Muppet Christmas Carol: When Love Is Gone - With or Without?

[Bob Womack]

It's the biggest controversy on the Internet.

But aren't they all?

The original classic Christmas movie, A Muppet Christmas Carol, was shot with a transitional scene involving Scrooge and his girl Belle, in which it becomes time for her to leave him because he has become a loveless man, obsessed with money. Then Disney Studios head Jeff Katzenberg chopped the scene for the theatrical release, saying it was too sad for kids and was boring to boot. Director Brian Henson was upset because the scene served as a hinge point to understand how this movie's Scrooge arrived at his loveless life. Were that not enough, at the end of the movie, the song is reprised with new lyrics, "When Love Is Found," to show the transformation in Scrooge's heart and life. In this form it is important enough that they had Martina McBride record even another version to go over the credits.

In the original pan-and-scan DVD the song was quietly restored, and many have only known the movie as it was meant to be. But in most subsequent editions, including the version that features the behind the scenes "It's Not Easy Being Scrooge" featurette, the song is once again chopped. Disney didn't even offer it as a director's cut or a deleted scene. If you want a copy on BluRay you've got to track down a single release and pay an exorbitant price for your attachment or stick with the original grainy DVD.

Thus, the Internet is once again boiled in its own pudding and roasted with a stake of holly through its heart with the passionate disagreements that Disney has created. Macho men seem to yawn and say "it was a boring scene anyway." Film lovers tend to point to the ritornello as an indication of the song's importance.

Meanwhile, Meredith Braun, the artist who played Belle, has re-recorded the song and released "When Love is Gone" on a solo album this year.

Sp where do you stand on the biggest controversy heating up the Internet? Is it thumbs up or down for the big scene? Do we give Meredith her two minutes and seven seconds of glory?

Bob

[Cabarone]

The same Disney that killed Bambi's mom, locked Dumbo's mom in a looney bin (saddest scene in all moviedom is him sliding out of her trunk; gets me every time), turned Pinocchio into a donkey and swallowed Giuseppe up in a whale? There's probably a lot more...

[Ozzy the dog]

If splitting up with his girlfriend is too upsetting for kids, better cut all the scenes with ghosts and spirits in them as well.

I would bet Mr Dickens would vote to keep it in so I would go with what he says.