Your Thoughts: "The Muppets" Theatrical Film

[newsmanfan]

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Saw the midnight show here last night. WOW. I agree with much of what folks here have already posted so I won't belabor the excellent points they've already brought up about the wonderfully REAL frog/pig romance, the perfectly Muppety songs, the old-school feel, the humans not detracting from the story, and what a great addition Walter is!

However, having sat down today to read the Jr novel...I am bewailing the edits. MANY WONDERFUL SCENES WERE CUT! WHY??? We've seen these hinted at in the trailers: the big frog/pig afterwedding blowup...the Muppets staging a fake awards show and winding up in jail...I mean this stuff is vintage Muppety style! BRAVO to Jason Segal and the writers and everyone who worked on this...but WHY oh WHY was so much cut? Time constraints? Folks, I sat through no less than 8 previews before this film actually ran last night! I hope like firey froggy heck that ALL the scenes which WERE filmed but cut from the final edit wind up in a dvd "extended version" (a la LOTR) so we can revel in the backstories and good jokes which inexplicably some marketing moron thought needed to be scrapped!

BUT, that said, this is a WONDERFUL film. The crowd I saw it with was small...barely 20 people...but I heard EVERYONE (along with me) quietly singing "Rainbow Connection"! And big laughs for Rowlf's line about his being skipped in the montage, and Sheldon's PERFECT cameo, and Jack Black begging the sparse audience to help him, and Kermit's wonderfully building-up-to-an-indignant-frenzy lines about KIDNAPPING! Loved the Piggy/Kermit stuff. Loved Uncle Deadly. SO wanted to howl in protest of Wayne and Wanda's kiss, but restrained myself...in...con...trol...

And Newsie! Actual LINES, even if they were silly ones! Good for him!

Loved ALL the songs, even the bits like "I've Had the Time of My Life" playing in the background of Piggy & Pepe's rehearsal. Hilarious! "Me Party"'s abundant '80s references cracked me up...and "Man or Muppet" really hit home for me, silly though that sounds. Like Walter, I've been looking for a place to belong all my life. I think a lot of us here are Walters...what a great character!

So yes. Bravo all involved! Now...make it LONGER!!!!

Back later. I have to go practice my maniacal laugh.
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[jacobsnchz]

Who was that cameo who played the human version of Walter?

Um... I'd honestly tell you, but it's better as a surprise!! Our audience was rolling!! It was the best and so random!

 

[Bannanasketch]

Who was that cameo who played the human version of Walter?

Jim Parsons. He plays Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

Um... I'd honestly tell you, but it's better as a surprise!! Our audience was rolling!! It was the best and so random!

No I've seen the movie already, I just don't know who it is!
I actually thought it was hilarious seeing that. That song also was great!

 

[Muppet fan 123]

Jim Parsons. He plays Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory.

Oh! That's where I know him from. Thanks!
Also the kid from the show Community was on it. I don't know his name but he was that guy who opens the door on Kermit.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

I think "Muppet" is my trigger word

 

[mupcollector1]

we just got back & "pictures in my head" made my eyes water, but at the END when all the fans are out side i cried...a HAPPY cry tho! because there BACK! Sweeetums at Mad Man Mooneys (Now called Mad Man Mooney & Son) nice touch to "TMM"

Yeah me too, there was so many tear jerker moments in the movie. My eyes was defiantly watering at that scene "pictures in my head" and the ending scene as well. Plus also movies in general when there's a sort of happy sad scene, that's when the violin music happens and that always makes my eyes water. LOL

 

[minor muppetz]

If important plot points were cut, I wonder if many of the acts in the telethon were cut. I would have thought it'd be easier to cut those as they likely wouldn't have much importance to the plot.

When I read the junior novel and saw the flashback to the wedding, I had wondered if it would have been reshot or if it was an actual clip. If it's an actual clip, I wonder if they had trouble getting rights from Sony (or if they wanted to avoid clips showing Sesame Street characters, even in the background). And without that, I wonder if the rest of the flashback would have made sense.

Was Uncle Deadly's past association with the Muppets addressed in the movie? It's never mentioned in the junior novel, and when Walter first sees him (hiding when he learns of Tex Richman's plans) he doesn't seem to recognize him as a Muppet. Ditto with Bobo.

I think I'm going to see this movie with my family tomorrow night.

 

[Frogster]

Not sure if anyone else will mention this, but I got choked up right off the bat when you see Walter playing as a kid, then having to realize he's different, and then discovering the Muppets. I'm sure all of us can relate to that.

 

[Oscarfan]

What was with the balls velcroed onto Jack Black during the ninja scene?

That's the way they do motion capturing.