Guillermo del Toro Says Muppet Christmas Carol Is the Best Version

We’re just a matter of days away from Christmas, and movie fans all across the world are finding ways to celebrate. Over the years, one of the most heavily-adapted holiday tales has definitely been A Christmas Carol, which is based on the iconic Charles Dickens story of the same name. The adaptations have ranged from the lighthearted (Scrooged) to the incredibly dark (FX’s latest A Christmas Carol miniseries), but one has captured people’s hearts in a very particular way. The Muppet Christmas Carol, a 1992 film in which much of the principal cast is portrayed by Muppets. The adaptation has quite a lot of fans, including legendary director Guillermo del Toro, who recently took to Twitter to argue that it is the best adaptation of the source material.

The Muppet Christmas Carol stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy playing the Cratchits, Gonzo playing Charles Dickens. While the film isn’t a word-for-word adaptation of the original text, it does distill the core themes of the story in some heartfelt and interesting ways.

“The Muppets are famous for questioning the status quo, and anti-establishment irreverence,” Brian Henson said of the film (via The Independent). “So we took that and pointed it at Charles Dickens … We were going to do a romping parody.”

“A man mentioned the Muppets and I said, ‘That’s it! I’ll do that!’” Caine said of the film in an interview with GQ in 2016. “I could make it, and my daughter could see it. That’s why I did it. And it was lovely … I think it’s the funniest of the lot. I see it every year, because it’s on television every year at Christmas. It can never grow old, unlike me.”

Even with Muppet Christmas Carol being a favorite among many, the story is set to get yet another new adaptation in the near future. Both Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell are attached to a musical project based on the iconic story, and are currently shopping the project around to different studios.

Do you agree with Guillermo del Toro’s take on The Muppet Christmas Carol? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!