Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas (1977)

The Country Bears meet the Muppets in Frogtown Hollow. Otters are my favorite animals but all of the Muppet animals in this production look ratty or tatty. I'm not a big fan of characters whose every other word could be "Duh-ee" and Emmet's best friend fits that bill, as do a handful of rapscallions from Riverbottom who frequently come tearing through the town with devastating results. Crowd scenes such as the talent show are positively chaotic; the best scenes are when Emmet is alone, stepping out on a winter's morn, or when he's reminiscing with his impoverished mother about his late father. (The only redeeming scene, in my book, is their heartwarming duet, singing "When the River Meets the Sea," although the jug-band's rehearsal of "Barbecue" is rollicking fun too.) After 30 minutes of countrified bumpkins interacting and singing otherwise forgettable tunes, we get a tepid "Gift of the Magi" story involving the town talent show, but the conclusion is obnoxious and counterdramatic. I had to get the disc through Blockbuster since Netflix doesn't even list it, but I missed the last few minutes because of disc damage. 2 stars.