The Muppet Christmas Carol's warmth, wit and obvious affection for Dickens make it one of the greatest Christmas films – and literary adaptations – of all time

The Muppet Christmas Carol was the first Muppet film made after the death of creator Jim Henson in 1990. His absence was clearly felt by all involved, and though there's a lightness of touch running throughout, this is probably the darkest Muppet film yet. But, somehow, it's also the one most filled with love.

The plot follows Charles Dickens's original 1843 novel closely, complete with the omniscient narrator Dickens himself (played by The Great Gonzo, aided by Rizzo the Rat), and stars Sir Michael Caine – in, frankly, a brilliant performance – as Ebenezer Scrooge. Caine tears into the role and is, unlike plenty of Muppet movie guest stars, never upstaged by Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy (as Bob and Emily Cratchit respectively). As you would expect from a Muppet production, Caine at no point acknowledges that the Muppets are anything other than human, and the result is a true ensemble piece.