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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
THE Best Christmas Movie, 11 October 2003
8/10
Author: huggy_bear from NC

I first seen this on HBO in the early "80's and fell in love with it then and still love it now, some 19 years later. What a heart-warming tale of a widowed mother trying to raise her only son after "PA" passes away. Pa didn't leave them much, but they made do on what they had. Really a classic and a must see for every child and adult. I just loved the songs in this movie, they were classics in themselves. Even today, at the Christmas season, I still watch this movie, but now I watch it with my son.

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
The Best Christmas movie ever!, 19 December 2002
10/10
Author: mjohnstone from Waterboro, Maine

This movie is a tender loving movie with lots of humor, it is a wonderful family movie. I remember every Christmas my brothers and I couldn't wait for this movie to show on HBO. The story is a version of the gift of the magi set with animals and a little twist on the story. The characters are adorable and you want to take them home. and who can forget the River bottom band? I highly recommend seeing this movie and making it a tradition in your home.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Achingly detailed, marvellously crafted; a gem., 10 November 2001
Author: pslock

Emmet Otter might be dated, but it's one of Henson's finest offerings. Not only is the story well written (without talking down to children), but the level of artistry in the models, backgrounds, puppets, whathaveyou is simply amazing. Frank Oz, Jim Henson, and their crew created one of the pinnacles of "Muppet" based entertainment proving, even after 20 odd years, Henson is STILL the master.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolute Classic..., 22 November 2003
10/10
Author: pack_man99 from Raleigh, NC, USA

So what if you can see wires on all the characters, this classic will remain a must view every year for my family and myself. Emmitt Otter's story is one that teaches us all, young and old, that the best things in life are the things that we take for granted. I am glad that my family can say after watching this gem, that "We're closer now than ever before".

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, 12 October 2005
10/10
Author: cdg7072000 from United States

This is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. The plot is great and that little Emmet is so cute. This is clearly one of Jim Henson's best films for all ages. There's comedy, drama and suspense. You'll be on the edge of your seat throughout the entire movie. Don't miss out on this classic film! Run out and rent or buy it today. Don't waste any time in delaying. It's clearly a film that ranks up there with other top films such as Ghostbusters, Seven, Saving Private Ryan, Batman Returns, Chicken Run, Pride & Prejudice, Pulp Fiction and many, many more. If you haven't watched this movie yet, then you really haven't lived!

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
The best, hands down!, 28 December 2005
10/10
Author: aunt_pom from Newport News, VA

This year was the 28th annual showing of Emmett Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas (EOJBC) at my parents' home. It's our family Chanuka tradition! I was very happy to read all of the other glowing reviews of EOJBC. All of the characters are so great. My dad's favorite character is Wendel, and his lines, "Let's see...half a fifty cents, half a fifty cents..." and "Golly, you got mashed potatoes?!" My sisters and I all love to hate Gretchen Fox, (we wish she WOULD fall off the dock). And while we're on the subject of ol' Gretchen, does anyone else find it just a little convenient that she is one of the talent contest judges who casts her vote AGAINST the jugband and Ma? There's also that crotchety Old Lady Possum who micro-managerially watches Wendel and Emmet rebuild (NOT repair) her fence with her broom in hand, cawing, "Don't just stand around, boys! Ya got WORK to do!" I love the snake when he says to Chuck, "Geez, a guy should be grateful he's got shoulders!" and the bug-eyed fish when he condescendingly spits at the man in the street, "Oh, so sorry!Pbbfft!!"

As many times as I've seen EOJBC, I never tire of it. The scene in the ORIGINAL version with George and Melissa Rabbit's talent performance (gotta love those jazz paws!) absolutely trips me out to this day! I laugh so hard I cry! It was a crime that their scene was scrapped when the movie came out on cassette. Thankfully, that scene is back in on the DVD, but Kermit is gone. I wish the big companies would just put aside the copyrights for a while and reissue a DVD of the original version of EOJBC as it was first shown on HBO, complete with Kermit the Frog and George and Melissa Rabbit's stellar performance. I bet there are a lot of viewers out there who have no idea that George and Melissa were even there! In the version that cuts out their scene, you can still hear their music in the background as Harrison Fox is telling the jugband to get back inside before they miss their curtain call.

Not only are the characters fully developed with great personalities, but there are some great one-liners in the script. Will Possum closes the curtain after the first act, Carrots the Dancing Horse, makes a memorable exit Stage Left AND Right. Pulling the cords, Will drolly says, "It's gonna be a loooooong night," and shakes his head. Ever the gracious hostess, Alice "Ma" Otter welcomes Hetty Muskrat into her home to use the spinning wheel Ma keeps borrowing from her. As she holds a tea kettle in her hands, Ma looks around frantically and asks, "Now, where'd I put that teapot?" We are trying (unsuccessfully as of yet) to get my 4 year old niece to watch it, but she hasn't shown much interest yet. Maybe next year.

Paul Williams is a masterful songwriter and composer (Mr. Big Time Conductor, to quote Harvey). If you like his style, I highly recommend Bugsy Malone (1976), the all-kid casted gangster movie starring Scott Baio and Jodie Foster.

If you have any inclination to watch this movie, go for it. You will not be disappointed!

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
The Best of Jim Henson's films, 18 December 2002
9/10
Author: Kurt Sample from New York

The brilliance of Jim Henson was that he could make schmaltz without seeming schmaltzy. This is an unabashedly sentimental movie (as one would expect a Christmas special to be) and it succeeds in drawing you into its sentiment, but it never loses that quirky edge that made his Muppets so much more interesting than most programming directed (ostensibly) at children. Who else could pull off making the antagonist an evil teddy bear who sings in a heavy metal band? Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is my favorite Muppet movie.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
This Jim Henson masterpiece will age like wine, 4 October 2004
10/10
Author: galaxy2069 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) is pure television magic. It represents finely orchestrated character puppetry of the highest order. Never have animal puppets created so much human emotional pull. Ma Otter seemed so real to me as a young boy growing up in a small southern town. She still reminds me of this tender old lady who would come by and wash (and iron) our family clothes for $20. That's how real she was/is to me. Ma Otter was a symbol of comfort.

Her son Emmet Otter is young, naive, determined and the centerpiece of this Henson gem. Emmet is a problem solver and is willing to help his poor Ma out any way he can. You also get to meet his friends, one being an obese beaver who plays the washtub bass. You also get to experience an Otter family annual tradition; hunting for the precious Christmas Branch. But the ultimate highlight is the talent show at the end...where Emmet's fabulous Jug-Band battles Ma Otter (and her sad, sad song) and a surprise entry: The Riverbottom Nightmare Band.

Whoever invented the Riverbottom Nightmare Band (Henson?) needs to be rewarded. One might assume that the audience will root for Emmet's Band or Ma (in the end), but the reality is that you'll get surprisingly turned on by the throbbing, hypnotic drudge of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band. Not only was there sound explosive and imaginative, but they also buried the other competitors. The Nightmare Band had enough creative vision and foresight to create an ultra-savvy and alluring stage spectacle. They also had this awesomely large spitting fish that squirted from a large water tank. Ma and Emmet's Jug-band never stood a chance. They were too emotional and eager for 1st place bucks. In the end they were ultimately destroyed by the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
This is my favorite Christmas special, 8 December 2002
10/10
Author: (sunset6964@charter.net) from Decatur, Alabama

I just love "Jug Band Christmas" for the moral and the musical score. I did not get to see it for the first time until the 80's on HBO. I just loved it. I watched it everytime it was on but they no longer show it!! It was a big part of my holiday traditions. I miss it tremendously! I cannot believe that more people do not know about this movie.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
I liked it..., 6 August 2005
9/10
Author: cloie827 from United States

I very fondly remember watching this movie when I was little. It never really mattered to me that Emmet and his mother didn't win the contest for the money because I got the brilliant message that it didn't matter that neither of them won the contest - what mattered was they love each other and were always going to be there for each other. The characters in this movie are truly memorable and the music is still some that I sing today. And really who could forget the part when the Jug band finally gets to perform with Ma as their lead singer? I am an avid fan of anything Jim Hensen and I love the fact that he created such a sweet movie that teaches a very important lesson to young children: material possessions are just that; what really matters is you as a person.

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