It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
| It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | |
|---|---|
| Distributed by | NBC |
| Directed by | Kirk R. Thatcher |
| Produced by | Warren Carr Martin G. Baker |
| Written by | Tom Martin Jim Lewis |
| Starring | The Muppets David Arquette Joan Cusack Matthew Lillard Whoopi Goldberg |
| Music by | Mark Watters |
| Cinematography | Tony Westman |
| Editing by | Gregg Featherman |
| Production company | The Jim Henson Company |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Release date | November 29, 2002 |
| Running time | 85 minutes |
It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a 2002 television film that aired on NBC on November 29, 2002. The film was directed by Kirk Thatcher, written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis and stars the Muppets and was filmed at Lionsgate Studios. The film revolves around a plot similar to "It's A Wonderful Life" and features Whoopi Goldberg, David Arquette and the cast of "Scrubs". The film is rated PG for Thematic Elements, making it one of two Muppet films to have the rating, the other being the 2011 film The Muppets. Director Kirk R. Thatcher later directed The Muppets' Wizard of Oz and A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa.
The film contains an original song, "Everyone Matters", performed by Kermit and Gonzo as part of Kermit's dream, and then reprised at the end. It was nominated for an Emmy Award. The film also makes reference to the Muppet classic song The Rainbow Connection, featuring a statue of Kermit in a park, erected in dedication "for the lovers, the dreamers and you".
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Joe Snow, a snowman, recounts how the Muppet Theater was going through financial hardship, and the Muppets seeking Kermit the Frog for guidance. Kermit eventually feels he is not useful to anyone and Daniel, an angel, brings this up with his Boss as they review what has gone on with Kermit in the past hours.
Hours earlier, Kermit prepares a Christmas show with his fellow Muppets with Bobo the Bear playing Santa Claus. Kermit is approached by Rachel Bitterman, a banker/real estate agent who says that she will foreclose the Muppet Theater if Kermit does not pay her. Pepe the King Prawn leaves the Muppets because he has fallen in love with Bitterman. While trying to raise money to pay Rachel, Kermit tries to find a celebrity to participate in his Christmas play to no avail. Meanwhile, after learning from Pepe that the deadline is midnight, Bitterman changes it to 6:00p.m. When he sees her with another boy-toy however, Pepe leaves her and warns Kermit about the deadline change. Upon learning this, Kermit sends Fozzie to deliver the money to Bitterman. Fozzie confronts a crazed nature-show host, a laser array, and a gang of Whos after being dyed green at a Christmas tree lot and mistaken for the Grinch. Fozzie goes through the steam baths and ends up back to normal. When Fozzie eventually makes it to the bank and Bitterman's office, he discovers too late that he has grabbed the wrong bag containing clothes for the Salvation Army following his incident at the Christmas tree lot.
After witnessing these events, the Boss allows Daniel to help Kermit. When Daniel arrives, he ends up showing Kermit what would have happened to his friends if he had not existed. In the world without Kermit, Bitterman has changed the park near the Muppet Theater into a shopping center. Gonzo is now homeless, and Rizzo the Rat stars in an episode of Fear Factor where a woman has to eat him alive. Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem perform Irish stepdance. Doc Hopper's French Fried Frog Legs has become a famous restaurant franchise. The Muppet Theater has become a nightclub called Club Dot. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew became a rapper, Beaker became a nightclub bouncer, Scooter and Sam the Eagle are club-dancing ravers, and Fozzie Bear is now a thief living on the streets. Miss Piggy is a spinster who lives in an apartment with a series of cats, working from home as a phone psychic with a fake Jamaican accent.
Kermit has Daniel restore him back to his reality and returns to the Muppet Theater. However, Bitterman arrives to shut the theater down and fights with Miss Piggy. Pepe arrives and announces he has made the Muppet Theater into a historical landmark, foiling Bitterman's plan. Outside, the Muppets and Joe Snow sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
[edit] Cast
- David Arquette as Daniel, an angel who appears to Kermit at Christmas
- Joan Cusack as Rachel Bitterman, a spoiled, rich young villainess and the main antagonist.
- Matthew Lillard as Luc Fromage, a foppish French choreographer
- Whoopi Goldberg as The Boss, The Creator of the Universe similar to God
- William H. Macy as Glenn, an angel
- Mel Brooks as Joe Snow (voice)
- Chantal Strand as Nancy Nut-What
- Dave "Squatch" Ward as Sally Ann Santa Claus
- Bill Lawrence as Himself
- Carson Daly as Himself
- Kelly Ripa as Herself
- Molly Shannon as Herself
- Zach Braff as Himself/Dr. John "J.D." Dorian
- Sarah Chalke as Herself/Dr. Elliot Reid
- Judy Reyes as Herself/Nurse Carla Espinosa
- John C. McGinley as Himself/Dr. Perry Cox
- Neil Flynn as Himself/Janitor
- Joe Rogan as Himself
- Robert Smigel as Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
[edit] Muppet performers
- Bill Barretta as Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, Swedish Chef, Johnny Fiama, Bobo the Bear, Lew Zealand, Howard
- Kevin Clash as Sam the Eagle (voice only), Clifford
- Dave Goelz as Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf
- Brian Henson as Scooter, Janice, Sal Manilla
- John Henson as Sweetums
- Eric Jacobson as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Yoda Muppet
- John Kennedy as Sam the Eagle (puppetry only), Dr. Teeth
- Jerry Nelson as Robin the Frog, Pops, Floyd Pepper, Crazy Harry, Announcer, Statler (all voices only)
- Allan Trautman as Joe Snow (puppetry only)
- Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, Bean Bunny, Mr. Poodlepants
[edit] Pop culture references
- Notable pop culture references in the film include SpongeBob SquarePants, Scrubs, and Its a Wonderful Life.
- The play that Kermit tries to have planned out parodies elements of Moulin Rouge! (the Muppet Theater's Christmas "Spectacular Spectacular" opens with a number set at the "Moulin Scrooge," which climaxes as Miss Piggy dons the role of Satine and performs "Santa Baby"), Cirque du Soleil (feebly adapted by an apathetic choreographer as the "Cirque du So Lame"), A Beautiful Mind (when Dr. Honeydew works out the money needed to save the theater's finances by doodling on a window, and, after listening to Beaker squeak, responds, "Why, thank you, Beaky, I think you have a beautiful mind, too"), For Dummies books (Daniel is given a book called Performing Miracles for Dummies), and the old Gift of the Magi comedy routine (coming to a crashing halt in this film when one of the participants forgot to sell or buy anything).
- Steve Irwin is parodied as "The Crazy Australian Guy" who is looking for "crocs" in the streets.
- Fozzie also has an encounter with the citizens of Whoville from the live action version of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), who mistake him for the Grinch after he is painted green.
- Kermit the Frog sees a TV in a window that is playing what looks like Fear Factor with Rizzo the Rat in a cage about to be eaten by one of the contestants. This scene, of course, takes place in a time where Kermit wasn't born.
