A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa

source: A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa

The best Muppet material out there is that which the children can "get" on one level and the parents can "get" on another. The movies tend to be hit and miss ("Manhattan" vs. "Space", for example), but the holiday ones over the last decade or so had been winners. This one disappointed. More than anything, it was just rushed and pretty flat. The humor never really took off, although it came close at times, and there were some nice moments. However, the way most of the Muppets were brought in for quickie appearances, the including of the guest stars (Whoopi was worthless and Richard Griffiths just looked and sounded terrible as Santa), the plot seemingly jumping from A to D without much effort into giving us B and C to tie it together smoothly, even the songs didn't hook us like they normally do...this was just a pretty "eh" effort. I hope the writers put more real effort into it next time instead of just wanting to throw a holiday special with the Muppets on TV to do it. I've gone back and watched "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" since this one aired and I've forgotten all about the mediocrity that is "Letters to Santa".

What can I say, this is a fairly fun bit of hokum. Kermit and the gang have to get a few undelivered letters to Santa on Christmas eve as the post office is closed. Wackiness ensues. Seriously, that's the story. That's it. There is nothing else to see here and cue an excuse for a series of cameos and musical numbers. But personally I have no problem with that. With some fairly recognisable faces cropping up and a frankly movie stealing performance from Nathan Lane these make the film watchable enough. As an aside, a little game I've started playing when ever I see Jane Krakowski in something these days is pretending she's actually Jenna Maroney, the actress she plays in 30 Rock, playing the character in the movie I'm currently watching. You know, now that I'm typing that I'm not sure it's such a cool thing… So anyway, the cameos are fun, how about the songs? Not to bad I suppose. I don't expect another 'Rainbow Connection' anytime soon, but I'd like to at least be able to hum them to myself the next day. Other than 'My Best Christmas Yet' the songs are just a little to forgettable. The only one that really sticks out is actually the 'miming' the Muppets do to 'Things we said Today', which runs over the closing credits, as does a bunch of 'gaff' takes. It seems that Kermit and Co. have been taking lessons from Jackie Chan because we get to see them fluffing lines, missing cues and generally just messing about a bit. Which is a whole heap of fun. It's quite obvious that the performers are having an absolute blast here and love their work and the characters they are creating. Considering it's the Muppets, that is only as it should be. The writing is nice, with some great one liners and fun word play. I like this movie, there just isn't a whole lot I think I can say about it other than it's enjoyable.

To be fair, this special was a lot better than "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," but it's still not that good. There aren't any adult jokes that'll make your kids embarrassed to watch it with you or vice versa, but there are some other things that make this film pretty weak. Following the classic Muppet Christmas special tradition: the premise is pretty simple: after an event at the post office Christmas Eve morning, Gonzo accidentally doesn't mail a letter to Santa Claus for one of his friends. He, Kermit, Fozzie, Rizzo, and...Pepe (I will pay someone to step on him) fly to the North Pole to give the letter to Santa...Yeah, that's it. What's good about this special? Well, it has a lot of nice, tender, heartfelt moments. Gonzo sings the intro to a song in the film; he sings "What's in your heart?" I don't care for the rest of the song, but that part is very nice; I still find myself singing that sometimes. There's another song he shares with Fozzie later called "I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus." To be honest, it really doesn't fit with the scene, but it's a very lovely song. The special ends with all the Muppets gathering together for Christmas; that's rather nice. Also, there are a few funny moments. My favorite part is Nathan Lane's cameo! Not only is he funny, but his interaction with Bobo is funny as well (this is probably the first film I found myself fully enjoying Bobo without him being annoying)! So what doesn't work? Well, for starters, it's slow. Some scenes feel like filer; like the scene where Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo are on the roof, or where Pepe talks to the gentlemen in the restaurant. Besides the musical numbers I mentioned earlier, I can't name any other song; they're either annoying or forgettable. Also, why are the Muppets in an urban New York setting here? It seems too weird. Finally, I think it goes back to one of the problems "Kermit Swamp Years" had: it's very childish. There's one adult joke I noticed (of course it came up, Pepe's here!), but other than that I can't really think of any material here that will get adults invested. I will say, though, kudos to this film for having Santa Claus be in this movie without saying Christmas is about Santa! Christmas specials today often do that, and it's really annoying, irritating, and, well, just untrue. Especially with the Muppets conforming their entertainment in their past productions, they could have easily taken that route. I'm glad they didn't. I think this special is cute. It's a nice special kids will enjoy OK; but I don't think adults will enjoy it too much aside from a couple of heartfelt moments and a few jokes. To be honest, this special is kind of forgettable aside from those things. It's cute, but it's not what I want to see from the Muppets. I'd say give this one a pass. BOOYIKA!

It's Christmastime in New York, and the Muppet gang have posted their cards and wishlists, but after causing mayhem at the Post Office Gonzo is left with three undelivered letters to Santa. When he gets back he discovers that the office is closed and he must deliver them to the North Pole by hand. After a few false starts he and a few of the others manage to get to the spot with an all-southern view and save Xmas, for three people. Cameos from Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane, Mayor Bloomberg (!), and, obviously, Whoopie Goldberg come and go. Directed by Kirk Thatcher, the "Punk on Bus" himself, this is a lot better than his previous attempt at Yuletide Muppetry. I found A Very Merry Muppet Christmas to be rather flat and TV-ish. There's nothing wrong with the TV platform as many Xmas specials have become classics, a few Muppet efforts among them, but the atmosphere matters and Letters to Santa is slightly better than the 2002 in that regard. I don't know what it is, I can't put my finger on it, but maybe the real locations detract from the feeling. I think that the Muppets work best when they are shot entirely in studios where the lighting and effects can be more competently controlled. It's worth watching, but not up to the better Muppet Xmas specials.

This is a slight but fun Muppet entry, that has a certain charm about it. I enjoyed the film, I thought there were some nice moments and celeb cameos. It is however very brief, even with the extended/deleted scenes on the DVD, and this meant the storyline felt a bit rushed. Good overall though.

Another show watched as it was next on the alphabetical list of movies on Disney Plus. There was a degree of anticipation for me, as the title including the words "Muppet" and "Christmas" invokes thoghts of the superlative "Muppets Christmas Carol". This though, whether in comparison or even on its own merits, is a pretty poor affair. Having caused some issues at the Post Office in the run up to Christmas, our Muppet heroes discover they've inadvertently taken three letters and now, with the Post Office closed these letters won't make it to Santa (Richard Griffiths) in time. The gang decide to take it upon themselves to deliver the letters, so head to the North Pole. My relationship to The Muppets is an odd one. It's peaked by two films, the aforementioned "Christmas Carol" and the 2011 Muppets Movie. I was a touch too young for the original series and the revivals haven't really worked for me. This I didn't enjoy either. I didn't think it was funny and that the songs were uninspiring. It was a procession of cameos - some of which, such as Steve Schirripa and Rony Sirico were entertaining enough, but most of whom, such as Mayor Bloomberg and Uma Thurman were rather baffling. The real problem is the story and script though, it's a boring but also oddly confusing story. It feels like the challenge should be getting to the North Pole and delivering the letter, but way to much time is spent on the set up, so there isn't really enough time for anything interesting to happen once they're there. It is, after all, a glorified TV special rather than a movie in its own right, so perhaps it's asking a bit too much for it to have been genuinely good too, but I can't recommend it either.

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) is a movie I recently watched on Disney+ with my daughter. The storyline follows Gonzo making a mistake causing letters to be not sent to Santa in time for Christmas. He talks to Kermit and they decide to setout on a trip to hand deliver them to Santa in the North Pole just in time for Christmas. This movie is directed by Kirk R. Thatcher (Crank Yankers) and stars and/or contains the voices of Steve Whitmire (Muppets Christmas Carol), Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple), Eric Jacobson (Sesame Street), Jesse L. Martin (Rent), Dave Goelz (Fraggle Rock) and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill). The Fozzie jokes were easily the best part of the movie. He had me cracking up from beginning to end. There were some good cameos in this and the rats were fun also. The old men are always fantastic too. Unfortunately the songs were below expectations and the storyline was just okay, nothing you feel too invested in. Overall this is a very average addition to the genre and doesn't meet expectations of a Muppet movie. It's fun seeing the characters but felt a bit hollow in terms of storyline. I would score this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

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 Muppets in NYC are lined up to get their Christmas letters mailed. Gonzo screws up the post office machinery. Little girl Claire gives Gonzo a letter but Gonzo forgets. It's Christmas Eve. The post office is closed and the gang has to deliver 3 letters to the North Pole. Everybody gives up but Gonzo convinces Kermit and Fozzie to try. Rizzo and Pepe come along. I wonder if the post office paid to get the Muppets to do this special. I would have prefer the group stays together. It's always more fun with more Muppets. The cameos are fine but they are not the big draw for me. I'm also not a big fan of Rizzo and Pepe as being the main characters. I love Kermit with Miss Piggy. I like that Gonzo, Fozzie and Kermit are together but I miss Miss Piggy. The songs are OK but nothing special. The letter from the airport security guy doesn't really make sense. It's not the strongest Christmas special but it's still the Muppets.