MOVIE NEWS: The Muppets

“It’s time to start the music… it’s time to light the lights…” Oh… hello there, blog readers! You’ve caught me singing the Muppets theme song to myself. I’ve been humming it ever since I saw the new movie The Muppets at a preview screening last week, and I’m here to share some thoughts about it.

First, a bit of background for you: the Muppets are a group of characters created by a puppeteer named Jim Henson way back in the 1950s. They’ve had movies, TV specials, spin-off cartoon shows (anyone ever seen Muppet Babies?), and, of course, tons and tons of toys. But the Muppets haven’t been in the public eye much since their last movie, Muppets From Space, which came out back in 1999.

And that’s pretty much where we’re at as this movie begins. When a man named Gary and his very Muppet-looking brother, Walter, travel to Los Angeles to visit the original Muppet Studios, they find the place is falling apart due to neglect. Not only that, but an evil businessman is planning to tear the place down once and for all.

Now Gary and Walter need to find Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, and all the other Muppets, and encourage them to put on one more show to raise enough money to keep the studio… or else! But will it work? And do the Muppets even have one more show in them? You’ll have to catch this flick in theatres to find out!

In the meantime, here are a few observations about this movie:

1) It’s musical! More accurately, it’s a musical. The Muppets do some old songs, some covers of other people’s old songs, and even a few new ones. They all sound fantastic and work really well with the story, and many of the new ones especially were hilarious. Speaking of which…

2) It’s funny! Sure, there’s a bit of toilet humour (for instance, Fozzie Bear walks around for a while in self-made “fart shoes” that make a noise like a whoopee cushion every time he steps down), but there’s also some seriously funny conversations and even a few good ol’ knee-slappers. Speaking of which…

3) It’s classic! Granted, if you aren’t familiar with the Muppets just yet, you might not find it so. But, for me, watching these characters again brought back some great memories — it looked and felt like what I remember watching. That said, you don’t need to have seen previous Muppet movies to enjoy this one.

Overall, I really liked The Muppets. It’s a sweet and funny movie, and has good all-ages appeal (ie. your parents will definitely want to go with you!).

What do you guys think? Were you familiar with the Muppets before this movie? Do you plan to see it… or skip it? Let me know in the comments below!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com