The Muppet Christmas Carol movie and soundtrack will inevitably draw comparison to previous
Muppets efforts, considering this is the first film since Jim Henson's death. Luckily
Paul Williams, the songwriter of
The Muppet Movie, is on hand to provide some sense of attachment and familiarity. And of course, the rest of the
Muppets gang are around too.
Williams' score is not as striking as his work with
The Muppet Movie, but he has crafted an extensive package of Christmas cheer with 11 new songs and a charming score. Two of the songs, "Room in Your Heart" and "Chairman of the Board," did not appear in the actual film, so they really serve as bonus tracks. The song "Marley and Marley," sung by living dead versions of the heckling Waldorf and Statler, is humorous, eerie, and poignant, reminding the still living that "Freedom comes from giving love as prison comes with hate." "Bless Us All," sung by
Tiny Tim and his family, is a tender prayer that really captures the spirit of Christmas quite perfectly, but "It Feels Like Christmas," sung by the Ghost of Christmas Present and the cast (and also sung by the
Muppets family on a 1992 television tribute to
Ed Sullivan), takes the prize for one of the first and finest
Muppets songs to come about in years. [In 2005 Disney released an Anniversary Edition.] ~ Peter Fawthrop