This DVD contains a 4:3 version and a 16:9 widescreen version.

Disney Home Video reps have confirmed that only the 4:3 pan & scan version is the home video version which contains the full version of this movie. The widescreen version is the theatrical cut and does not include the song "When Love is Gone".

I was happily watching my VHS copy of The Muppet Christmas Carol with my lovely wife the other evening and decided it was time to own it on DVD. I popped open my laptop and ordered it as the movie was playing on the TV. Sadly I did not take time to read the reviews before placing my order because if I had known that the song, "When Love is Gone", was omitted from the widescreen version, I would have saved my money. So I can watch the complete film by choosing the 4:3 aspect ratio option but the image quality is vastly inferior to the 16:9 presentation. Basically I paid fifteen bucks for nothing. Thanks a bunch, Disney. Bite me.

Reading the Blu-Ray description included here, it says that the running time is 85 minutes, which is four minutes shorter than my copy on laserdisc. This can only mean that the exquisite song "When Love Is Gone" is STILL not being included in this release ...

... which means I'm not buying it.

Sorry, Disney, but I refuse to spend my money on a sub-standard presentation, no matter how HD it is.

The story of A Christmas Carol is about Ebenezer Scrooge, not the Muppets. His character arc is the most important factor. Michael Caine gives a fantastic performance, and his greatest moment is during this scene as he tries to sing with the woman that Ebenezer loved and lost -- and he winds up losing his emotional control, unable to finish the song. This is why he turns to the Ghost of Christmas Past and says, "Spirit, show me no more. Why do you delight in torturing me?"

If "When Love Is Gone" is not included, that question has no meaning.

This wonderful film should not be released on Blu-Ray without including that moment! Disney, where's your brains?

The song "When love is gone" is a major turning point in Scrooge's change; it's the first time his cynicism totally falls away. It's a poignant, touching scene and crucial to the movie.

I own a copy of this film on laser disk and looked forward to seeing this edition for months. It was a major disappointment to me. I seems to me that most DVD producers put their special features with a wide screen edition. Unfortunately Disney elected to associate the comentary and extended version with the full screen version which omits a lot of visual detail from the sides and is more grainy than the wide screen edition. And one of my favorite songs from the laser disk is only found on the full screen version. For those who own the laser disk edition I would recommend that you don't purchase this DVD.

First of all, the most of these reviews are for previous releases. Second of all this blu-ray will not include the song, "When Love is Gone." I will not be buying this anymore. The songs adds so much, and the edit is so glaringly obvious and not smooth at all. I am also surprised that in this day and age, 2012 (almost 2013) Disney can't just release the complete version. Have they never heard of seamless branching? Anyway, I won't be buying this.

A full five-stars for the wonderful "The Muppet Christmas Carol." I am amazed that a fresh and interesting take can be found on the often re-made Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." Muppet movies are hit-or-miss at best, and this one is either the top 1 or 2.
Michael Caine is brilliant as Scrooge, and the combination of the completely straight Caine and the antics of the muppets creates a wonderful reality, blending the original ghost story with a heartwarming chaser.
The DVD contains two really nice special features, including a very interesting "Making of..." featurette , and a nice "Christmas's Across the World" featurette. The "Making of...." featurette is one of the most interesting that I have seen, quite long with cast interviews, special effects, song information and pretty much everything you could want.
However, several really disappointing choices were made on this DVD release, including producing a full-screen edition and eliminating the song "The Love is Gone" from the UK edition. When I buy a DVD, I want to full movie, not 75% or it with the edges trimmed off. Also, the exclusion of "The Love is Gone" from the UK edition makes no sense, as it is singled out to be the most important transition point of the movie during the "Making of..." featurette.

Disney has ruined THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL yet again by only including the cut theatrical release version of the movie, minus the song When Love is Gone. This is a song that not only is the heart and soul of the entire movie, but it was at one point added back into the film BY THE DIRECTOR, Brian Henson. Nobody involved in the production wanted the song removed -- it was taken out by the studio because they felt little kids would get bored during it. As it is, the film still has an awful cut where that song was supposed to be...and the intended, full version of the film will remain sitting on a studio shelf because Disney wants it that way. Pathetic.