Film Friday: A Muppets Family Christmas

A Muppet Family Christmas
Release Year: 1987
Running Time: 47 minutes

A Muppet Family Christmas was a made for TV family special from the 80’s. We had this recorded directly from the TV on VHS and I used to drive my mom crazy watching it all the time. For a very young kid in the 80’s, this was like the holy grail of a Muppets movie. It features not only the Muppets, but characters from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock too.

The plot goes thusly, Fozzie Bear and all his Muppet friends decide to spend Christmas at Fozzie’s unsuspecting mother’s farmhouse. When the Muppets show up, it’s to find the farmhouse rented to Doc (Gerard Parkes), as Fozzie’s mother had been planning to go on vacation. Deciding to give up her vacation, Fozzie’s mom convinces Doc to share the farmhouse with Fozzie and his friends. Things start to quickly start to get out of hand as, not long after the Muppets show-up, the gang from Sesame Street also randomly crashes the party. Soon the farmhouse is packed to the gils with muppets as a snowstorm starts. As the storm gets worse, Kermit begins to worry about Miss Piggy who is still traveling to the farmhouse to spend Christmas with everyone. 

The last time I watched A Muppet Family Christmas, I think I was about 10. However, when I stumbled across the full film on YouTube, I decided I really needed to watch it again. It’s still a lot of fun to see all these characters crammed together in one film. As an adult, it took me a minute to get used to the very quick pacing of the story. It bounces rapidly from a short snippet of a classic Christmas song, to dialog, to a portion of a different holiday song throughout the film. The breakneck pacing is wonderful for small kids, as it’s sure to keep their attention.

After I got used to the pacing, I was surprised at how well the film still holds up. The sentimental moments are cute and there are still a few jokes that had me chuckling. I particularly enjoy the moment where the Swedish Chef, who has been looking for a turkey to cook for dinner, lays eyes on Big Bird for the first time.

This is a great one to watch with super young family members. It’s packed with iconic Christmas songs and the quick plot pacing is sure to keep their attention. The only thing that I don’t think would translate well to kids now, is the Fraggle Rock scene. If you have about an hour to kill, this is worth the watch.

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

Advertisement