The tone
Life is hard for the Otters and their neighbors on the river. We’re used to seeing the Muppets scramble against financial ruin to save their theater or put on their dream show, but Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas scales everything way down and makes the characters’ precarious existence feel more intimate and personal. That raises the stakes in ways that only help the story, and also make it relatable—who among us hasn’t faced hard times, especially at Christmas?
