It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

Context & Trivia

This television film marks a decisive turning point in Muppet history: it was the first production in which veteran puppeteer Frank Oz did not participate. His absence required Eric Jacobson to take on, for the first time in a feature-length work, both the performance and voices of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Animal. Jacobson also operated the Yoda puppet — originally built and performed by Oz for Star Wars — in a brief cameo set within the film's alternate universe.

Production was shaped by the health difficulties of veteran puppeteer Jerry Nelson, whose regular characters — Robin, Statler, Floyd Pepper, and Pops — were physically operated on set by support puppeteers while Nelson recorded his voices separately in post-production. The sole exception was Lew Zealand, performed in both voice and body by Bill Barretta. Sam Eagle involved a further split unusual even within the Muppets' established working methods: Kevin Clash provided the voice while John Kennedy handled the physical puppet on set.

Among the film's more distinctive puppets is 'Joe Snow,' a parody of Sam the Snowman from the Rankin/Bass Rudolph specials, operated by Allan Trautman and voiced by Mel Brooks, alongside 'Amy the Dancing Brick,' a literal brick puppet with eyes that performs choreographed routines. From an archival standpoint, the film is the last Muppets production completed before Disney acquired the franchise in 2004; as a co-production between The Jim Henson Company and NBC Studios, rights rest with NBCUniversal — which accounts for its absence from Disney+.