The Muppets (2011)
Directed by James Bobin
When Kermit the Frog and the Muppets learn that their beloved theater is slated for demolition, a sympathetic human, Gary, and his felt-faced brother, Walter, swoop in to help the gang put on a telethon show and raise the $10 million they need to save the day.
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Segel and Adams demonstrate a joyful earnestness in several musical numbers (for what’s a Muppet movie without song and dance?) that could have easily fallen flat, while Cooper’s gleefully villainous portrayal of oil tycoon Tex Richman echoes that of Charles Durning’s turn as frog-legs merchant Doc Hopper in The Muppet Movie (1979).
I am first not entirely convinced of the honesty of the theme: while the plot of The Muppets neatly mirrors its practical function to Walt Disney Pictures, attempting to prove the financial viability of the classic characters with a target audience that was not yet born at the release of their last truly great vehicle, the 1992 picture The Muppet Christmas Carol , it's really not at all the case that Kermit, at least, has been invisible for so long that your average 12-year-old has absolutely no idea who he is, and the film goes even farther by suggesting without saying it outright that the last time anybody cared about the Muppets was at the time of 1979's The Muppet Movie , and that's just plain insanity (The Muppet Show itself stayed on the air until 1981, and it wasn't poor ratings that ended it).
The Bottom Line: "The Muppets" may not have all the magic Henson and Oz brought to the original "Muppet Show" or the equally brilliant "The Muppet Movie," but we'll give Segel et al credit for trying and it's incredibly hard to fully fault a movie with such a terrific finale.
That distinction belongs to the decision by Segel -- who co-wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller (" Get Him to the Greek ") -- to follow the blueprint used in "The Muppet Movie."
I am first not entirely convinced of the honesty of the theme: while the plot of The Muppets neatly mirrors its practical function to Walt Disney Pictures, attempting to prove the financial viability of the classic characters with a target audience that was not yet born at the release of their last truly great vehicle, the 1992 picture The Muppet Christmas Carol , it's really not at all the case that Kermit, at least, has been invisible for so long that your average 12-year-old has absolutely no idea who he is, and the film goes even farther by suggesting without saying it outright that the last time anybody cared about the Muppets was at the time of 1979's The Muppet Movie , and that's just plain insanity (The Muppet Show itself stayed on the air until 1981, and it wasn't poor ratings that ended it).
It's awfully easier to wish that the film could be a bit more of its own thing and a bit less "wow, isn't it wonderful how we all came into the theater already loving the Muppets so much?", but it is a far better thing than their last theatrical vehicle, 1999's Muppets from Space (though it's hard to imagine what wouldn't be, outside of a feature-length video of Segel lighting the puppets on fire and then urinating on the ashes), and that's worth at least a little bit of something.
There's some truth in that observation; this is the first Muppet movie since " Muppets From Space " (1999), and there wasn't exactly a clamor for a revival.
The first bigscreen outing for the colorful crew since Muppets from Space in 1999 and since Disney acquired the franchise from the Jim Henson estate in 2004, this perfectly enjoyable family comedy is disarmingly upfront about its raison d'etre—to reboot the Muppets for a new generation of moppets.
What follows is a mostly entertaining, sometimes goofy and often funny road trip flick that combines elements from the original film (actually most of them and the TV show) with the plot of "The Blues Brothers" (needing to reassemble the band to raise money to save a building via a big concert at the end).
If you've seen "The Blues Brothers," you're familiar with the plot of "The Muppets."
But it’s a thrill meeting each Muppet member again, who, like The Blues Brothers, are in various hilariously reduced circumstances.
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Gary, Mary and Walter track down Kermit, living by himself in a Bel Air mansion straight out of "Sunset Boulevard."
Cue the movie’s best 20 or so minutes, in which the travelers visit, in turn, Kermit the Frog (voiced by Steve Whitmire), who’s living in a decrepit, Sunset Boulevard-style Hollywood mansion; Fozzie Bear (voiced by Eric Jacobson), who’s performing in a sketchy Muppets tribute band in Reno; and Miss Piggy (also voiced by Jacobson), who, in an inspired detail, is now the plus-size editor for French Vogue.
The world of Fantasia contains creatures inspired by Alice in Wonderland (a little man atop a racing snail), " The Muppets " (a cute dragon-dog that can fly), and probably B.C. (a giant made of stone, who snacks on quartz and rumbles around on his granite tricycle).
After some character comedy at his brother-in-law Paulie’s depressing birthday party — Rocky and Adrian give Paulie a robot with an A.I. capacity decades ahead of its time, an odd detour into science fiction that apparently inspired Kermit’s “80s robot” in The Muppets — we meet our villain, Drago.
The Muppets will be preceded, at least initially, by a new, eight-minute Toy Story short in which the neglected toys engage in very amusing group therapy.
Distracted by the brand-new Pixar (which contributes a cute “Toy Story” cartoon here), they let the fuzzy veterans disappear in a fog of benign neglect.
Playing ahead of the film is another "Toy Story" short from Pixar, this one involving Buzz Lightyear and a support group for Happy Meal toys.
From start to finish, the movie is a healthy, dizzy dose of childlike bliss, the songs campy but catchy, the humor corny but clever, the cast -- both human and Muppet -- one of the most lovable gangs you'll ever spend time with at the pictures (another lovable gang, the "Toy Story" playthings, star in a short animated charmer that precedes "The Muppets").
A new Pixar short, "Small Fry," a " Toy Story " tale in which Buzz Lightyear inadvertently finds himself sitting in on a Discarded Toys support group, precedes the feature proper.
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The whole thing is ultimately too in awe of its own characters, respecting them without pushing them, to feel as fresh and sharp as The Muppet Movie; but it compares tolerably well to the early sequels The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan ; none of the new filmmakers have Henson's gift for being embarrassingly earnest without coming across as treacly, and there are a lot of places where the movie suffers from an acute attack of the sweets.
Meanwhile, its most receptive demographic consists of adults who probably want something a bit more knowing than, say, The Great Muppet Caper.
The most recent previous feature film in the series, "Muppets in Space," dates to 1999, but the golden era of the Muppets probably ended 30 years ago, in 1981, when the second movie, "The Great Muppet Caper," was released, and the syndicated "The Muppet Show" -- closer to "The Carol Burnett Show" than to any so-called children's program -- went off the air after five seasons of satire, spoofery, slapstick, shtick, songs and guest stars.
A frisky new film showcasing some old pals made out of felt, charm and some kind of genius, the Disney release "The Muppets" overcomes a jaded streak reflecting its makers' nervousness about selling Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the gang to an audience unfamiliar with "Sesame Street" (a Muppets chapter conspicuously left out of Disney's production notes) or "The Muppet Show" or the best of the earlier feature-length films, "The Great Muppet Caper" being my favorite.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a shockingly terrible adaptation of L. Frank Baum's legendary novel featuring Ashanti as Dorothy and the Muppets as various characters (eg Kermit is the Scarecrow, Gonzo is the Tin Man, Fozzie Bear is the Cowardly Lion, etc), with the proceedings augmented by several utterly forgettable musical numbers.