Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas is quite possibly one of the greatest holiday specials ever created. While the made for TV Muppet movie first appeared in 1977, it came to us on DVD in 2001, with a re-release in 2008. The classic story of Emmet and friends trying to scrape enough together for the holidays, deciding to compete in the local talent show to raise money, only to be threatened by the Riverbottom gang. The story demonstrates the possibility of unity and togetherness even in the face of adversity. Not your typical holiday tale, but I think that's why it works. This was one of the initial Muppet forays beyond the variety show style atmosphere of the Muppet Show, demonstrating the ability of puppets to carry an entire production. As with other Muppet features, the story has elements designed to appeal to both kids and adults, without dumbing anything down or needing to offend to carry a point. Possibly the coolest plus about this DVD version is the Dolby 5.1 sound, which adds an element missing in the previous VHS release. The DVD is lacking in any exciting additional features, only including a couple of trailers, which are mere advertisements for other video. It's a quick viewing at just under 50 minutes.

Region 1 Encoding (US and Canada only)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround
Trailers: The Muppets Take Manhattan, Buddy, Bear in the Big Blue House
Run-time: 48 minutes