Oh! I had no idea that song wasn't in the original version. I can't remember if I saw the movie when it was in theaters--I think I might have, but it's been a while.

I loooove this version of A Christmas Carol. Probably not the best one ever made, but one of the best Muppet movies ever made.

I too love this version. The Muppets have always embodied the ideal that everyone, regardless of species, is in this together ! This is an ideal vehicle for them and many of the scenes are played with great sincerity. I cannot see the ommision of the song 'When Love is Gone' as anything significant. As kids, we used to hate the obligatory soppy bit in any film and for me, the un-necessary warbling just slows down the pace of the film. Glad to see it cut to be honest. I had an early pre-recorded video for years and it wasn't until I saw a DVD cut that I noticed it was gone. I didn't mourn the loss.Its on thew soundtrack album afterall. One thing we should mention is the death of Tiny Tim. Death can be a touchy subject in a childrens movie and I was interested to see how they handled it. In getting rid of the narrative device for the last spirit, they set the tone perfectly. When we remember that the father of the muppets, Jim Henson had just died, there is a massive poignancy to the words 'Life is full of meetings and partings - thats the way of it' that Kermit says to his family. I doubt any version of Christmas Carol has played that moment with such a touching and weighty honesty.

I definitely agree that this is a remarkably faithful adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Sure, they're the Muppets, but Gonzo aka Dickens did serve his purpose, as some of the narrative passages are now able to take life on screen.

Of course, Gonzo is also the only character to "break character," reminding the insanely patriotic Sam the Eagle that he is, in fact, in a British story.

Now, "When Love is Gone" may be poingnant, but the song is so darn long and slow, that as a kid, I always would make fun of it... dragging out the song so it ran on for hours (in much the same fashion as Barbara Streisand's "Brushing out my hair for three hours" song in Hello, Dolly!). If the song were handled differently in the movie, then yes, that would be a good moment. But the song is slow, and punishing on the pace.

An abridged version of the song, including Caine's sing-along would suffice.

Apart from the Muppet-ized context, Caine delivers a quite sincere and affecting performance—perhaps among the best in this role.

I don't recall "When Love is Gone" being excised from the theatrical release of the film, in fact, I remember listening to the song on the Soundtrack CD over and over again because the film scene had been so moving.

Perhaps it was trimmed on some TV showings, but I absolutely remember it in the original theatrical release.

Even though The Muppet Movie was my favorite, I love the score

to this movie.     I especially love Robin's song.   (Tiny Tim)

You can't watch Muppet Christmas Carol,

and then watch Muppet Treasure Island after that.

You loose your interest right away.

Muppet Treasure Island was awful.

But Tim Curry sure was good.

Hi-ho, all!

I completely agree with Jim on this one. The excising of the song "When Love Is Gone" was an atrocity to this loving adaptation (and fitting tribute to Jim Henson's legacy).

As a composer, you learn to work with motifs and themes, and the melody presented in this song is a prevalent theme in the film. I absolutely hate when a song is removed and you still hear the theme played throughout the film (i.e. "If I Never Knew You" from "Pocahontas"). It's also important to note that

"The Love Is Gone" becomes a measure of what was lost AND what was gained - at the end of the film the cast gathers to sing about "The Love We've Found", which is a reprise of this same song with a positive spin on the lyrics. Removing this song removes the heart from the film and unbalances the score (which you can tell Paul Williams imbued with a great deal of heart).

I don't think it's inclusion slows the pace of the story at all. In a crisp, quick script such as this, a few moments spent to fully develop an idea and an emotional trauma is essential. Otherwise the entire blast at the end loses it's potency. Is anyone afraid of a roller-coaster with a 20-foot first drop? Or how about a roller coaster that can't get to the top of the second hill because not enough care and time was spent building the momentum down the first one? Storytelling is all about progression, and plateau and progression again - and sometimes a moment of sincere emotion is worth it when you get to the end of the ride.

Thank you so much for including the Muppet version! I have been following your Christmas Carol series and I've been waiting for your take on my favorite holiday video!

I have the original VHS release of the movie AND it has the cut out part in it :)

Personally, I've never been too fond of this version because of how many times I've seen it ... some things get worse with more repeatings.

Bravo Nitemuze2!  What an accurate and truthful description of the moments of music-making in storytelling.  I can't imagine the movie without this song.

my favorite christmas carol.

Your forgot to mention its a musical. And the soundtrack is always a part of my holiday listening.

i have the vhs release and the song is in it. And i always understood it as an emotional look at ebenezer. To show us why he became so hard.

much like Davy Jones in POTC:2. Hes a jerk. But maybe because of the hardships, and how many times hes had to harden his heart due to heartbreak. Thats such a relateable quality that I think we all tend to feel bad for Jones and Scrooge.

Cant get enough of this one!!

I've been waiting for this one.  My favorite!  I remember seeing it in theaters and God knows how many times I've watched my DVD, but had no clue about that song side-story.  When I watch it this year I'll pay better attention.

I think there's a lot of confusion where the song has been cut.

The song was in the theatrical version.   It was on the VHS, Laserdisc, and the first DVD release.

According to IMDB.com, the song was cut from the Kermit's 50th and (surprisingly) the UK DVD releases of the movie.

Check the audio commentary on the DVD, guys. Brian Henson clearly states that "When Love is Gone" was cut for "The Muppet Christmas Carol" 's original theatrical release in December of 1992. All versions thereafter -- whether it be VHS, DVD or the version that's now shown on television -- had this Paul Williams song folded back in.

I think what's causing people to get confused is that the "Kermit's 50th Anniversary" edition of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" that was released on DVD features this Brian Henson film in its original widescreen format as well as a full-screen version. The only problem is ... The widescreen version of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" on that DVD was apparently duped off of a print of this film as it was shown during its original theatrical release. Which once again means that "When Love is Gone" is nowhere to be found in that version of the film.

Again, if you'd believe me, go listen to the audio commentary on "The Muppet Christmas Carol." Brian Henson tells the whole story ... Without -- of course -- mentioning the name of the executive who told him to cut that song out of the movie in the first place.

I distinctly remember watching "When Love is Gone" sung in the theater when I saw the movie in the theaters.  I was there the first day it was released. It was in the theater in Burbank.  Could have there been an alternative cut that was released in a very limited amount of theaters?  

My biggest problem with  this song (for me at least) really dragged down the proceedings and all the longer to get to the really cool sequences with the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Yet to Be.  

I believe you Nancy as I have heard the commentary myself being the muppet geek and aspiring muppeteer myself, but like I said, I distinctly remember seeing this song in the theater on the opening weekend.  

The song was not cut in its theatrical release here is SoCal, perhaps general release prints were shortened?

Brian Henson could actually be mistaken—he may remember being asked to excise it, or seeing it cut in an international version...

People have been known to tell apocryphal stories on their DVD commentaries...

The VHS copy that I own from when the film was first released in 1992 has the song intact.  It may have been cut for TV viewing, but, it is complete on the original VHS release.

It's also possible memories of a movie shown in theatres 14 years ago has gotten muddied with many more home viewings in the years since. Mine certainly have. I saw it once in a Miami theatre, enjoyed it enough to own the VHS and then the DVD when they came out, but I can't say for sure about this song. Memory is a funny thing. There's been studies done where people unwittingly created memories of things like Looney Tunes walk-around characters at Disneyland.

In any case, I think the movie works much better with this song. I wouldn't compare it with the ballad cut from Pocahontas. "If I never knew you" lost me at the animal sidekicks scurrying in. There's no Muppets here, just Scrooge and his past. It's a great scene.

I saw the film three times in the theatre on its original release, and the song was cut from the film, as were several other songs written for the film (and included on the original soundtrack recording).  The soundtrack was released a couple weeks before the film, and I remember being surprised by how much was missing from the finished film, song-wise.  

Not only was this great song missing, so was "Room in Your Heart," a song from Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (and a great tune, which also would have helped the story to progress, as it shows clearly what Scrooge's biggest problem is), and "Chairman of the Board," a number celebrating being industrious by Sam the Eagle (and while okay, the scene is better for losing it).  The "Marley and Marley" number is shorter in the film, as well, and would be better in the film with the extra lyrics.

Paul Williams' score for this film is first-rate, as is the obvious love for the story, the characters, etc.  There are several excellent versions of "A Christmas Carol" out there, but this one is a standout.  Especially when you watch subsequent Muppet films like "Muppets from Space" and the horrible "Muppet Wizard of Oz."

My biggest complaint is that some of the staging of the songs seems rather...lackluster.  After the great opening tune, "Scrooge," which takes you all through London, following Michael Caine past hundreds of singing Muppets and humans, the next "big" number is Kermit's "One More Sleep 'til Christmas," which nicely uses the Muppet rats and even some penguins.  But "When Love is Gone," while beautiful and extremely poignant (once Scrooge starts singing with Belle), is horribly staged.  The song is slow enough...it definitely needed someone with a musical background to help stage it.  Sloooow camera shots, a horrible soundstage (clearly a mini-town in the background), and some awkward lip-synching...perhaps some "flashback" sequences to when Belle and Ebenezer were in love (following their meeting at Fozziwig's Party) or something, just to help it go somewhere.  Until Michael Caine breaks down in tears, the song (while quite lovely) is just not enjoyable to watch.  And "It Feels Like Christmas," one of the best songs in the film (and one that should have had a long life...it deserves to be re-recorded by other artists), just feels like it peters out.  But..."Bless Us All," the big song by Tiny Tim and the Cratchits, is wonderful, and a nicely played moment in the film, which makes Tiny Tim's passing (and a beautiful performance by Kermit and Piggy in the scene talking about it) that much more poignant.

A true Christmas classic, and probably the best "musical" version of the story.

I don't care when it was cut, I'm just glad it was. The Muppets reputation rests on genuine sincerity ,not being  over-blown with syruppy fake sentiment ladled on with a trowell and this warbling antic surely can't impress anyone.Its Mariah Carey rather than art.

Jim Hill continues his look at the many movie & television adaptations of Charles Dickens' holiday tale. This time around, Jim talks about a 1993 episode of the "Alvin & the Chipmunks" TV series. Which borrows just enough ideas from this classic story

I don't really care they left out 'When Love is Gone'. It's nice on its own, but when used in the film, it slows the action to a crawl. If they wanted people to care about this moment, they could have used the scene in the book which shows who Belle married instead of Scrooge.

Speaking of Scrooge, Michael Caine makes a great 'mean Scrooge' at the beginning but is rather aloof and dull afterwards until after his haunting. The Muppets turn in better performances; the scene with Tiny Tim's death is made the most tear-jerking and honest portrayal in history thanks to Kermit and Miss Piggy, and the Ghost of Christmas Present makes an effective contrast to Edward Woodward.