Wall Street cheats and embezzlers; I thought they represented a very good picture of meanness and greed." Production took place at the Shepperton Studios , England. During filming, in order to allow for the Muppets and the human actors to be in the shot, floors had to be removed and re-inserted, with Michael Caine having to walk across narrow planks between
3999-860: Is captured and presented in video media, and he won fame for his characters – particularly Kermit the Frog , Rowlf the Dog , and the characters on Sesame Street . During the later years of his life, he founded the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop . He won the Emmy Award twice for his involvement in The StoryTeller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989). Henson died in New York City in 1990 from toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes . At
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4128-636: Is held at the Academy Film Archive . In 2019, the YouTube channel Defunctland released a six-part miniseries on the life and legacy of Jim Henson. A biopic film based on Henson's life, known as Muppet Man , has been in development at Walt Disney Pictures and The Jim Henson Company since 2010. In April 2021, it was reported that Michael Mitnick was hired to rewrite the screenplay, previously written by Aaron and Jordan Kandell . Lisa Henson will serve as producer. In March 2022, it
4257-430: Is the second-most lucrative season for the industry. In fact, a few films each year open on the actual Christmas Day holiday. Christmas movies generally open no later than Thanksgiving, as their themes are not so popular once the season is over. Likewise, the home video release of these films is typically delayed until the beginning of the next year's Christmas season. American Christmas-themed films are also broadcast on
4386-646: The Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song . The Henson-directed The Great Muppet Caper (1981) followed, and Henson decided to end the Muppet Show to concentrate on making films, though the Muppet characters continued to appear in TV movies and specials. Henson also aided others in their work. During development on The Empire Strikes Back (1980), George Lucas asked him to aid make-up artist Stuart Freeborn in
4515-781: The Jurassic Park movies, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the DC Extended Universe movies and Peter Jackson 's Middle Earth saga , as well as several animated Disney , DreamWorks , Aardman , Studio Ghibli , Illumination , Laika and Pixar movies. Others have some scenes during the Christmas season, such as the Harry Potter films which are frequently included in
4644-560: The BBC wrote the film is "liberal but fun adaptation of a classic" that "turns out to be quite touching as Muppet movies go. Less pleasing are the forgettable songs that offer both clumsy word construction and dire music that eats away at the aesthetic quality of the movie. But you'll be too busy looking out for the assorted Muppets to care much." Anthony McGlynn of Screen Rant called The Muppet Christmas Carol "a work of genius on every level" and "the greatest Christmas movie ever made", praising
4773-758: The Cincinnati Pops , and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Many radio stations begin to add Christmas music to their rotation in late November, and often switch to all-Christmas programming for December 25. Some do for part of or all of December 24 as well. A few stations switch to all-Christmas music for the entire season (some beginning as early as mid-November); in Detroit, 100.3 WNIC in 2005 started Christmas music day and night on midnight of October 31 because programmers believed that at least some listeners who are attracted by
4902-457: The Ghost of Christmas Present , and Gonzo (before he was written to portray Dickens) or Animal as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come . However, the idea was scrapped in favor of new Muppet characters that would better underline the ominous nature. After the script was submitted for approval to ABC, the executives of Walt Disney Pictures offered to purchase the script for a feature film instead of
5031-473: The Hallmark Channel and its companion channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries , which during the holiday season generally feature new films along with reruns of favorites from prior years. Actresses Candace Cameron Bure , Lacey Chabert , and Danica McKellar , along with actor Niall Matter , are frequently featured in lead or major roles. The films themselves generally feature a similar theme of
5160-485: The Jim Henson Foundation continued after his death, producing new series and specials. Jim Henson's Creature Shop also continues to create characters and special effects for both Henson-related and outside projects. Steve Whitmire , who had joined the Muppets cast in 1978, began performing Kermit the Frog six months after Henson's death. He was dismissed from the cast in October 2016, and Matt Vogel succeeded him in
5289-704: The United Kingdom , during the 2000s ITV usually showed a James Bond and/or a Harry Potter film(s) during the Christmas Holidays whilst the BBC showed the Chronicles of Narnia and/or High School Musical films. And for many years Channel 5 have shown American/Canadian made-for-TV Christmas films during the weeks before Christmas. In North America, the holiday movie season often includes release of studios' most prestigious pictures, in an effort both to capture holiday crowds and to position themselves for Oscar consideration. Next to summer, this
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5418-451: The talent agent Bill Haber approached Henson's son Brian , with the idea of filming an adaptation. Haber told Henson that " Christmas Carol is the greatest story of all time, you should do that" and later informed Henson that he had sold the idea to ABC as a television film . The longtime Muppets writer Jerry Juhl was hired to write the script and decided to insert Charles Dickens as the stand-in narrator in order to remain faithful to
5547-482: The 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life , and the similarly themed versions of Dickens' A Christmas Carol , in which the elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by ghosts and learns the errors of his ways. By contrast, the hero of the former, George Bailey , is a businessman who sacrificed his dreams to help his community. On Christmas Eve, a guardian angel finds him in despair and prevents him from committing suicide, by supernaturally showing him how much he meant to
5676-640: The 1960s. Among the most popular of Henson's commercials was a series for the local Wilkins Coffee company in Washington, D.C. , created for a campaign managed by advertising manager Helen Ver Standig . Most of the Wilkins advertisements followed a similar formula: two Muppets, in this case named Wilkins and Wontkins (usually both voiced by Henson), would appear. Wilkins would extol the product while Wontkins would express his hatred for it, prompting physical retaliation from Wilkins; Wontkins might be shot with
5805-422: The Christmas chart has been dominated by the winner of The X Factor and various social media backed records aimed to hijack the charts. As with television, British radio programmes also schedule Christmas specials. These mainly include comedy shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The Now Show . The Music Choice channels have over the past few years have begun playing Christmas music as early as
5934-483: The Christmas music will remain loyal listeners when the station reverts to its standard format on Boxing Day . Radio stations also broadcast traditional Western art music, such as the "Hallelujah" chorus from Handel 's Messiah . Among other pieces inspired by Christmas are Tchaikovsky 's ballet The Nutcracker and the popular suite drawn from it, and Johann Sebastian Bach 's " Christmas Oratorio " (BWV 248). Some radio stations play Christmas music commercial-free
6063-608: The Christmas period (usually Christmas Eve or Christmas Day), and the 1991 short animated film, Father Christmas , by the same artist and company, is usually broadcast around the same time. Adaptations of novels from Charles Dickens are also common around Christmas time. Along with A Christmas Carol (the most popular due to its Christmas season setting, and the message portrayed), these also include Bleak House (2005), Oliver Twist (2007) and Great Expectations (2011), among others. These adaptations usually feature all-star casts. Christmas Day begins at 12 at night with
6192-485: The Creature Shop as well as the rest of its film and television library, including Fraggle Rock , Farscape , The Dark Crystal , and Labyrinth . Brian Jay Jones wrote the book Jim Henson: The Biography. It was released on what would have been Henson's 77th birthday, September 24, 2013. The moving-image collection of Jim Henson, which contains the film work of Jim Henson and The Jim Henson Company ,
6321-530: The Frog. Of the show's guests, the Henson Archivist points out that Jim Henson placed a special importance on meeting Obraztsov: "As a teenager learning to make puppets, Jim checked out some books from the public library for instruction – one was Obraztsov’s 1950 book, My Profession " Henson continued creating children's television, such as Fraggle Rock and the animated Muppet Babies . He also continued to address darker, more mature themes with
6450-415: The Ghost of Christmas Past stuff—the magic has fallen out of the story. The treacly score by Miles Goodman, with songs by Paul Williams, doesn't help. The Muppets are at their best when they're anarchic, without all this soggy whimsy." Norman Wilner of The Toronto Star , in contrast, called the film "one of the most loyal renderings of Dickens", writing that "Caine, who has always been able to fully become
6579-531: The Grinch Stole Christmas! , and Frosty the Snowman . Many Christmas stories have been adapted to movies and TV specials , and have been broadcast and repeated many times on TV. Since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, their many editions are sold and re-sold every year during the holiday shopping season. Notable examples are the many versions of the ballet The Nutcracker ,
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#17327724446216708-410: The Muppets , and the show included a prototype of Henson's most famous character Kermit the Frog . He remained at WRC until Sam and Friends aired its last episode on December 15, 1961. In the show, Henson began experimenting with techniques that changed the way in which puppetry was used on television, foregoing the convention of pointing the camera at a stationary Puppet theatre and instead using
6837-527: The Muppets and their performers. Additionally, the buildings in the London street scenes were constructed by hand but diminished in size in order to achieve the appearance that the streets were relatively longer. When the musical sequence "It Feels Like Christmas" ends with a crane shot , the short buildings became apparent in the background; Brian Henson explained on the DVD audio commentary that they were aware of
6966-864: The Muppets, the puppets in The Dark Crystal were based on conceptual artwork by Brian Froud , and it was a critical success, winning several industry awards including the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and the Grand Prize Winner at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival . The film was less financially successful in theaters, but later claimed an enormous following and revenue when it was introduced on VHS for home entertainment. Also in 1982, Henson co-founded Henson International Television with Peter Orton and Sophie Turner Laing as his partners. The company
7095-559: The Nativity Story, or episodes of variety shows highlighting Christmas music. They were often hosted by such celebrities as Perry Como , Jane Wyatt , or Florence Henderson . (A notable exception was The Spirit of Christmas in 1950, which, although featuring an appearance by Alexander Scourby , who also narrated, starred the Mabel Beaton Marionettes.) This all changed once variety shows began dying out in
7224-629: The Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas . Some local affiliates provide the Yule Log , a block of time either on Christmas morning or both during the evening hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning showing footage of a fireplace, coupled with popular Christmas music. Some local affiliates that provide the Yule Log simulcast Christmas music from a radio station playing it. Every Christmas Day , ABC (since 1996) airs
7353-467: The UK are specially commissioned separately to a production season , and many are extended from the usual episode length. For example, the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special was 71 minutes as opposed to the standard 45 minutes, was broadcast six months after the third series had finished and four months before the fourth series started. UK Christmas specials may or may not feature the holiday itself as part of
7482-602: The United States Department of Agriculture. Henson's older brother, Paul Ransom Henson Jr. (1932–1956), died in a car crash on April 15, 1956. He was raised as a Christian Scientist and spent his early childhood in nearby Leland, Mississippi , before moving with his family to University Park, Maryland , near Washington, D.C. , in the late 1940s. He remembered the arrival of the family's first television as "the biggest event of his adolescence", being heavily influenced by radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and
7611-596: The United States, such as Community Coffee , Red Diamond Coffee, La Touraine Coffee, Nash's Coffee , and Jomar Instant coffee. The characters were so successful in selling coffee that soon other companies began seeking them to promote their products, such as bakeries like Merita Breads , service station chains such as Standard Oil of Ohio and the downstream assets of Marathon Oil , and beverage bottlers such as Faygo . Over 300 "Wilkins and Wontkins" commercials were made. The ads were primarily produced in black and white, but some color examples also exist. Henson sold
7740-541: The Wilkins Coffee ads of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the formula stayed fairly similar. For instance, one of the Claussen's commercials featured Kermit the Frog dangling from a window while a character named Mack asks him if he brought a loaf of the company's bread; when Kermit says he did not, Mack closes the window on Kermit's fingers and causes him to fall, suggesting he "drop down" to the grocery store to buy
7869-844: The Woods , Oz the Great and Powerful , Sam Raimi 's Spider Man trilogy , Paddington , Around the World in Eighty Days , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , Robert Downey Jr 's Sherlock Holmes Saga , Fiddler on the Roof , My Fair Lady , Mary Poppins , Enchanted , the Mamma Mia! saga , Bridesmaids , Oliver! , Crocodile Dundee , King Kong , The Railway Children , The Sound of Music , Bedknobs & Broomsticks ,
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#17327724446217998-399: The art of puppetry in the United States. Around that time, he began creating darker and more realistic fantasy films that did not feature the Muppets and displayed "a growing, brooding interest in mortality." He co-directed The Dark Crystal (1982) with Oz, "trying to go toward a sense of realism—toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive". To provide a visual style distinct from
8127-468: The battle of the bands and artists to make it to the Christmas No. 1 spot, recognised on the first Sunday before, or on, Christmas Day. Many of these songs are festive, while others are novelty songs that remain but briefly at the top of the chart. Gospel singer Cliff Richard is a fixture of Christmas charts, appearing nearly every year, and subsequently being mocked for doing so. In more recent years
8256-692: The beginning of November, instead of waiting till after Thanksgiving. Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer , animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets . Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986). Born in Greenville, Mississippi , and raised in both Leland, Mississippi , and University Park, Maryland , Henson began developing puppets in high school. He created Sam and Friends (1955–1961),
8385-642: The best ways of being around him was to work with him", according to Cheryl. Henson was a strong supporter of the civil rights movement . Henson appeared with Kermit on The Arsenio Hall Show in Los Angeles on May 4, 1990. This was his final television appearance. Shortly afterwards, he privately disclosed to his publicist that he was tired and had a sore throat, but that he believed it would soon go away. On May 12, Henson traveled to Ahoskie, North Carolina , with his daughter Cheryl to visit his father and stepmother. They returned to their home in New York City
8514-426: The characters he plays, delivers an unexpectedly strong performance as a human being who plays every scene with hand puppets [and] makes us believe he's been relating to the little fuzzies all his life"; however, he had a mixed review of Williams' songs in the film, and was particularly critical of its closing number. The Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert , who gave the film three stars out of four, praised
8643-418: The characters. In 1963, Henson and his wife moved to New York City where the newly formed Muppets, Inc. resided for some time. Jane quit performing to raise their children, and Henson hired writer Jerry Juhl in 1961 and puppet performer Frank Oz in 1963 to replace her. Henson credited them both with developing much of the humor and character of his Muppets. Henson and Oz developed a close friendship and
8772-405: The children's educational television program Sesame Street (1969–present) where he helped to develop Muppet characters for the series. He and his creative team also appeared on the first season of the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He produced the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this period. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry
8901-508: The company was becoming typecast solely as purveyors of children's entertainment, so they targeted an adult audience with a series of sketches on the first season of the late-night live television variety show Saturday Night Live . Eleven Land of Gorch sketches were aired between October 1975 and January 1976 on NBC , with four additional appearances in March, April, May, and September 1976. Henson liked Lorne Michaels ' work and wanted to be
9030-418: The computer animation "Nobody Counts To 10." He also directed the original " C Is For Cookie " and Tales from Muppetland , a short series of TV movie specials that were comic retellings of classic fairy tales aimed at a young audience and hosted by Kermit the Frog. The series included Hey, Cinderella! , The Frog Prince , and The Muppet Musicians of Bremen . Henson, Oz, and his team were concerned that
9159-403: The creation and articulation of Yoda . Lucas had also wanted Henson to puppeteer the character, but Henson instead suggested Frank Oz for the role; Oz performed the role and continued in the subsequent Star Wars films. Lucas lobbied unsuccessfully to have Oz nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . In 1982, Henson founded the Jim Henson Foundation to promote and develop
9288-611: The day after Christmas while NBC airs a Premier League soccer match that same day. Christmas specials based on classical music have also been well received. Among them, in addition to the previously mentioned Amahl and the Night Visitors , have been the many telecasts of the ballet The Nutcracker , and concert specials featuring musicians such as the Boston Pops , the Mormon Tabernacle Choir ,
9417-419: The early television puppets of Burr Tillstrom on Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Bil and Cora Baird . He remained a Christian Scientist at least into his twenties, when he taught Sunday school, but he wrote to a Christian Science church in the early 1970s to inform them that he was no longer a practicing member. Henson attended a variety of grade schools in his youth, including Hyattsville High School until it
9546-499: The entire day on Christmas Day, with only interruptions for Christmas messages from station personnel and personnel from the station's parent company. Others, like 96.5 KOIT in San Francisco do on both part of or all of Christmas Eve and the entire day Christmas Day. Frequently, the first song played on an "all-Christmas" station is the popular tune It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas . The UK music industry features
9675-467: The film a Thumbs Down although he was favorable towards Michael Caine's performance. Also from the Chicago Tribune , Dave Kehr reviewed the film as "a talky, plodding film that seems likely to bore children and adults in equal measure." Nevertheless, Kehr praised Val Strazovec's production design and John Fenner's cinematography believing its "shadowy, naturalistic lighting creates a new look for
9804-459: The film in the US on DVD on November 29, 2005, in conjunction with Kermit the Frog's 50th anniversary celebration; this time the DVD contained both full-screen and widescreen presentations. The UK has also had similar DVD releases. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released a 20th anniversary collector's edition on Blu-ray , DVD, and digital copy on November 6, 2012. The release does not include
9933-429: The film's extended cut. However, the song "When Love Is Gone" and its accompanying scene can be viewed in its entirety on the full-screen version of the anniversary edition of The Muppet Christmas Carol , though it is cut in the widescreen format. On December 9, 2022, Disney+ released a 30th anniversary edition via streaming media which includes the song "When Love Is Gone" as an option in its menu. A story album of
10062-526: The finest version of Charles Dickens' tale to grace the screen, but The Muppet Christmas Carol is funny and heartwarming, and serves as a good introduction to the story for young viewers." On Metacritic , the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Janet Maslin , reviewing for The New York Times , said that there wasn't "great show of wit or tunefulness here, and
10191-436: The first two seasons. He produced a series of counting films for the numbers 1 through 10 which always ended with a baker (voiced by Henson) falling down the stairs while carrying the featured number of desserts. He also worked on a variety of inserts for the numbers 2 through 12, including the films "Dollhouse"; "Number Three Ball Film"; the stop-motions "King of Eight" and "Queen of Six"; the cut-out animation "Eleven Cheer"; and
10320-712: The folklore and mythology-oriented show The StoryTeller (1988), which won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program. The next year, he returned to television with The Jim Henson Hour , which mixed lighthearted Muppet fare with more risqué material. It was critically well-received and won him another Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program , but it was canceled after 12 episodes due to poor ratings. Henson blamed its failure on NBC's constant rescheduling. In late 1989, Henson entered into negotiations to sell his company and characters (excluding those from Sesame Street ) to The Walt Disney Company for almost $ 150 million, hoping that he would "be able to spend
10449-406: The following day, and Henson cancelled a Muppet recording session that had been scheduled for May 14, 1990, due to his ill health. His wife came to visit that night. Henson was having trouble breathing when he woke up at around 2:00 a.m. EDT on May 15, and he began coughing up blood. He suggested to his wife that he might be dying, but he did not want to take time off from his schedule to visit
10578-495: The hospital just a few hours sooner. Medical expert Lawrence D. Altman also stated that Henson's death "may have shocked many Americans who believed that bacterial infections no longer could kill with such swiftness." A lack of familiarity with this possibility, combined with the then-recent deaths of prominent men (including Rock Hudson , Liberace , Roy Cohn , and others) whose AIDS deaths had first been publicly euphemized as other illnesses due to AIDS's pervasive stigma, led to
10707-468: The image created by the TV camera and lens to dynamically engage with his characters. He believed that television puppets needed to have "life and sensitivity". Rather than carving wooden puppets Henson built characters from softer, flexible materials like foam rubber; his first iteration of Kermit was made from a halved table tennis ball and fabric from an old coat belonging to his mother, with denim from
10836-557: The ingenious cross-generational touches are fairly rare. But there is a lively kiddie version of the Dickens tale, one that very young viewers ought to understand." Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News gave it three and a half stars, calling it "a delightfully imaginative musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale" and noting that "it's a measure of Michael Caine's talents as an actor that he's able to give
10965-460: The late 1980s and Rankin-Bass began producing more and more Christmas specials. One notable television special usually seen at Christmas was Amahl and the Night Visitors , commissioned by NBC and telecast annually in the U.S. from 1951 to 1966. It was the first opera written especially for television. Composed by Gian-Carlo Menotti with a libretto in English by the composer, the opera told of
11094-524: The league's first game telecasts on over-the-air network television each season. NBC airs the Vatican Midnight Mass service at St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve night (having broadcast the service annually since 1972, typically in place of the network's regular late-night programming), and usually airs an ice skating special (often on the weekend prior to or of the holiday). Additionally, CBS usually airs college basketball games
11223-439: The merriment of Christmas. On Christmas Eve he rejects his nephew Fred's invitation to Christmas dinner, dismisses two gentlemen collecting money for charity, and tosses a wreath at a carol-singing Bean Bunny . His kind, humble employee Bob Cratchit and the other bookkeepers request to not work on Christmas Day, since there will be no business for Scrooge on the day, to which he reluctantly agrees. That night Scrooge encounters
11352-568: The movie was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 1994. The film's original score was composed by Miles Goodman with songs written by Paul Williams . Williams previously worked with the Muppets on the soundtrack to The Muppet Movie (1979) in which he and Kenneth Ascher were nominated for an Academy Award for writing " Rainbow Connection ". Goodman previously scored several films that were directed by Muppet performer Frank Oz . The Muppet Christmas Carol: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack contains all of
11481-494: The narrative. While the season receives almost universal acknowledgement on British TV, some channels and programmes have tried "alternative" or "anti-Christmas" ideas. One example is Channel 4 which has run an Alternative Christmas message since 1993. In 2009, two movie channels renamed themselves for the season; Sky Movies Screen 2 became Sky Movies Christmas Channel and Movies 24 became Christmas 24 . From 2010, changes to Sky Movies line-up meant that Sky Movies Showcase
11610-645: The next two decades working in commercials, talk shows, and children's projects before realizing his dream of the Muppets as "entertainment for everybody". The popularity of his work on Sam and Friends in the late 1950s led to a series of guest appearances on network talk and variety shows. He appeared as a guest on many shows, including The Steve Allen Show , The Jack Paar Program , and The Ed Sullivan Show . (Sullivan introduced him as "Jim Newsom and his Puppets" on September 11, 1966.) These television broadcasts greatly increased his exposure, leading to hundreds of commercial appearances by Henson characters throughout
11739-470: The original prose of the written material. Henson stated that Gonzo was chosen because he was the least likely choice to play Charles Dickens, while Rizzo the Rat was added to inject some humor and serve as a Greek chorus . Established Muppet characters were initially written to portray the ghosts, with various accounts stating Robin the Frog or Scooter was to be the Ghost of Christmas Past , Miss Piggy to be
11868-503: The original songs that were written for the film and Michael Caine's performance as Scrooge. In London, the Evening Standard ' s Alexander Walker said that "the Muppets pass their first screen test playing characters other than their felt or furry selves with great exuberance." Derek Malcolm of The Guardian was less welcoming, saying that "Scrooge's nightmare is rendered silly and so his turning from swine to saint hasn't
11997-736: The past few days. Henson was placed on a ventilator but quickly deteriorated over the next several hours despite increasingly aggressive treatment with multiple antibiotics. Although the medicine killed off most of the infection, it had already weakened many of Henson's organs, and he died at 1:21 a.m. the following morning. He was 53. David Gelmont, the hospital's intensive care unit director, announced that Henson had died from Streptococcus pneumoniae , an infection that causes bacterial pneumonia . However, on May 29, Gelmont reclassified it as organ dysfunction resulting from streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes . Gelmont noted Henson might have been saved had he gone to
12126-512: The problem during shooting, but eventually decided that the closing shot was worth it as they believed not many people would notice the error. Walt Disney Pictures appeared to have high expectations for the film, being their widest-released film of the holiday season and the second-widest release under the Disney banner that year. However, the film opened in sixth place, initially reported to have collected $ 5.9 million in box office estimates, which
12255-450: The puppet's mouth along with the character's dialogue or while lip-syncing to music. Commenting on his puppet design philosophy, Henson said, "A lot of people build very stiff puppets—you can barely move the things—and you can get very little expression out of a character that you can barely move. Your hand has a lot of flexibility to it, and what you want to do is to build a puppet that can reflect all that flexibility." Sam and Friends
12384-468: The required kick. Not only that, but the jokes are thin on the ground, as if only a certain amount of piss-taking was thought appropriate." The film has grown in critical acclaim in subsequent years, attracting a cult following , and was declared "the greatest Christmas film ever made" as well as "among the most glorious of all Dickens adaptations" by The Guardian in 2023. This is the first Muppet film co-produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures—and
12513-530: The rights to Wilkins and Wontkins to the Wilkins Company, who allowed marketing executive John T. Brady to sell the rights to some toymakers and film studios. However, in July 1992 Brady was sued by Jim Henson Productions for unfair competition in addition to copyright and trademark infringement. The Henson company claimed that Brady was incorrectly using Henson's name and likeness in their attempts to license
12642-451: The rights to the Muppets featured in the film would later be purchased by the studio's parent company . In addition to theatrical releases, the film has also been made available on home video formats. It was first released on VHS in the US on November 5, 1993, in the UK on November 15, 1993, and later on DVD in both countries. The first US DVD release on October 8, 2002, was in a full-screen-only format. Walt Disney Home Entertainment released
12771-627: The role of Kermit. The Children's Television Workshop was renamed Sesame Workshop , which retained the Sesame Street characters in 2000. On February 17, 2004, the Muppets and the Bear in the Big Blue House properties were sold to Disney. One of Henson's last projects was the attraction Muppet*Vision 3D , which opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 16, 1991, exactly one year after his death. The Jim Henson Company retains
12900-441: The same disc. A 2012 standalone DVD release of the film uses the same disc from the 2005 release, so it also contains the song. However, a different DVD was used for the 2012 Blu-ray combo pack which does not contain the song. The digital download release of the film contains the entire "When Love Is Gone" as a bonus feature, in widescreen and in high definition. In a 2018 interview with The Big Issue , Henson said he believed that
13029-702: The season as part of the holiday programming. The Wizard of Oz , for instance, was always telecast during the Christmas season between 1959 and 1962. Other films often seen around the Christmas period are Singin' in the Rain , Some Like it Hot , Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines , Casablanca , The Golden Compass , Great Expectations , Annie , Grease , The Adventures of Robin Hood , Johnny Depp 's Alice Saga , Sunshine on Leith , The Star Wars Saga , Transformers , The Simpsons Movie , Cinderella , Maleficent , Into
13158-477: The series in 1976, believing that Muppets would appeal only to a child audience. Then, Henson pitched the show to British impresario Lew Grade to finance the show. The show would be shot in the United Kingdom and syndicated worldwide. That same year, he scrapped plans for his Broadway show and moved his creative team to England, where The Muppet Show began taping. The show featured Kermit as host, with
13287-576: The shackled ghosts of his late business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley , in his bed chambers. They warn him to repent his wicked ways or be condemned to suffer in the afterlife as they do and that three spirits will visit him during the night. At one o'clock Scrooge is visited by the childlike Ghost of Christmas Past , who shows him visions of his childhood and early adult life. Along with Dickens and Rizzo, they visit his lonely school days and then his time as an employee at Fozziwig's rubber chicken factory. There, at Fozziwig's Christmas party, Scrooge meets
13416-430: The showing of Midnight Mass on the BBC . In addition, the monarch annually broadcasts a 10-minute speech on Christmas Day at 3 p.m. Many long-running British soap operas have Christmas specials, usually involving a dramatic storyline developed over several weeks which culminates at Christmas. Often these stories are tragic, involving a death, divorce, a dramatic revelation or similar event. Most Christmas specials in
13545-421: The song restored to its original place. The song is included on all of the 1993 VHS and LaserDisc releases of the film, as well as at least one UK VHS release. The LaserDisc version includes the only widescreen presentation of this song ever released. The 2002 and 2005 DVD releases of the movie retain the song in the 90-minute full-screen version of the film, but not in the 86-minute widescreen version on
13674-409: The song was "unlikely" to appear in any further releases of the film, because Disney had reportedly lost the original video master and film negative . However, on December 9, 2020, Henson confirmed to BBC Radio 2 that the original film negative featuring the entire footage of the song had been found by Disney archivists and would be included in all future 4K releases. Due to time constraints, Disney+
13803-570: The songs from the film, which were written by Paul Williams , as well several cues from the score by Miles Goodman . However, most of them are different arrangements than as they are featured in the film. The performances are by the Muppet characters as well as Caine, and the album also includes the songs "Room in Your Heart" and "Chairman of the Board" that were recorded but never filmed. As with all preceding Muppet films, The Muppet Christmas Carol
13932-407: The spirit then visit Bob Cratchit's house, learning his family is content with the little they have. Scrooge also takes pity on Bob's ill son Tiny Tim , whom the Ghost comments will soon die if things continue the way they are. The Ghost leaves Scrooge with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come , who takes Scrooge into the future where a recent death elicits no sympathy from the inhabitants of London and
14061-524: The stolen possessions of the deceased are sold to a fence named Old Joe. The Ghost also shows Scrooge the Cratchits' home, where they find Bob and his family mourning Tiny Tim. Scrooge is led to the cemetery, where the Ghost points out the neglected grave of the unloved man; Scrooge wipes the snow away on the tombstone to see it bears his own name. Scrooge tearfully vows to change his ways and suddenly finds himself back in his bedroom, where he discovers it
14190-415: The technical achievements, but felt it "could have done with a few more songs than it has, and the merrymaking at the end might have been carried on a little longer, just to offset the gloom of most of Scrooge's tour through his lifetime spent spreading misery." On the television program Siskel & Ebert , his partner Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel , who did not review the film in print, gave
14319-525: The time of his death, he was in negotiations to sell his company to The Walt Disney Company , but talks fell through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Legend in 2011. James Maury Henson was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi , the younger of two children of Betty Marcella ( née Brown, 1904–1972) and Paul Ransom Henson (1904–1994), an agronomist for
14448-478: The viewing rotation. The action film Die Hard is seen by some as a Christmas film, as it takes place on the holiday, and is often viewed during the season, although whether or not Die Hard should be considered a Christmas film has been debated due to its story not being about the holiday itself. Others in this category include Iron Man 3 , Lethal Weapon , Batman Returns , Eyes Wide Shut , Female Trouble , Shazam! and Doctor Zhivago . In
14577-412: The world around him. A few films based on fictionalized versions of true stories have become Christmas specials themselves. The story behind the Christmas carol " Silent Night " and the story of " Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus " are two examples. Sometimes, family films and classics boasting special effects and/or uplifting messages, but having no real relation to Christmas, are telecast during
14706-637: The world with tributes and condolences. Many of Henson's co-stars and directors from Sesame Street , the Muppets, and other works also shared their thoughts on his death. On May 21, 1990, Henson's public memorial service was conducted in Manhattan at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine . Another was conducted on July 2, at St Paul's Cathedral in London. Harry Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around",
14835-504: Was a commercial disappointment. This demoralized Henson; his son Brian Henson described it as "the closest I've seen him to turning in on himself and getting quite depressed." The film later became a cult classic. In 1984 Henson traveled to Moscow, where he made a film about Sergei Obraztsov . Henson also donated four dolls to the puppeteer to replenish the Moscow Museum of Obraztsov Puppets: Fraggle, Skeksi, Bugard, and Robin
14964-472: Was a distribution company for children's, teens' and family television. Henson worked with Oz again on The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), this time with Oz as sole director. The film grossed $ 25.5 million domestically of a budget of only around $ 8 million, and ranked as one of the top 40 films of 1984. Labyrinth (1986) was a fantasy that Henson directed by himself, but—despite some positive reviews; The New York Times called it "a fabulous film"—it
15093-646: Was a financial success, but Henson began to have doubts about going into a career performing with puppets once he graduated. He spent six weeks in Europe during the summer of 1958, originally with the intent to study painting, but was surprised to learn that puppets were considered just as serious of an art form as painting or sculpture. After returning to the United States he and Jane made their partnership official, creating Muppets, Inc. in November of that same year, then marrying each other in 1959. Henson spent much of
15222-505: Was a modest box office success and received generally favorable reviews. It is the first Muppets film to be produced by Walt Disney Pictures, whose parent company would later acquire the rights to the Muppets characters and assets in 2004. Charles Dickens and his friend Rizzo narrate the story of Ebenezer Scrooge , a greedy, grumpy, penny-pinching and lonely moneylender of nineteenth century London , who in particular does not share
15351-404: Was also cancelled. Meachum then referred Jim to the local NBC-affiliate station WRC-TV , where Henson continued performing his puppets with Jane's help. The two were eventually offered a nightly segment for which they created Sam and Friends , a five-minute puppet show that afforded Henson much more freedom to develop his own creative work. The characters on Sam and Friends were forerunners of
15480-535: Was announced that Ron Howard planned to direct a documentary on Henson's life, with Brian Grazer 's Imagine Entertainment collaborating with Disney Original Documentary to produce it. The project was reported to have "the full participation and cooperation of the Henson family". In April 2024, it was announced the documentary was titled Jim Henson Idea Man . It began streaming on Disney+ on May 31, 2024. In 2024, Henson would be portrayed by Nicholas Braun in
15609-500: Was bolder than he; he once said of the character: "He can say things I hold back." The Muppets appeared in their first theatrical feature film The Muppet Movie in 1979. It was both a critical and financial success; it made $ 65.2 million domestically and was the 61st highest-grossing film at the time. Henson's idol Edgar Bergen died at age 75 during production of the film, and Henson dedicated it to his memory. Henson as Kermit sang " Rainbow Connection ", and it hit number 25 on
15738-464: Was closed in 1951. He completed his high school career at the newly opened Northwestern High School , where he joined the puppetry club. He enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park , the following fall as a studio arts major, thinking that he might become a commercial artist. As a freshman at the university, Jim took a newly offered puppetry class mostly populated with seniors, including his future wife Jane Nebel . He graduated in 1960 with
15867-427: Was cut from the original 1992 American theatrical edition of the film by Jeffrey Katzenberg , the then-chairman of Walt Disney Studios , who believed that the song would not appeal to young viewers. Instead, the song was played during the film's end credits scene. Brian Henson objected to this decision as the concluding song, "The Love We Found", was a direct counterpoint to it. Henson commented: " 'When Love Is Gone'
15996-631: Was later revised to $ 5 million. Ultimately, The Muppet Christmas Carol grossed a total of $ 27.3 million in North America. Despite being a modest box office success, The Muppet Christmas Carol did not have a large effect during its theatrical release, having to face competition from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Disney's own Aladdin . On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's consensus states, "It may not be
16125-404: Was not in the theatrical release, and is presently missing from some copies of the movie, which is a real shame." The song titled "When Love Is Gone" is only included on some home media releases of The Muppet Christmas Carol which are now out of print. It is included as a deleted scene in the "extras" section of the film on Disney+ . The section also includes an option to view the entire film with
16254-436: Was revamped to integrate the two segments, placing much greater emphasis on Henson's work. Cooney frequently praised Henson's work, and PBS called him "the spark that ignited our fledgling broadcast service." The success of Sesame Street also allowed him to stop producing commercials, and he said that "it was a pleasure to get out of that world". Henson was also involved in producing various shows and animation inserts during
16383-522: Was shot as a musical . The soundtrack album peaked at number 189 on the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack was re-released on digital by Walt Disney Records on November 6, 2012. All tracks are written by Paul Williams (songs) and Miles Goodman (score), except where noted "When Love Is Gone" is a song sung by the character Belle (portrayed by Meredith Braun ) as she laments that Scrooge's love of money has replaced his love of her. The song itself
16512-539: Was unable to include the new full version on its Christmas 2020 streaming release of the film. At the 2022 D23 Expo in September, Henson stated the version of the film with the song restored would be available on Disney+ later that year. The streaming service released the full-length version as an option in the film "extras" on December 9, 2022. Christmas film It also includes animation, comics, and children's books, including A Charlie Brown Christmas , How
16641-540: Was used for Sky Movies Christmas Channel. On 16 November 2012, two music channels renamed themselves; Bliss became Blissmas and Greatest Hits TV was rebranded as Christmas Hits TV . In the United States, many television series (particularly those of a family-oriented nature) produce a Christmas episode, although seldom outside of a season's production block. Stand-alone Christmas specials are also popular, from newly created animated shorts and movies to repeats of those that were popular in previous years, such as Rudolph
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