How to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol online? Streaming options explained

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and there’s no better way to celebrate the season than by binge-watching The Muppet Christmas Carol, often referred to as ‘’one of the greatest Christmas films of all time.’’

It’s a 1992 Christmas musical retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring at the centre a cold and greedy businessman who hates Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge. 

The best streaming option currently is Disney+, which is the permanent home for The Muppet Christmas Carol. Disney+ has acquired the rights and is listed as the best holiday films on the streaming platform.

Online reports say that many cable TV channels show the movie every year as part of their Christmas tradition. If it is not aired this season, viewers can watch it online by subscribing to Disney+.

Streaming options for The Muppet Christmas Carol

To stream on Disney+, viewers will need an active subscription plan. In the US, Disney+ offers two main subscription plans. The Disney+ With Ads plan costs $11.99 per month and allows viewers to watch all movies and shows with ad breaks.

For an ad-free experience, the Disney+ Premium plan is available at $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year, offering uninterrupted streaming and offline downloads. Disney+ is also available in bundles with services like Hulu and ESPN+.

With that, platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube Movies, Google Play, and Vudu offer the film in HD, where viewers can either buy/rent the movie.

Rental price for 48 hours on any of these platforms costs $3.99 / $4.99, whereas the purchase price is $12.99.

For those who like collecting movies, The Muppet Christmas Carol is also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Physical copies do not need an internet connection and often include bonus content like behind-the-scenes clips. 

In the UK, The Muppet Christmas Carol can be easily watched with a NOW TV subscription. It is available in Sky’s cinema library.

What is The Muppet Christmas Carol all about? 

Directed by Brian Henson and written by Jerry Juhl, the film has become a classic Christmas movie from the 1990s. The lead Scrooge is played by Michael Caine, a selfish man who loves ‘’money’’ more than people.

The story is narrated by Charles Dickens and his friend Rizzo the Rat. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the muppet ghosts of his two dead business partners, who show him what his afterlife will look like if he does not change his cold and rude behaviour. 

Set in 19th-century London, the film highlights Scrooge’s cold and peculiar ways: from dismissing his nephew Fred’s Christmas invitation and turning away those seeking charity, to despising Bean Bunny’s Christmas carols and begrudging his employees even a single day off on Christmas. 

Thus, the Christmas evening becomes frightening for him as his dead friends Statler and Waldorf appear and warn him about the three spirits coming to visit him later in the night. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge receives a visitation from three spirits.

The Ghost of Christmas Past reveals to him memories from his childhood and young years, reminding him of how he once enjoyed Christmas celebrations and how he lost that happiness because of his own doing.

The Ghost of Christmas Present gives Scrooge a tour of the town to view the celebrations that others choose to follow. Some of the others Scrooge sees are his loyal servant Bob Cratchit and his family, along with a seriously ill yet hopeful boy, Tim.

Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reveals the future where Scrooge dies alone, and there is hardly anyone to mourn his passing. Scrooge is frightened but decides to change his ways on Christmas Day.