The Muppets

Director: James Bobin

Overview

When an evil oil man discovers black gold beneath Muppet Theater, Kermit recruits a Muppet super-fan and his two best friends to help gather up the gang for a telethon that will save the venue from being razed and replaced with a giant oil pump. Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) never met an oil field he couldn't suck dry. So when Tex discovers a bountiful reservoir right underneath Muppet Theater, he begins drawing up plans to claim the land and start drilling. Little does Tex realize that devoted Muppets fan Walter is currently in Los Angeles with his best friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams), and that he's not about to let one man's greed spoil a good thing for everyone. With Kermit by their side, Walter, Gary, and Mary hatch a plan to put on a big telethon that will help them raise the ten million dollars needed to keep Muppet Theater standing. But rounding up the gang won't be easy, because these days Miss Piggy's got a posh job at Vogue Paris; Fozzie has landed a gig at a Reno casino; Gonzo has become the owner of a successful plumbing company; and Animal is dealing with anger management issues in a Santa Barbara clinic. With the drilling deadline fast drawing near and Tex wringing his hands in anticipation, the gang races to put on the performance of a lifetime and save Muppet Theater from certain destruction. Directed by James Bobin and written by Segel and Nicholas Stoller, The Muppets Movie features cameos by Zach Galifianakis, Billy Crystal, Jack Black, Alan Arkin, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/20/2012
UPC:	0786936816808
Original Release:	2011
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	25,117

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jason Segel	Gary
Amy Adams	Mary
Chris Cooper	Tex Richman
Steve Whitmire	Statler
Eric Jacobson	Sam Eagle
Dave Goelz	Zoot
Rashida Jones	CDE Executive
Bill Barretta	Swedish Chef
David Rudman	Scooter
Matt Vogel	Uncle Deadly
Peter Linz	Walter
Alan Arkin	Tour Guide
Bill Cobbs	Grandfather
Zach Galifianakis	Hobo Joe
Ken Jeong	"Punch Teacher" Host
Jim Parsons	Human Walter
Eddie Pepitone	Postman
Kristen Schaal	Moderator
Sarah Silverman	Greeter
Eddie 'Piolín' Sotelo	Actor,TV Executive
Raymond Ma	Elderly Asian Man
Shu Lan Tuan	Actor
Donald Glover	Junior CDE Executive
Dahlia Waingort	TV Executive
Jonathan Palmer	Reporter One
Don Yanan	Reporter Two
Michael Albala	TV Executive
Julia Marie Franzese	"Punch Teacher" Kid
Gunnar Smith	Gary Age 6
Connor Gallagher	Gary Age 9
Justin Marco	Gary Age 13
Cameron Kasal	Laughing Kid
Justin Tinucci	Laughing Kid
Alex Long	Laughing Kid
Aria Noelle Curzon	Waitress
Emily Blunt	Actor
James Carville	Actor
Leslie Feist	Actor
Whoopi Goldberg	Actor
Selena Gomez	Actor
Dave Grohl	Actor
Neil Patrick Harris	Actor
Judd Hirsch	Actor
John Krasinski	Actor
Rico Rodriguez	Actor
Mickey Rooney	Actor
Stefan Kaminski	Kermit, der Frosch
Christian Gaul	Miss Piggy
Patrick Bach	Walter
Tyler Bunch	Voices
Bruce Lanoil	Voices
Michelan Sisti	Voices
Tim Blaney	Voices
Kevin Carlson	Voices
Leslie Carrara	Voices
Kristin Charney	Voices
Alice Dinnean	Voices
Julia Gunn	Voices
BJ Guyer	Voices
Tanya Haden	Voices
Karen Prell	Voices
David Skelly	Voices
Tuan Shu Lan	Elderly Aisan Woman
Christophe Beck	Composer
Bret McKenzie	Composer

Technical Credits

Jason Segel

Nicholas Stoller

James Bobin	Director
Jason Segel	Screenwriter,Executive Producer
Nicholas Stoller	Screenwriter,Executive Producer,Screenwriter
David Hoberman	Producer
Todd Lieberman	Producer
John G. Scotti	Executive Producer
Allan Graf	Stunts,Second Unit Director
Mitchell Dubin	Camera Operator
Matthew Moriarty	Camera Operator
Gail Goldberg	Casting
Marcia Ross	Casting
Karen Golden	Script Supervisor
J. Alan Scott	Special Effects Supervisor
Martin G. Baker	Executive Producer
Beau Borders	Sound Mixer
Steve Cantamessa	Sound Mixer
Kevin O'Connell	Sound Mixer

Editorial Reviews

Though the legacy of Muppet mastermind Jim Henson still reverberates in the hearts and minds of children far and wide (most notably through Sesame Street), when it came to the movies, Kermit and the gang had never quite managed to recapture the magic of years gone by. In hindsight, one wonders if they were held back by a barely perceptible aura of cynicism: Maybe the people behind the films believed the Muppets were past their prime, and maybe that theory wasn't completely off base. Whatever the reason, it seemed that in recent years the spark that made The Muppet Show a phenomenon had dulled considerably. Thankfully, over 30 years after they first hit the scene, and more than 20 years after Henson's death, the Muppets get their groove back. Screenwriters Nick Stoller and Jason Segel (who also stars) allowed no cynicism to taint The Muppets, which was directed by James Bobin of Flight of the Conchords fame. In fact, part of what makes The Muppets so successful is the honesty of its premise. In the film, as in life, The Muppet Show is valued primarily for its nostalgia factor, having long since been replaced by tackier fare. However, for Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) -- a puppet who resides in Smalltown, USA, with his brother and best friend Gary (Segel) -- the Muppets represent the sense of belonging he's never been able to experience as the only puppet in a town full of humans. When Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) take Walter with them on a vacation to Los Angeles, a tour of the Muppet Theater reveals that the onetime stomping ground of his idols is but a lonely shadow of its former glory. As fate would have it, Walter learns an oil tycoon (Chris Cooper) plans to tear down the theater, and suddenly reenergized, he makes it his mission to find Kermit, reunite the old crew, and hold a telethon that will raise enough money to save the theater from destruction. It's a tall order, but the Muppets (and the film) have the heart for the job. There are flaws here and there -- Kermit occasionally seems like an impersonation of himself (perhaps it's impossible to recapture the bit of Henson's personality that he brought to Kermit as his original voice and puppeteer), and Cooper's musical sequence doesn't quite fit. It's also true that the formula doesn't deviate much from those of the classic Muppet films. Luckily, The Muppets doesn't suffer for these elements. It's a winning formula, after all, and the sincerity from all those involved gives it the feeling of an affectionate homage, as opposed to a crutch to lean on. 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). The many celebrity cameos (including a brilliant blink-and-you-miss it appearance from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters) are top-notch, and Jack Black playing himself as the telethon's reluctant celebrity host -- well, he's just really, really funny. In the end, however, the film's success is owed to the fact that the living, breathing actors understand the show belongs to the Muppets. In their capable paws, claws, and flippers, the fun, kindness, and total, unadulterated wackiness of The Muppet Show is finally back.