User reviews

With the month of December almost over, I finally decided to watch this Muppet Christmas special that I put off for the last two weeks. In summation, A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa is no great shakes compared to the classic "Muppet Show" that I enjoyed as a kid of the '70s but these creations of the late Jim Henson can still entertain like nobody's business and it was very nice to see the whole gang from that show together again. The songs by Muppet veteran Paul Williams were nicely done though only the Fozzie/Gonzo duet about wishing to be Santa seems like a future classic. The celebrity cameos are hit-or-miss but do provide some amusements especially that of Williams and Nathan Lane. I recognized the kid from that Disney movie that starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It's too bad that Jane Krakowski and Jesse Martin weren't utilized more for their musical talents. Still, if you love the Muppets, you'll be glad to see them in A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa.

The Muppets in NYC are lined up to get their Christmas letters mailed. Gonzo screws up the post office machinery. Little girl Claire gives Gonzo a letter but Gonzo forgets. It's Christmas Eve. The post office is closed and the gang has to deliver 3 letters to the North Pole. Everybody gives up but Gonzo convinces Kermit and Fozzie to try. Rizzo and Pepe come along.

I wonder if the post office paid to get the Muppets to do this special. I would have prefer the group stays together. It's always more fun with more Muppets. The cameos are fine but they are not the big draw for me. I'm also not a big fan of Rizzo and Pepe as being the main characters. I love Kermit with Miss Piggy. I like that Gonzo, Fozzie and Kermit are together but I miss Miss Piggy. The songs are OK but nothing special. The letter from the airport security guy doesn't really make sense. It's not the strongest Christmas special but it's still the Muppets.

The Muppets are no strangers to the Holidays. They have had many a film produced incorporating Christmas related themes. The best and most popular of them all was The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). But that hasn't stopped the Henson Company. Before Kermit and his friends came back with their return film The Muppets (2011), they were still doing productions for the small screen. Prior to this, another holiday made for TV production was released - It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002). Other than that, this is the Muppet's latest outing at the holiday season. Is really good? Mmmmm,..not unanimously but it is decent enough to be seen.

This time, viewers follow their favorite characters at the post office waiting to send their holiday mail. When Gonzo forgets to put his in the mail, it's up to Kermit and friends to find a way to get them to Santa on time. Here's what does work. First and foremost, The Muppets (and voice-actors) themselves. They are always key and the fact that they were of main focus all the time was great. The humor also works because of the certain situations Kermit and his friends get into. The gags range from bad jokes, silly puns and goofy reactions the Muppets make. Thankfully, these eye-inducing moments aren't as bad they could be because it's the Muppets. Another element that will have viewers happy to see is the tone of this movie. Unlike It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie(2002) which had a very mean spirited tone, this feature has a much more upbeat feel and that's especially good.

Another good component was the cameos of various actors. This ranges from Whoopi Goldberg, Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane and even Michael Bloomberg. Camera-work by Luke Geissbuhler (the DP of Borat (2006)) was appropriate as was Chris Caswell's musical score. However, this is where things don't work. For one, the running time is too short. Yes it is a TV movie, but so was It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and was well over an hour. The problem with this is that it cuts everything down to an unnecessary length. This goes for cast cameos and even the Muppet characters. That can be a bit frustrating if this is a Muppet Movie and you only see a few of the Muppets instead of the whole bunch for more than five minutes.

Along with that is issue of writing. The story for this movie is cute but again, with a shortened running time, everything must fall in place quickly or it won't work. With this comes cliché and convenient contrivances that either defy logic or are impossible to begin with. It's not to say it isn't funny or doesn't work but the story almost had a finale that would've seemed more mature and realistic than what was chosen. There can always be a happy ending but that doesn't mean it has to be exactly the way the audience expects it to be. Adding to the bit of blandness are the songs that the Muppets sing composed by Paul Williams. It's not that they bore but they're not as memorable as other Paul Williams pieces. It certainly won't be an hour wasted but it could've been better.

It has all of the basic components to make a really good Muppet Christmas movie but it instead comes off as fairly generic. The main problem is its running time, which trims down several parts that make up a good Muppet film.

I had never actually heard about this Muppets Christmas movie titled "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa", but of course I opted to sit down and watch it, as part of my 2024 Christmas movie marathon.

Did I harbor great expectations to this 2008 movie? Not really, as I had just sat through the somewhat bland 2002 "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" prior to watching this 2008 movie. But still, since I hadn't already seen this one, of course I gave it a chance.

Writers Hugh Fink, Scott Ganz, Andrew Samson and Paul Williams put together a rather enjoyable and entertaining script and storyline. I have to say that I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the 43 minutes that the movie ran for. "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" was definitely a step up from the 2002 "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie", so I was pleasantly surprised.

The live cast in the movie was good, and they had a great ensemble of talents for the various roles and parts.

With "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" being a Henson movie, of course the Muppets are great. There are many familiar Muppets on the screen, and also a bunch that I wasn't familiar with.

While no Christmas classic, I will say that "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" definitely is an entertaining Christmas movie for the family.

My rating of director Kirk R. Thatcher's 2008 movie "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" lands on a six out of ten stars.

It's Christmastime in New York, and the Muppet gang have posted their cards and wishlists, but after causing mayhem at the Post Office Gonzo is left with three undelivered letters to Santa. When he gets back he discovers that the office is closed and he must deliver them to the North Pole by hand. After a few false starts he and a few of the others manage to get to the spot with an all-southern view and save Xmas, for three people. Cameos from Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane, Mayor Bloomberg (!), and, obviously, Whoopie Goldberg come and go.

Directed by Kirk Thatcher, the "Punk on Bus" himself, this is a lot better than his previous attempt at Yuletide Muppetry. I found A Very Merry Muppet Christmas to be rather flat and TV-ish. There's nothing wrong with the TV platform as many Xmas specials have become classics, a few Muppet efforts among them, but the atmosphere matters and Letters to Santa is slightly better than the 2002 in that regard. I don't know what it is, I can't put my finger on it, but maybe the real locations detract from the feeling. I think that the Muppets work best when they are shot entirely in studios where the lighting and effects can be more competently controlled.

It's worth watching, but not up to the better Muppet Xmas specials.

The last Muppet Christmas special was abysmal. The one where Kermit sees what the world would have been like without him. Too dark, too freaky. But this, this is sweet. A little too cheesy sometimes, but I'd rather that than too mature. I've loved the Muppets since I was a kid and still watch the 80's specials at the holidays. This one is finally on that level. Lots of characters offering their running gags, great cameos, beautiful sets, and a lovely finish. The songs weren't quite up to par, but I was glad they decided to have musical numbers. That's the heartwarming Muppets I remember! Thank you Henson studios for bringing them back (and including Pepe the Prawn and Bobo in there)!

This is a slight but fun Muppet entry, that has a certain charm about it.

I enjoyed the film, I thought there were some nice moments and celeb cameos.

It is however very brief, even with the extended/deleted scenes on the DVD, and this meant the storyline felt a bit rushed.

Good overall though.

I love the Muppets, the show and most of their movies. However, this special was a big disappointment. Granted it has its good points, I loved the chemistry between Kermit and Miss Piggy, the production values are at least decent and I liked Gonzo very much here. Also the Muppet performers do do a decent job with weak material.

Pretty much everything else is a big disappointment. The story was fresh and original I agree at first glance, but it was a completely different story when it came to the execution. Most of it actually is very predictable and rushed. This isn't helped by the fact it is too short.

I also agree about the special's writing. The script is pretty much terrible, Gonzo and Fozzie have their moments but most of the other Muppet parts are under-written and very rarely was it funny. The jokes were also very lame and childish, and the sentimentality gets mushy.

The music was also a big disappointment. Other than Gonzo and Fozzie's duet, which was compared to everything else delightful, the music is little more than mediocre and I say forgettable too. The lyrics are also trite and the melodies are unmemorable afterwards.

The Muppets do try their best, and I was thrilled at the return of some old favourites, but let down severely by bad material, and I missed Gonzo and Rizzo's chemistry which was always delightful. The cameos are even more disappointing. Some of the characters are somewhat superfluous to the story or are poorly explored- I concur that the whole believing in Santa thing was quite poorly done- and Paul Williams' cameo especially is completely out of place and unfunny.

In conclusion, I am a Muppet fan, but I have to agree, A Muppets Christmas:Letters to Santa is quite weak. It has its moments, but it is a shame especially about the writing and music. 4/10 Bethany Cox

It is silly and the musical part is really funny. Their physical actions are as funny as ever, and tiny stuff like gonzo telling his chicken "don't be chicken" and she just meeps and looks at the camera for a second is hilarious. The grumpy guys, the silly cameos are perfect for kids. "Happy holidays everybody" pretty much sums up this fun tv special.

They even have muppet bloopers at the end. Hahahahaha.

When Gonzo accidentally diverts three letters to Santa Claus, he convinces Kermit and his friends to personally deliver them to the North Pole. When Gonzo accidentally diverts three letters to Santa Claus, he convinces Kermit and his friends to personally deliver them to the North Pole North.

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 friends Christmas wish come true.

Cute, it will never have the magic of animation that enchanted me enormously in childhood, or it would be adolescence, I don't remember, but charming and Christmas, cute as it should be...

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) is a movie I recently watched on Disney+ with my daughter. The storyline follows Gonzo making a mistake causing letters to be not sent to Santa in time for Christmas. He talks to Kermit and they decide to setout on a trip to hand deliver them to Santa in the North Pole just in time for Christmas.

This movie is directed by Kirk R. Thatcher (Crank Yankers) and stars and/or contains the voices of Steve Whitmire (Muppets Christmas Carol), Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple), Eric Jacobson (Sesame Street), Jesse L. Martin (Rent), Dave Goelz (Fraggle Rock) and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill).

The Fozzie jokes were easily the best part of the movie. He had me cracking up from beginning to end. There were some good cameos in this and the rats were fun also. The old men are always fantastic too. Unfortunately the songs were below expectations and the storyline was just okay, nothing you feel too invested in.

Overall this is a very average addition to the genre and doesn't meet expectations of a Muppet movie. It's fun seeing the characters but felt a bit hollow in terms of storyline. I would score this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Another show watched as it was next on the alphabetical list of movies on Disney Plus. There was a degree of anticipation for me, as the title including the words "Muppet" and "Christmas" invokes thoghts of the superlative "Muppets Christmas Carol". This though, whether in comparison or even on its own merits, is a pretty poor affair.

Having caused some issues at the Post Office in the run up to Christmas, our Muppet heroes discover they've inadvertently taken three letters and now, with the Post Office closed these letters won't make it to Santa (Richard Griffiths) in time. The gang decide to take it upon themselves to deliver the letters, so head to the North Pole.

My relationship to The Muppets is an odd one. It's peaked by two films, the aforementioned "Christmas Carol" and the 2011 Muppets Movie. I was a touch too young for the original series and the revivals haven't really worked for me. This I didn't enjoy either. I didn't think it was funny and that the songs were uninspiring. It was a procession of cameos - some of which, such as Steve Schirripa and Rony Sirico were entertaining enough, but most of whom, such as Mayor Bloomberg and Uma Thurman were rather baffling.

The real problem is the story and script though, it's a boring but also oddly confusing story. It feels like the challenge should be getting to the North Pole and delivering the letter, but way to much time is spent on the set up, so there isn't really enough time for anything interesting to happen once they're there.

It is, after all, a glorified TV special rather than a movie in its own right, so perhaps it's asking a bit too much for it to have been genuinely good too, but I can't recommend it either.