Muppets from Space

Director: Tim Hill, Timothy Hill Tim Hill

Overview

"Muppet movies are perennial family favorites, and there is the usual large helping of good-natured fun in Tim Hill's Muppets From Space. Columbia TriStar has taken full advantage of the DVD medium with this disc, which has a great deal to recommend it. The anamorphic transfer of the film is as good as one could wish for, with the colorful visuals expected from a Muppet movie rendered gloriously. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is also of high quality, and all the music and dialogue is crisp and clear. The bonus materials on the disc include both the original theatrical trailer and the teaser trailer, in addition to trailers for some other family films. Also included are some brief talent profiles, an enjoyable music video (""Shining Star"" by the Dust Brothers featuring Jeymes), and an amusing selection of outtakes. By far the best extra feature is a live video commentary (similar in style to the feature on the Ghostbusters DVD) with director Hill and Gonzo, Rizzo and, briefly, Kermit. Though it offers absolutely no insight whatsoever, it is one of the funniest commentaries ever made for DVD, and in many ways the equal of the film itself in terms of sheer entertainment. In fact Columbia TriStar's disc is a triumph in every respect, and is probably essential for any fan of the Muppets."

Product Details

Release Date:	10/26/1999
UPC:	0043396039322
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	G
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	29,210

Special Features

Live video commentary with Kermit, Gonzo, Rizzo, and director Tim Hall; Outtakes reel; Music video "Shining Star" by the Dust Brothers featuring Jeymes; Original theatrical trailer; Bonus trailers; Talent files; Subtitles: English; Production notes; Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video; Audio set-up: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) and 2-channel (Dolby Surround)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

F. Murray Abraham	Noah
Josh Charles	Agent Barker
Ray Liotta	Gate Guard
Rob Schneider	The Producer
Jeffrey Tambor	K. Edgar Singer
David Arquette	Dr. Tucker
Kathy Griffin	Female Armed Guard
Pat Hingle	Gen. Luft
Andie MacDowell	Shelley Snipes
Veronica Alicino	TV Stage Manager
David Lenthall	Mikey the Cameraman
Richard Fullerton	Gate Guard
Mark Joy	Gate Guard
Carl Espy	TV Associate Producer
Deron Barnett	Child
Christina Mullins	Little Girl
Elaine Nalee	Mashed Potato Lady
Katie Holmes	Joey Potter
Joshua Jackson	Pacey
Gates McFadden	Space Agent #2
Dave Goelz	Gonzo/Dr. Bunsen Honeydew/Waldorf/The Birdman
Steve Whitmire	Kermit the Frog/Rizzo the Rat/Beaker/Cosmic Fish
Bill Barretta	Pepe the Prawn/Bobo as Rentro/Bubba the Rat
Frank Oz	Miss Piggy/Fozzie Bear/Animal/Sam the Eagle
Jerr Nelson	Robin/Statler/Ubergonzo,Ubergonzo
Brian Henson	Dr. Phil Van Neuter/Sal Minella
Kevin Clash	Clifford
Hulk Hogan	Man in Black/Himself
Berno von Cramm	Miss Piggy
Thomas Piper	Pepe
Kirk Thatcher	Additional Performer
Ken Kaufman	Actor
Mark Nutter	Actor
Thomas Wolfe	Actor
The Muppets	Actor
Jamshied Sharifi	Composer

Technical Credits

Joseph Mazzarino

Jerry Juhl

Ken Kaufman

Tim Hill	Director,Director
Joseph Mazzarino	Screenwriter
Jerry Juhl	Screenwriter
Ken Kaufman	Screenwriter
Brian Henson	Producer
Martin G. Baker	Producer,Producer
Stephanie Allain	Executive Producer,Producer
Kristine Belson	Executive Producer,Producer
Allison Cowitt	Casting
Michael Fenton	Casting
Thomas G. Smith	Special Effects
Kami Asgar	Sound Effects
Carl Rudisill	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It wouldn't be insulting the legacy of Jim Henson to assume that a Muppet movie made in 1999 would have little new to offer. Children's movies had gone in a different direction, with puppets seeming like a holdover from a simpler era. But Muppets From Space finds it easier being green than one would expect, effectively trotting out the old formula of mid-level stars making game cameos amidst a bunch of giggly Muppet mayhem. Ray Liotta, Andie McDowell, Jeffrey Tambor, and David Arquette take their place among the franchise's proud fraternity of guest stars, and the creatures -- now under the auspices of Henson's son, Brian -- are equipped with as many endearing facial expressions and one-liners as ever. The movie kicks off with a rousing around-the-house montage to the Commodores' "Brick House," and never lets up steam. Miss Piggy's diva shtick may be a tad played out, but it's the new characters that breathe humorous life into the project, notably the foreign-accented Pepe the Prawn and Bobo the Bear, the befuddled yes-man to Tambor's plotting villain. And Kermit the Frog could never wear out his welcome; the plot may revolve around Gonzo, but Kermit is the heart and soul of this clan. Only a human hand could so perfectly scrunch up Kermit's face into that priceless look of "Why me?" embarrassment. Such details will always give the Muppets a human touch, increasingly absent in the animated fare marching toward further technological sterility.