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List Price: $26.99 | | Label: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Salesrank: 2182
Released: September 29, 2009 |
| Our Price: $13.98 |
| Used Price: $12.85 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Celebrate the season will all your favorite Muppets in this heartwarming and hilarious holiday movie. Whoopi Goldberg, Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane and other sensational guest stars join our friends on a fun-filled Christmas adventure full of sidesplitting laughs and memorable music. When Gonzo forgets to mail three letters to Santa, he convinces Kermit and the gang to help him deliver the notes to the North Pole. Along the way, they discover that Christmas is the time to be with those you care about most, as they dash home to make a friend's Christmas wish come true. Bursting with bonus material and never-before-seen footage, A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS: LETTERS TO SANTA is hours of holiday fun for the entire family!
Bonus Features include. The Muppet Stocking Stuffer Smorgasbord, Deleted Scenes
Description of Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa:
Jim Henson created the Muppets in the mid 1950s, and they became hugely popular with young children, thanks to the television series Sesame Street, a show that began production in 1969 and continues today. In The Muppet Show (1976-1981), Henson took the Muppet characters that young children so loved and created a variety show aimed at the whole family. Suddenly Mom, Dad, and kids of all ages fell in love with Henson's adorable creatures, and it seemed like the Muppet movies and TV shows couldn't come fast enough. The Muppets' popularity continued after Jim Henson's death in 1990 with new productions such as the 1999 movie The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland and the television series Bear in the Big Blue House (1997-2006).
A 2008 TV special, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa features favorite Muppet characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear as they prepare for a busy holiday season in the modern world. Kermit and Ms. Piggy are headed to the Caribbean, Gonzo is off to Hawaii, Fozzie is embarking on a comedy road tour, and it seems like everybody is in a hurry to get somewhere. Stuck in line at the post office, Kermit tells his friends to relax and enjoy the best time of year, so they all take a moment to "help" their local postal workers. When Gonzo returns from the post office, he realizes that he's forgotten to mail three important letters to Santa--one of which is from his good friend Claire (Madison Pettis), who's already feeling a bit blue because all of her friends are going out of town for the holiday. Selflessly putting their own plans on hold, Gonzo, Kermit, and Fozzie embark on a long journey to the North Pole to deliver the letters. Along the way, they catch a cab driven by Whoopi Goldberg; meet a new friend, Joy (Uma Thurman), who speeds them on their way; and discover a way to help the curmudgeonly Officer Meany (Nathan Lane), who's been on Santa's naughty list for years. What they learn during their journey is that Christmas is really about family, friends, and togetherness. This television special is full of adorable characters and fun songs that appeal to kids of all ages, and it provides the perfect opportunity for a whole new generation of kids to fall in love with the Muppets. Bonus features include deleted scenes and a "Stocking Stuffer Smorgasbord" in which viewers gaze at the fire while listening in on the Muppets' holiday meal. --Tami Horiuchi
Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa Reviews:
How utterly disappointing 
2009-11-30 - I was so psyched to see a new Muppets special. There's been such slim pickings after "Muppets From Space". "A Very Merry Muppets Christmas", which came out in 2002, was a wee cluttered but is palpable for multiple viewings. The wholly unwatchable "Muppets' Wizard of Oz", however, was a stinking turd of a movie. Even this fan, who is a hardcore Muppet freak, couldn't make it through the whole thing.
So I was crossing my fingers for this one.
Sigh.
It was better than Oz, in the fact that I made it through the entire thing. Of course, it was only an hour, and they took so many commercial breaks that the darn thing was probably only about 35 minutes total, if that.
Many things could have helped what felt like a half-assed hack job. "Ooh, let's make up some random crap and make the Muppets do it, never taking into consideration how the characters should really behave," the writers said, I imagine. First, who the heck is Claire? And why should we care? What is the point of introducing two new characters that no one knows and no one cares about, for a measly one-hour special? Look, I get it. You want humans. Whoopie. Do like with Nathan Lane and Uma Thurman and give them bit roles. I'm sorry, but when it's the Muppets Anything, it should be them starring. And Jane Krakowski was completely wasted here. How sad.
What would have been much more believable would be if one of the letters was Robin's, Kermit's nephew. And Kermit feels compelled to get to Santa; which brings me to my next point--why the hell is GONZO the focus? He, while an interesting character, is not the main driver in the Muppets. Kermit is. Kermit always has been. He is the main character in the Muppets. That's how it is; that's the natural way of this franchise. It's just like Jerry is the main character of Seinfeld, like Carrie is the main of Sex and the City. Sure, we learn about the other three players; sure, there are other bit ones introduced. But, the core remains the same, and the leader does as well. The four main Muppets are Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, and Piggy. Those are the four that everyone thinks of, and those are the four who are at the center of each story, with Kermit as the lead.
Not that I have a problem with Gonzo, oh no. I like Gonzo. He's just the second best friend in this situation, not the star.
Now some may say, "But hey, wait, Gonzo was the focus of "Muppets From Space". He can carry a picture!" Sure. It worked there--because it was a plausible storyline. You couldn't do aliens with any of the other main Muppets, except maybe some of the band. Also, Gonzo was his normal self in Space--strange, thinking out of the box, running around like a crazy guy. Just as he should be. In "Letters", though, it's like someone gave the guy too much Paxil. He's got no zip, no spunk, none of his usual quirkiness. He's just slightly depressed and much too mellow for his character.
Speaking of wrong characters, we now come to my biggest sticking point--Piggy. Now, my disclosure is that Miss Piggy has been my favorite Muppet since I was about 2 years old. I've always seen her as a confident woman who knows what she wants and doesn't let anyone hold her back. Who, for instance, hit Kermit and brought back his memory in "Muppets Take Manhattan"? Who stood by her frog in "A Very Merry Muppet Christmas"? Who was the co-star for Kermit in "A Muppet Christmas Carol"? She is a strong woman, in more ways than one, and when the chips are down, she sticks by her friends. But this Piggy? I'm disgusted. They made her a selfish brat, as they did in "Oz". Despicable. If this were the real Piggy, she would've stuck by her friends, especially her frog. I could picture her perfectly being jealous when Joy showed up, which would've been more natural than to just write her out in the first five minutes. Was it because her eyes look so darn funny? Was I the only one who noticed that? What, did they lose her original prototype, or something?
In fact, not just Piggy, but the whole crowd would stick by the main characters and help out. That's what Muppets always do--they support each other like a team. They carpool to California in "The Muppet Movie" to break into the movies. They put on each Muppet Show together. They saved their Theatre in "A Very Merry" by sticking by each other. It's completely wrong to think that anyone of them would walk out on each other. Sure, some tried to punk out in the "Great Muppet Caper", but eventually they all came together to save the day. Besides, returning letters versus possibly getting killed? Please. One can hardly compare the two, and fault their hesitation.
And speaking of the other characters, Family Guy wasn't wrong. Wrong-sounding Muppets is the worst. Waldorf sounded so weird, Janice wasn't right, and the friend I watched with said, "Hey, wasn't Beaker's voice higher?" I understand that many of the originals have moved on, either to different projects or to that great Muppetland in the sky. I'm just surprised that these talented voice people can't bend their vocal chords a little further to sound a little more like the characters they're playing. I know it's hard, and I acknowledge that. But it's disheartening to hear a character's voice come out strange, when you thought you knew that voice perfectly.
To sum up, it was ok to watch once, making it better than "Oz". But I wouldn't want to see it again, making it only slightly better than "Oz" and not on par with what the Muppets should be putting out. Completely disappointing.
Muppets Letters to Santa 
2009-11-29 - A typical, delightful Muppet movie. Had some of the more "current, newer" Muppet characters on it. Will be adding it to our holiday viewing list.
Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa 
2009-11-09 - I received this product as advertised and it was delivered to me on a timely fashion. Thanks.
EXCELLENT!
2009-11-04 - ok, so i'm happy most any time the Muppets do anything at all. it's true.
the only thing that i have NOT liked was the Wizard of Oz disaster.
this is the Muppets back home in New York being themselves, again. it is classicly told in the proper muppet universe.
the music is good and the jokes are fresh.
this ISN'T the MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS, (nothing ever will be that great again!)
but it is the best thing in years!
Muppets - Christmas - and Blu Ray????
2009-10-19 - The Muppets return to their days of glory with "Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa". Very nice story - - lots of Muppets laughs - - set designs to rival "The Muppets Christmas Carol" and more will make this one of those Christmas classics that will be played year after to year to come.
My only question is why with all the new HD tv's - - the lower prices for Blu Ray players - - - and knowing that this was shot and originally aired in HD format - - why is this being put out in only old dvd quality.
A bunch of older Christmas classics are being rereleased on Blu Ray this year - - so why release the New Christmas show in the old format? I guess the answer is - - that I and all the other Muppet fans will buy this no matter how it is released.
You should too - - Merry Christmas.
