The Muppet Christmas Carol director Brian Henson reacts to a lost scene being rediscovered
Footage of a missing love ballad from the Christmas classic has finally been found.
OJ Borg is celebrating four decades of The Muppets in music for a special Radio 2 programme on Christmas Day. During the show, OJ uncovers the story behind a long lost scene from The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Brian Henson, the movie's director, reveals that 'When Love Is Gone' was due to soundtrack the moment when Belle is leaving Scrooge.
"It’s a beautiful song," says Brian, "And I cast Meredith [Braun] because she sang it so beautifully. I really didn’t want to cut it from the movie but Jeffrey [Katzenberg, of Disney] said, 'Just watch the audience the next time you play it and watch how many kids go to the bathroom. It’s a great song, it’s a great scene but it’s sophisticated emotionally and the littlest kids are kind of disconnecting just for those last few minutes and I think it would be a little stronger in the theatre if you removed it’."
So Brian reluctantly agreed to take it out, and in the process of cutting it for the release the video master and the negative were both lost, sparking years of searching.
But it's now been rediscovered and, as Brian explains in the clip, he's been part of the process to restore the song for a new release of the movie.
OJ says of the discovery, "I was so excited to hear from Brian Henson that the missing track ‘When Love Is Gone’ has been rediscovered after all these years. I have been a Muppets fan my whole life - the first record I ever owned was the original Muppets album and I still think The Muppet Christmas Carol is the greatest Christmas film of all time! This news feels like the perfect early Christmas present!"
The Muppets at Christmas: It's Time To Play The Music is on Radio 2, Christmas Day, 7-8pm, and will be available on-demand for the following 30 days.
