The Muppets are no strangers to the Holidays. They have had many a film produced incorporating Christmas related themes. The best and most popular of them all was The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). But that hasn't stopped the Henson Company. Before Kermit and his friends came back with their return film The Muppets (2011), they were still doing productions for the small screen. Prior to this, another holiday made for TV production was released - It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002). Other than that, this is the Muppet's latest outing at the holiday season. Is really good? Mmmmm,..not unanimously but it is decent enough to be seen.This time, viewers follow their favorite characters at the post office waiting to send their holiday mail. When Gonzo forgets to put his in the mail, it's up to Kermit and friends to find a way to get them to Santa on time. Here's what does work. First and foremost, The Muppets (and voice-actors) themselves. They are always key and the fact that they were of main focus all the time was great. The humor also works because of the certain situations Kermit and his friends get into. The gags range from bad jokes, silly puns and goofy reactions the Muppets make. Thankfully, these eye-inducing moments aren't as bad they could be because it's the Muppets. Another element that will have viewers happy to see is the tone of this movie. Unlike It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie(2002) which had a very mean spirited tone, this feature has a much more upbeat feel and that's especially good.Another good component was the cameos of various actors. This ranges from Whoopi Goldberg, Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane and even Michael Bloomberg. Camera-work by Luke Geissbuhler (the DP of Borat (2006)) was appropriate as was Chris Caswell's musical score. However, this is where things don't work. For one, the running time is too short. Yes it is a TV movie, but so was It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and was well over an hour. The problem with this is that it cuts everything down to an unnecessary length. This goes for cast cameos and even the Muppet characters. That can be a bit frustrating if this is a Muppet Movie and you only see a few of the Muppets instead of the whole bunch for more than five minutes.Along with that is issue of writing. The story for this movie is cute but again, with a shortened running time, everything must fall in place quickly or it won't work. With this comes cliché and convenient contrivances that either defy logic or are impossible to begin with. It's not to say it isn't funny or doesn't work but the story almost had a finale that would've seemed more mature and realistic than what was chosen. There can always be a happy ending but that doesn't mean it has to be exactly the way the audience expects it to be. Adding to the bit of blandness are the songs that the Muppets sing composed by Paul Williams. It's not that they bore but they're not as memorable as other Paul Williams pieces. It certainly won't be an hour wasted but it could've been better.It has all of the basic components to make a really good Muppet Christmas movie but it instead comes off as fairly generic. The main problem is its running time, which trims down several parts that make up a good Muppet film.

I love the Muppets, the show and most of their movies. However, this special was a big disappointment. Granted it has its good points, I loved the chemistry between Kermit and Miss Piggy, the production values are at least decent and I liked Gonzo very much here. Also the Muppet performers do do a decent job with weak material.Pretty much everything else is a big disappointment. The story was fresh and original I agree at first glance, but it was a completely different story when it came to the execution. Most of it actually is very predictable and rushed. This isn't helped by the fact it is too short.I also agree about the special's writing. The script is pretty much terrible, Gonzo and Fozzie have their moments but most of the other Muppet parts are under-written and very rarely was it funny. The jokes were also very lame and childish, and the sentimentality gets mushy.The music was also a big disappointment. Other than Gonzo and Fozzie's duet, which was compared to everything else delightful, the music is little more than mediocre and I say forgettable too. The lyrics are also trite and the melodies are unmemorable afterwards.The Muppets do try their best, and I was thrilled at the return of some old favourites, but let down severely by bad material, and I missed Gonzo and Rizzo's chemistry which was always delightful. The cameos are even more disappointing. Some of the characters are somewhat superfluous to the story or are poorly explored- I concur that the whole believing in Santa thing was quite poorly done- and Paul Williams' cameo especially is completely out of place and unfunny.In conclusion, I am a Muppet fan, but I have to agree, A Muppets Christmas:Letters to Santa is quite weak. It has its moments, but it is a shame especially about the writing and music. 4/10 Bethany Cox

The script was DREADFUL, the "star-studded" cast was jaw-droppingly lame, the music limp and meaningless, the child actress too, too precious and affected... can't think of anything that was good about it. (Okay, the costumes were alright- Uma Thurman got the best ones.) It's just too bad, really, but apparently no one involved with the creative part of Muppets productions has any memory of what made them so special, so charming and funny and INTELLIGENT in the first place. Was it all because of Jum Henson? Because the productions, including Sesame Street, have gone straight to smirky, smarmy, dopey, predictable, kids'll-watch-anything so it doesn't matter Hollywood h*ll since he died.

I almost lost my holiday spirit this year. Haven't even bothered to haul the tree down from the attic. The soul of Christmas is now being sold by Circuit City, anyway (and they're going bankrupt)--much like Jim Henson's legacy was sold to a newfangled corporate Disney™ following his untimely death in 1990. I am pleased to report that the post-Henson muppeteers have finally redeemed themselves in "Letters to Santa".Henson's son Brian took his first stab at continuing the holiday genre in 1992 with a remake of Dicken's "Christmas Carol." A little creepy but forgivable, given the circumstances. Alas, "A Muppet Family Christmas" (1995) was no "John Denver and the Muppets' Rocky Mountain Holiday" (1983). "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" (2002): forgettable (it starred David Arquette. Ring a bell?). "Letters to Santa" puts all of the above to shame (curiously, the junior Henson served as neither writer nor director in this one but did provide the voice of a very unmuppety "Sal Manilla". Why?).The premise is totally believable (compared to, say, "Muppets in Space" (1999), which was kind of awesome, but there's no way sponge chickens can breathe in space, okay). I'll spare you any spoilers.Pepe the Prawn is the new Beaker, but it's time to retire Bobo the Bear.The cameos were mostly spot-on, but I'm not sure that today's kids will know who many of these faces are (and some faces they shouldn't, e.g., Steve Schirripa, or the dude from "Law & Order"), in the same way that I recognized Joan Rivers or Liza Minnelli in the 1984 classic set in Manhattan. Nevertheless, Paulie Walnuts turned in an Emmy-worthy performance. Uma: good move. Never looked better. Glowed like an angel. And mad props to Michael Bloomberg for, well, being Michael Bloomberg.Decent music. Modern yet timeless. Sweet and corny. Someday my kids will watch it every year the same way I still look forward to "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" (1977). Whether they like it or not.