It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a 2002 NBC Christmas television movie. It was directed by Kirk R. Thatcher and was produced by Warren Carr and Martin G. Baker. "It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" was released on November 29, 2002. The movie stars The Muppets, Whoopi Goldberg, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Joan Cusack, and the cast of "Scrubs". It is a homage to Frank Capra's 1946 movie, "It's a Wonderful Life".