1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Muppet Movie

#678- The Muppet Movie (1979)
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Charles Durning
Directed by: James Frawley


Plot Summary: The Muppets have gathered in a theater to see the premiere of their first movie, The Muppet Movie. The film is about Kermit the Frog's journey to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. Doc Hopper is an entrepreneur who is chasing Kermit down to try and get him to be the spokesman for his restaurant franchise, which specializes in French-fried frog legs. On Kermit's journey, he meets many odd characters, like Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, and Miss Piggy, culminating in a road trip to Hollywood so The Muppets can break into show business.


In recent years, The Muppets have been a franchise marketed under the Disney name, with their new film, Muppets Most Wanted, due to be released in March. I thought I should specify that since it might puzzle some people why I selected their first film, The Muppet Movie, to review during Disney Month. While not originally a Disney film, The Muppets offer a sense of childhood nostalgia for people that grew up with them since the '70s, with the more recent films reaching out to a new generation of children to watch and enjoy. That's enough credentials for me to consider this an unconventional Disney film, or even considered a Disney film by association. Personally, I had never grown up with The Muppets, I knew who the characters were, but I never watched the show or the movies, so when I sat down to watch this movie, I hoped that it would give me a sense of what The Muppets were all about and what they meant to the people that did grow up with them.

Kermit the Frog, performed by Jim Henson, has always been the cornerstone of The Muppets. While he gets in some fun jokes, his main job is to be the straight man (or frog) in this world filled with strange and unusual characters. One of the characteristics that helped me like him instantly was his selfless reason for why he wanted to go to Hollywood. He is not interested in the money or the fame that comes with it, but rather, wants to make millions of people happy. The polar opposite of Kermit is Ms. Piggy, performed by Frank Oz. I've never liked Miss Piggy. I always found her selfish, stuck up, and irritating. What is it that makes her likable with the crowd? Is it her stalker-like romance with Kermit? Is it her "holier than thou" personality? Is it her violent tendencies that come seemingly out of nowhere? I'm sorry, but, I've never understood the appeal.

My favorite Muppet was Fozzie Bear, performed by Frank Oz. Fozzie specializes in ridiculous puns and unfunny jokes, which of course is hilarious (seriously, he's like me if I were a Muppet). He is loyal to Kermit throughout the film and is the first to join him on his quest to go to Hollywood. Their road trip scenes really demonstrate a relationship between the two that is fitting of best friends. I see Kermit and Fozzie interact and imagine that's how my best friend and I would act. There isn't a whole lot for me to say about Gonzo the Great, performed by Dave Goelz. He's a goofy character that looks silly, acts silly and has a romance with a chicken named Camilla, performed by Jerry Nelson. He's obviously one of those characters that everyone loves and loves to see on-screen, but there wasn't a whole lot of depth I could understand for Gonzo, or even understand his personalities or what he does to contribute to the group.

Along the way, our main Muppets meet many other characters, including Rowlf the Dog, Sweetums, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Many of the other Muppets, including Sam the Eagle, Statler and Waldorf, and Swedish Chef are watching the film, and are only prominently featured in the scenes in the theater watching the movie. They're fun additions to the film for all fans of The Muppet Show, but don't add a whole lot to the overall plot of the film they are watching (for the record, that's starting to sound confusing. Who knew meta-humor existed that far back).

The film offers great star power through its various cameos from some of the top entertainers of the time. Included in the film are cameos from Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Orson Welles, and my personal favorite of the film, Steve Martin. Seeing these entertainers work off The Muppets seems like a great symbolic acceptance of Kermit and the rest of The Muppets as some of the greatest entertainers of all time. There's also a great cameo from Big Bird of Sesame Street fame (left a big smile on my face for a couple of minutes to see Big Bird interact with Kermit the Frog).

The Muppet Movie gave me a good introduction to many of the characters and put them in an environment that is easy to follow, a road trip movie. The road trip movie blends in nicely with the musical numbers, creating a fun, musical adventure. My favorite part of the road trip is when Kermit and Fozzie sing "Movin' Right Along," a humorous and catchy tune that serves as a montage full of puns, jokes and the cameo from Big Bird I mentioned earlier. The road trip concept was a great idea to introduce how Kermit met the other characters and how they accompany him on his journey. Since it shows how The Muppets got their start, the film plays out like a prequel to The Muppet Show, making it an effective way to introduce The Muppets to someone unfamiliar with them, like myself.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Muppet Movie is a wonderful blend of family entertainment, with timeless characters you know and love teaming up with some of the biggest names in showbiz during the time for the ultimate road trip comedy. If you are planning on seeing Muppets Most Wanted, this is a film that deserves a solid recommendation for a rental for the entire family.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

The Muppet Movie and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures and Associated Film Distribution