It’s so hard to fully appreciate The Muppet Christmas Carol when it’s incomplete. For years, our family has been watching the film’s Blu-ray release, pausing the movie as Scrooge watches his younger self approach his lost love Belle, and switching over to the bonus features to watch “When Love Is Gone”. Then we have to go back and find the spot where we left off to continue the movie.
It’s a whole process. But it’s necessary, since the song is not only lovely, but also important to the character development of Scrooge. Plus, it’s needed so you know why Rizzo is crying.
In a recent interview with Director Brian Henson and songwriter Paul Williams, Henson revealed that the master tapes from that segment – which was originally left on the cutting room floor – are lost in Disney’s archives. When it came time to remaster the movie for DVD release, it had to be left out, with only the standard resolution version existing as a bonus feature.
In an upcoming interview with BBC, Brian Henson revealed that just two weeks ago, he received a surprise from Disney. Muppet Christmas Carol is being remastered in 4K, and the missing “When Love Is Gone” segment has been found.
The remastered film – presumably with the missing song in-tact – will be rebroadcast on Christmas Day. We don’t yet know if the new version will appear on Disney+ or released on physical media, but we’re holding out hope for both.
Here’s the song on YouTube, which will eventually pale in comparison to the 4K remaster!
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
