Product Details

• Actors: Zachary Bennett, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Marsha Moreau, Kathryn Mullen
• Directors: Eric Till
• Format: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Lyons / Hit Ent.
• DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008
• Run Time: 48 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001EN5I40
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,393 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 11/04/2008 Run time: 48 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kermit is GONE!, November 3, 2008

By 

Mike Rophone (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Christmas Toy (DVD)

Kermit's opening sequence and his introduction to the cast have been edited out. Gone, too, is the entire "Old Friends, New Friends" song finale, in which Kermit shows up and joins the cast singing the song. All that's left is a brief chorus heard over the closing credits.

For those who have never seen the 1986 original, this will make no difference. For myself and my kids, who fell in love with the original version, this Kermit exorcism is quite sad. Plus, the song finale was an important closing celebration of the show.

The DVD transfer is pristine, but one star is missing, in tribute to the missing green frog dressed in a Santa suit. I'm sure there are purist Henson fans who will not be as generous as I.

There should be a lump of coal in Disney's stocking this year.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kermit has been cut out of the picture... again!!!!!, September 17, 2008

By 

Horatio Guttersnipe (London, England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Christmas Toy (DVD)

I recall this film well and we already own the old British release but the fact that Disney has not allowed Kermit to appear on this dvd is yet another example of how Henson's creative spirit is ultimately usurped by the market place. We all remember how much overlap there was between Henson's worlds; Fraggles would appear in Muppet films, Sesame Muppets appeared along side Fraggles and Muppets and this conveyed the most important thing in Henson's world, the family unit, his family was reflected here and what Disney and Hit should know by now, is that one product will support the other; these are old films, just waver the rights and someone take note, the Muppet franchise works at it's best when the Muppet family supports each other. These are old films, just leave them alone ..... by editing this film they have spoilt it, Kermit and the cast end the story in a huge sing song and musically, they have butcher the ending.

What made the magic of such Muppet specials is that they were part of the Muppet family and as an audience we were invited in to this family and made to feel apart of it. That was the magic of such work and I find it hard watching this version now, it just doesn't gel well for me. The Christmas Toy was released on to dvd in England as an extra bonus feature along with The Muppet Family Christmas dvd (in 2001 as a Columbria/Tristar release), so the original is out there still, if only second hand.

I am not a Henson purist at all and Jim Henson was a man who understood the balance between art and business, however he isn't around now and cutting up these old films spoils something of that creative spirit. I will be careful as to the Henson dvd's I buy in the future, now knowing the legalities which prevent imaginative work enduring intact and live with my childhood memorabilia as it is because that time when Henson's stories ruled the airwaves will not return again with the same level of panache and enlightened idealistic rebelliousness. It is for us to create now.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Jim Henson is in tears over this DVD, December 19, 2008

By 

R. Paul Mccarty (Eatontown, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Christmas Toy (DVD)

Studio Lyons should be ASHAMED of this DVD release. No extras. Missing opening by Kermit and closing finale of Old Friends, New Friends. This is one of the best Christmas films ever made and they do it no justice. To add insult to injury the disc is labeled as CC closed captioned for the hearing impaired and our friend who is hearing impaired came to watch and we assured her it has subtitles so she could enjoy the film. She was so heartbroken being a big muppets fan that she could not follow the film because there IS NO CLOSED CAPTIONING. Luckily I already own the VHS release and it has closed captions and no missing scenes. DO NOT BUY THIS DVD!!!!