Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 31, 2018

To say that it's been a good year for Jim Henson properties would be an understatement. Sony may not have officially branded 2018 as "The Year of Henson" but it may as well have done just that. The studio released his beloved 1982 film The Dark Crystal back in March in both stunning 4K and a handsome 1080p Blu-ray DigiBook. September saw the release of Henson's Fraggle Rock, the cherished 1980s children's TV show in a generously stuffed full-series (plus the animated series) special edition box set. Both releases made this reviewer's top 10 for 2018 list. And had Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas released just a few weeks earlier, it, too, would have at least earned a mention, perhaps as part of a special "Jim Henson" category all its own. Henson's treasured puppet Christmas film has finally released to Blu-ray as part of Sony's revamped and pressed Manufactured on Demand (MOD) line of Blu-rays. The disc features video and audio that reflect the movie's inherent technical constraints. Sony has also included a healthy allotment of extra content.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a re-telling of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. It is the story of a young otter named Emmet (Jerry Nelson) and his mother Alice (Frank Oz, Marilyn Sokol) who are scraping by on pennies and living in the shadow of their first Christmas without Emmet's father and Alice's husband, a recently deceased snake oil salesman who left the family with nothing to show for his work. Both do odd jobs to earn a few pennies here and there: baking pies, doing laundry, and repairing broken items around town. Each gets word of a talent show with a grand prize of $50, life-changing money for the family that both Emmet and his mother want only in order to buy something nice for Christmas for the other. But there's a catch. If Alice enters the show, she will have to sell her son's tools to buy her costume. If Emmet is to enter and play the washtub bass as part of a band, he'll have to destroy his mother's washtub. As the two wrestle with the decision of entering the contest and risking all they have, a group of hooligan musicians, The Riverbottom Nightmare Band, plans to crash the show and win the money.

Here's a simple story that approaches the heart of Christmas: the spirit of giving, kindness, and family. Though the film is a retelling of a classic tale and based on a children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban, it plays with a tender originality and an immersive reality through which the audience not only comes to know the characters but also feel the love they share for one another, particularly within the relationship between Emmet and his mother. Both are willing to risk everything -- which amounts to what little they have -- to ensure the other, for once, can enjoy a proper Christmas. Of course, they come to learn that a "proper Christmas" is not necessarily about receiving or even giving but rather closeness, love, and generous spirits.

Neither Emmet nor his mother come to their decisions easily. Both must risk the family's future on a lottery ticket, a lottery ticket with decent odds to be sure, that can only be purchased by sacrificing one another's livelihoods and gambling on a dream. There's an interesting collection of messages in there that concern communication, integrity, reality, and the family dynamic. The film doesn't necessarily have time to explore all of them directly, but both characters do indeed struggle with their respective decisions, mother her decision to sell Emmet's tools and Emmet's decision to destroy his mother's washtub. For a family with so little, both moves are incredibly risky. The film moves the characters through somber notes, hopeful whimsies, crushing losses, and unexpected redemption. It handles that emotional spectrum gracefully and tenderly thanks to superb physical and vocal puppet performances that don't just shape a story but enrich it with tangible heart and a sincerely shaped soul.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas features two viewing options: the original 1.33:1 (4x3) aspect ratio version that places vertical "black bars" on either side of the HD display and a reformatted 1.78:1 (16x9) option that fills the HD screen. The former is obviously the way to watch the movie, as intended to be seen and originally aired. While the latter fills the screen, it betrays the original artistic composition. The image appears to be simply cropped as necessary to 16x9, resulting in a zoomed portion of the screen. Neither "looks" particularly good, but do stick with the original; the 4x3 composition flatters the material while the cropped 16x9 version offers no additional artistic or emotional resonance.

Like Fraggle Rock, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas was shot on standard definition video and the Blu-ray carries over all the artifacts associated with that native source. The picture is regularly defined by significant edge halos, false colors, jagged edges, poor definition, and a flat palette. Core structural integrity is certainly good enough within the inherently limited constraints, but a traditionally "good looking" Blu-ray presentation this is not. Ultimately, it boils down to this: the image was shot on what is today natively substandard standard definition video. Blu-ray does not breathe new life into the film, but it does recreate its natural state, so long as one choses to watch the 4x3 version. All of that renders the score moot; strictly speaking it's a 0.5 if one is simply judging the image against its Blu-ray peers in a vacuum, but it's a 5.0 if one considers faithfulness to the source. Of course either will cause confusion for those who do not read the text, so it has been given the midpoint rating.

Screenshots 1-10 are of the 4x3 version while screenshots 11-19 are of the 16x9 presentation.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is almost exclusively the property of the front three channels and even then stretch beyond the center is mild at best. Music and lyrics are modest in placement and clarity. The track does not push material to the edges but rather creates a homely environment for its essentials, cozily nestled in that front-center area. Clarity is never first-rate. Lyrics can be a little shrilly and music a bit unkempt but essential vocal and instrumental definition are good enough to carry the material to a baseline level of satisfactory delivery. As noted, the surrounds remain virtually silent and there is no need for the subwoofer to engage with any depth at any point. Base dialogue drives the story beyond the musical numbers and its presentation is, like everything else, grounded in the center with acceptable delivery and accuracy.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas contains two featurettes, deleted and alternate scenes, a "lost song," and outtakes. No DVD or digital copies are included and the release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Memories of the Jug-Band (1080p, 10:53): A new retrospective that looks back at the transition from page to screen, dramatic and narrative qualities, music, production details, Jim Henson's contributions, and more.
• Behind the Scenes in Frogtown Hollow (1080i, 59:44): A vintage piece that explores in significant detail the film's place in Henson's career, translating the book to screen, story, characters, cast contributions, puppet design, puppeteering, visual effects, voice work, music, and more. This supplement runs longer than the film.
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes (1080i, 7:54): Scenes presented both as they aired and as they once were.
• Lost Song (1080i, 2:19): "Born in a Trunk." Introduced by Songwriter Paul Williams.
• Outtakes (1080i, 7:59): Funny character moments from the shoot.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a timeless Christmas film that speaks to all ages despite its kid-centric structure. A story of loss, hope, family, friends, heart, and the value of unconditional love and generosity in even the most difficult emotional and financial times, the film remains a treasure of simplicity and character that builds its values in the right places. Sony's Blu-ray offers proficient video and audio within the native picture and sound constraints. The disc ships with a generous assortment of supplemental content. Highly recommended.