Movie Info
Movie Name: The Muppets
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Genre(s): Comedy/Musical/Family
Release Date(s): November 23, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Brothers and best friends forever!
Walter and his brother Gary (Jason Segal) are the best of friends but something has been missing from Walter’s life. Growing up in Smalltown, Walter learns about the Muppets and feels a connection that continues throughout his life. When Gary plans a trip to Los Angeles to celebrate his tenth anniversary of dating his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Gary brings Walter along to live his dreams of visiting The Muppets’ Studio. Walter’s dreams are crushed when he finds the studio deserted and pending destruction by oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). Now it is up to Walter to reunite Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Ms. Piggy, Gonzo, and the rest of the Muppets for an all out fundraiser to save the Muppets’ Studio and their own names.
We’re getting another shot guys…lets not screw this one up!
Directed by Jason Bobin, The Muppets is really well written by star Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller (who he worked with before on Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Undeclared). The Walt Disney Pictures produced movie was released on November 23, 2011 with a lot of acclaim and paired with an all-new Toy Story short called “Small Fry” as an opener for the show.
The Muppets are back in this movie, and it is a lot of fun for old and new fans. Segal, Adams, and the rest of the human cast look like they are having tons of fun with the Muppets and like the old movies, there are celebrity appearances by Alan Arkin, Rashida Jones, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Jim Parsons, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman, Donald Glover, Emily Blunt, James Carville, Leslie Feist, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, David Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, Judd Hirsch, John Krasinski, Rico Rodriguez, Mickey Rooney, and Jack Black as the Muppet Show’s hostage host.
I hope you two crazy kids make it!
The music of The Muppets is also strong. Written by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie, it is smart, funny, but also sentimental at the same time. The songs play as real Broadway style songs that tie in to the script, but they also feel like they are clever enough to be stand alone songs. In addition to McKenzie’s songs, there are some nice throwbacks to “The Rainbow Connection” and “Mah Na Mah Na”.
It is a bit weird to hear different voices coming out of classic Muppets. The voices are close, but not quite close enough (Fozzie Bear just isn’t Frank Oz). It is also a bit strange to see the Muppets moving around more. It looked really weird in The Muppet Movie when it happened in 1979 (seeing Fozzie and Kermit’s legs). Now it is much smoother, but not any less weird.
The script is smart and funny. The film is rated PG, but can be enjoyed by adults especially who remember growing up with the Muppets but also kids will like the new material and feel of the movie…Unlike a lot of remakes that destroy childhood classics, The Muppets really feels like a continuation and a smart one at that. I hope that this movie extends the Muppets’ already long lives…we don’t need any Moopets.
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