So, like many of us here, I saw the movie in my childhood--probably as it was airing on TV around the holidays. I LOVED it, but when I grew up it never made its way into our DVD collection and fell by the wayside.I'm old now, and have 2 kids who are finally old enough to appreciate these kinds of things. We put it on last night and I was blown away by its charm and sincerity that did not diminish through my cynical old age.What was most remarkable to me was just how well the film has held up over 27 years. Like, I wouldn't know if it had been made in 1990 or in 2004 (except the age of Michael Caine! haha). The costumes didn't look dated--so many period dramas have artifacts of the eras in which they are made--the songs and scoring are just as moving, fun, beautiful, and delightful and don't hint at any 'topical' or pop culture elements that many such movies incorporate. It's basically timeless and I was so impressed.Also can we honestly talk about the music? I straight up cried like 3 times. The scoring is also gorgeous, dramatic, and really pretty.And can we talk about how they use the source material? Like GUSH.I am so pleased that they relied on practical effects and "camera trickery" (any term for this?) rather than VFX because it is the final touch in making this movie so timeless and hold up just as well today as it did nearly 30 years ago.Michael Caine is such a gem and the way they played this story is straight magic. A live actor playing Scrooge dead-straight, juxtaposed with the absurdity and absolute earnestness and sincerity of the muppets just creates a really fun dynamic that engages children in the source material without dumbing it down or dishonoring it. It's done with such heart and love for Dicken's story and that really struck me.Finally, as an adult I was impressed with their timing and editing--they allow the spookier, heavier scenes enough room to breathe, but intercut with some levity with good judgment and good timing. It's never over-the-top, it's still funny to me as an adult, and it is sensitive to the rhythm of the story and the psyche of young children. Watching it through my childrens' eyes, I just really appreciated the care they gave both to the story and to the young audiences they knew would be watching. It can be heavy and spooky and scary, but without going over-the-top and overwhelming the young ones.Thanks for listening to me gush. It's firmly in our family rotation now. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2Lv30TC
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