Deck the Halls with These Christmas Musicals
It's officially that most wonderful time of the year! Though we at The Film Rewind have been celebrating the holidays for a good while, the holiday season is now in full force! Now is the time to bake some holiday treats, turn up the festive music, and watch your favorite holiday specials. Speaking of music and specials, today I will be sharing five of my favorite musical Christmas specials. For those of you who grow weary of the same old Christmas tunes on the radio, these movies can provide some alternative soundtracks to add to your holiday music playlist. If you're on the lookout for some fun and snazzy music for the Christmas season, check out these festive favorites:
A Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, dir. Brian Henson)
Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and the rest of the Muppet gang as they reimagine Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843). While Michael Caine's Scrooge may not be the best singer, the music (composed by Paul Williams) is as catchy as ever, and the script's fourth-wall breaking humor puts a fun spin on an oft-told Christmas Tale.
Favorite Song: While there are many great picks from this musical, it's hard to beat the ghostly "Marley and Marley," the musical warning to Scrooge from his partners Jacob and Robert Marley (man, that Robert Marley joke is really great).
The Polar Express (2004, dir. Robert Zemeckis)
The motion-captured animation of the characters may seem a bit creepy nowadays, and there aren't a ton of songs in The Polar Express , but the majority of the songs that are in this film are pretty remarkable. This is a story of one magic train ride on Christmas Eve, which has become a Christmas tradition that dates back to the beautifully illustrated 1985 original storybook by Chris Van Allsburg.
Favorite Song: This is really hard. "Hot Chocolate" was always my favorite number in the movie (tap dancing waiters never fail to make me giddy), but since listening to the soundtrack, my choice is actually: "The Spirit of the Season." It's only briefly heard in the film itself, but the full song is one of the most aggressively joyful and unpredictable Christmas songs I've ever heard.
The Little Match Girl (1986, dir. Michael Custance)
If you're into a musical that maybe feels a little less timeless (as I always am), check out this television adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl (1845). Starring Twiggy (yes, Twiggy!) and Roger Daltry of The Who, this movie is a marriage of '80s nostalgia and pretty great (though, admittedly dark) music and story. The film introduced the song "Mistletoe and Wine," which became insanely popular in the UK a couple of years later when Cliff Richard released it as a single.
Favorite Song: I don't know the official titles of these songs, as a soundtrack doesn't seem to have been released, but I enjoy the fast-paced, yet lamenting song that introduces Twiggy's character, the vaudevillian Josie.
A Christmas Carol the Musical (2004, dir. Arthur Allan Seidelman)
If you love prime-time television actors, you'll love this adaptation of A Christmas Carol starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge, along with Jesse L. Martin, Jane Krakowski, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Jason Alexander. The music was written by Alan Menkin, the composer of many of the Disney Renaissance films such as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin (respectively, 1989, 1992, dir. Ron Clements, John Musker). Though it takes a few liberties from the original novel, it's the adaptation I can't go a Christmas without watching.
Favorite Song: I love the extended number that introduced Scrooge, called "Nothing To Do with Me." The song shows the film's roots as a Broadway show in its introduction of all of the main characters, and is cleverly called back during Scrooge's Christmas Day song in the final scene of the film.
The Littlest Angel (1969, dir. Joe Layton)
Charles Tazwell's The Littlest Angel (1945) has been one of my lifelong favorite stories. I similarly cherish this film for, among other reasons, emphasizing Tazwell's critique of those who confuse sanctimony with righteousness. Like A Christmas Carol the Musical, his film casts notable TV stars of the time, with Johnny Whitaker of Family Affair (CBS, 1966-1971) as the titular character, as well as Fred Gwynn of The Munsters. Yes, this movie is 95% terrible blue screen technology, but there's more than enough charm to make up for it.
Favorite Song: Fred Gwynn's character, Patience, sings a hauntingly beautiful song about memories of childhood. As the years go by it becomes more and more relevant to me.
What are your favorite holiday musical specials? Who's your favorite singing Scrooge? Let me know in the comments below, and make sure to catch up with our December Film Club pick, Die Hard, for discussion at the end of the month!
Copyright © 2020 Bailey Lizotte
