A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)

Best movie of this year hands down!

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The Muppets are no strangers to the Holidays. They have had many a film produced incorporating Christmas related themes. The best and most popular of them all was The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). But that hasn't stopped the Henson Company. Before Kermit and his friends came back with their return film The Muppets (2011), they were still doing productions for the small screen. Prior to this, another holiday made for TV production was released - It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002). Other than that, this is the Muppet's latest outing at the holiday season. Is really good? Mmmmm,..not unanimously but it is decent enough to be seen.This time, viewers follow their favorite characters at the post office waiting to send their holiday mail. When Gonzo forgets to put his in the mail, it's up to Kermit and friends to find a way to get them to Santa on time. Here's what does work. First and foremost, The Muppets (and voice-actors) themselves. They are always key and the fact that they were of main focus all the time was great. The humor also works because of the certain situations Kermit and his friends get into. The gags range from bad jokes, silly puns and goofy reactions the Muppets make. Thankfully, these eye-inducing moments aren't as bad they could be because it's the Muppets. Another element that will have viewers happy to see is the tone of this movie. Unlike It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie(2002) which had a very mean spirited tone, this feature has a much more upbeat feel and that's especially good.Another good component was the cameos of various actors. This ranges from Whoopi Goldberg, Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane and even Michael Bloomberg. Camera-work by Luke Geissbuhler (the DP of Borat (2006)) was appropriate as was Chris Caswell's musical score. However, this is where things don't work. For one, the running time is too short. Yes it is a TV movie, but so was It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and was well over an hour. The problem with this is that it cuts everything down to an unnecessary length. This goes for cast cameos and even the Muppet characters. That can be a bit frustrating if this is a Muppet Movie and you only see a few of the Muppets instead of the whole bunch for more than five minutes.Along with that is issue of writing. The story for this movie is cute but again, with a shortened running time, everything must fall in place quickly or it won't work. With this comes cliché and convenient contrivances that either defy logic or are impossible to begin with. It's not to say it isn't funny or doesn't work but the story almost had a finale that would've seemed more mature and realistic than what was chosen. There can always be a happy ending but that doesn't mean it has to be exactly the way the audience expects it to be. Adding to the bit of blandness are the songs that the Muppets sing composed by Paul Williams. It's not that they bore but they're not as memorable as other Paul Williams pieces. It certainly won't be an hour wasted but it could've been better.It has all of the basic components to make a really good Muppet Christmas movie but it instead comes off as fairly generic. The main problem is its running time, which trims down several parts that make up a good Muppet film.

I am a bit of a Muppets fan, when their not being too cheesy and concentrating more on entertaining both the kids and the adults, annoyingly, this is one of the times when they are cheesy in this short TV movie. Basically it is Christmas Eve and the Muppets: Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire), The Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz), Fozzie Bear (Eric Jacobson, replacing Frank Oz), Pepe the Prawn (Bill Barretta) and Rizzo the Rat (also Whitmire), are all sending their letters to Santa in the North Pole. It is when they return to their apartment that Gonzo notices three letters, including one from his best friend, sweet little girl and neighbour Claire (Madison Pettis), have been undelivered. After trying a few attempts to find a way to get the letters delivered, Gonzo insists that all the male Muppets should help him take the letters to the North Pole themselves, while mean Miss Piggy (also Jacobson) stays behind for a vacation. They get a ride from Taxi Driver (Whoopi Goldberg) to the airport and find North Pole Airlines, where clerk Joy (Uma Thurman) gives them their tickets, before getting caught by a security guard. Officer Frank Meany (Nathan Lane), who has been a bully since not receiving his most wanted present from Santa, eventually lets them go, but they only get to the North Pole hanging tight onto the plane wing. After looking like they are too late to see Santa Claus (Richard Griffiths), he overhears them and comes down to give them a sleigh ride, and read the letters, Claire's, Meany and Pepe, before dropping them off home, and it turns out all Claire wanted was friends round. Also starring Whitmire as Statler and Beaker, Goelz as Waldorf, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Zoot, Barretta as Swedish Chef, Rowlf and Dr. Teeth, Jacobson as Animal and Sam the Eagle, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jane Krakowski as Claire's Mom, Steve Schirripa and Tony Sirico as Mobsters and Paul Williams as Elf. There aren't really any highlights I can remember in this, apart from of course the cast cameos, but even they and the puppet characters we have grown to love over the years can't save this from schmaltzy Christmas mush, a silly short seasonal family comedy adventure. It was nominated the Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the Paul Williams song "I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus". Adequate!

The script was DREADFUL, the "star-studded" cast was jaw-droppingly lame, the music limp and meaningless, the child actress too, too precious and affected... can't think of anything that was good about it. (Okay, the costumes were alright- Uma Thurman got the best ones.) It's just too bad, really, but apparently no one involved with the creative part of Muppets productions has any memory of what made them so special, so charming and funny and INTELLIGENT in the first place. Was it all because of Jum Henson? Because the productions, including Sesame Street, have gone straight to smirky, smarmy, dopey, predictable, kids'll-watch-anything so it doesn't matter Hollywood h*ll since he died.

I almost lost my holiday spirit this year. Haven't even bothered to haul the tree down from the attic. The soul of Christmas is now being sold by Circuit City, anyway (and they're going bankrupt)--much like Jim Henson's legacy was sold to a newfangled corporate Disney™ following his untimely death in 1990. I am pleased to report that the post-Henson muppeteers have finally redeemed themselves in "Letters to Santa".Henson's son Brian took his first stab at continuing the holiday genre in 1992 with a remake of Dicken's "Christmas Carol." A little creepy but forgivable, given the circumstances. Alas, "A Muppet Family Christmas" (1995) was no "John Denver and the Muppets' Rocky Mountain Holiday" (1983). "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" (2002): forgettable (it starred David Arquette. Ring a bell?). "Letters to Santa" puts all of the above to shame (curiously, the junior Henson served as neither writer nor director in this one but did provide the voice of a very unmuppety "Sal Manilla". Why?).The premise is totally believable (compared to, say, "Muppets in Space" (1999), which was kind of awesome, but there's no way sponge chickens can breathe in space, okay). I'll spare you any spoilers.Pepe the Prawn is the new Beaker, but it's time to retire Bobo the Bear.The cameos were mostly spot-on, but I'm not sure that today's kids will know who many of these faces are (and some faces they shouldn't, e.g., Steve Schirripa, or the dude from "Law & Order"), in the same way that I recognized Joan Rivers or Liza Minnelli in the 1984 classic set in Manhattan. Nevertheless, Paulie Walnuts turned in an Emmy-worthy performance. Uma: good move. Never looked better. Glowed like an angel. And mad props to Michael Bloomberg for, well, being Michael Bloomberg.Decent music. Modern yet timeless. Sweet and corny. Someday my kids will watch it every year the same way I still look forward to "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" (1977). Whether they like it or not.