One of the nation's favourite Christmas film is back in cinemas for the festive season, and I can't think of anyone who wouldn't jump at the chance to see this winter classic projected on the big screen.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is coming to a screen near you and it is sure to delight, inspire and engage young and old alike.

Based on the quintessential Christmas story from Charles Dickens and starring a host of Muppets taking on key roles, the story follows miserly curmudgeon whose past, present and future are shown to him over Christmas Eve night, in the hope he will mend his ways. He relives Christmases old and new and in doing so, his reasons for being the man he has become are revealed.

Michael Caine takes the lead role as Ebenezer Scrooge and his counterparts are mainly Muppet-y, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's kind-hearted clerk, and Statler and Waldorf as ghostly images of the Marley brothers, Scrooge's former partners and prophets of his fate.

But there are also human actors who add to his isolation: his nephew Fred and former love Belle are examples of people who, as Scrooge's heart becomes more set on money, move away from him and leave him to become harder and colder like the ice in winter.

Injected with catchy tunes and songs for all the family, this telling of Dickens' classic is truly magical, and sounds the arrival of the Christmas season and the Muppets bring to life this tale with humour and warmth.

For many, crowding around the television to watch this is an important memory and in coming to the big screen, parents and families have the chance to induct their little ones into the story.