Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Awesome special if you are a Jim Henson fan, Emmet Otter is pretty much like a Gift of the Magi special but with some animals in it. It is one of my favorite Christmas specials and it's fun to watchI recommend it for families and also for nostalgic adults. Sadly this is not aired on TV any more so it's pretty sad.10/10

Charming Christmas special from Jim Henson, based on the book by Russell and Lillian Hoban. This sweet story is about dirt poor Emmet Otter and his mother. Unbeknownst to each other, they both get the idea to join a talent show in hopes of winning the prize money to buy a gift for the other. It's a sentimental tale with a great moral lesson and some nice songs. Wait until you get a load of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band! Try to find the uncut version if you can. Unfortunately, after Disney acquired the rights to the Muppets, some scenes were removed from the DVD releases. Still, whatever version you watch I'm sure you will enjoy this delightful Christmas special.

Back in 1977, just after "The Muppet Show" debuted but before "The Muppet Movie", Jim Henson decided to make a project to help them work out the kinks for the upcoming movie. "Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" is that project--more ambitious than the show but not a full-length theatrical release like the movie. While the show isn't as as refined as later work (you can see strings when some of the characters move) but they did try some DIFFERENT techniques and styles of puppets. For the most part, it's quite sweet and successful--and mostly it's really, really cute. My only reservation about this sweet show is that there is A LOT of singing and it might have worked better with less. Heck, with just a few less songs I would have given this one a 9--but the songs tended to disrupt the story and seemed, at times, like filler.As for the story, it's a reworking of the O. Henry story "The Gift of the Magi". However, instead of a husband selling his watch and a wife selling her beautiful hair to buy presents for each other, it involves poor Emmett and his mother trying to win a talent show so they can buy each other nice presents. Naturally, it doesn't work out as they expect--but it's all quite charming, nonetheless. Well worth seeing--particularly if you are a kid or a kid at heart.

Cheery Emmet and his kindly Ma are two otters who live in poverty in the quaint rural swampland community of Frogtown Hollow. Both want to buy the other a gift for Christmas, but neither has the money. So they both enter a local talent show contest in order to win the $50 dollar cash prize. This endearingly pleasant and tenderhearted show offers a marvelously delightful wealth of entertainment: the engaging and colorful characters, the brisk pace, the folksy, flavorsome down-home score, the polished photography, the hilarious talent contest show set piece (the split dancing horse is gut-bustingly bad!), the gentle, good-natured humor, the meticulous set and costume design, the catchy and charming songs ("Our World" is an especially lovely tune), the amazingly lifelike and personable puppets (Emmet in particular is adorable), and the sweet, upbeat tone all click just right. The positively astonishing mean'n'growly hard rock harshness of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band rates as a definite highlight. Moreover, the cast voice their parts with infectious aplomb: Jerry Nelson as Emmet, Marilyn Sokol as Ma Otter (her singing voice is truly heavenly!), Dave Goelz as Emmet's amiable porcupine best friend Wendel, Eren Ozker as the snippy Gretchen Fox, and Frank Oz as hostile Riverbottom Nightmare Band ringleader Chuck. But what really makes this program so special and touching is the irresistible glowing warmth that's prominent throughout which in turn makes it a complete joy to watch.