Your Thoughts: "The Muppets" Theatrical Film

[Pinkflower7783]

Wow don't know what to make of that...

 

[newsmanfan]

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That is HILARIOUS, whether real or fake!

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[Vincent L]

I thought it was pretty great, and actually the first Muppet production I've seen. The movie sure did what it's supposed to do: get new Muppet fans.

By the way, the Chinese translation for The Muppets (film) is "Sock Puppet". Isn't that awful?

 

[Muppetgirl1]

I love how Walter became a Muppet and he never knew he was until he help Kermit and the gang to save the Theater I cried about 4 times when I saw the Movie it was the best movie ever.
and I am glad that they won an OSCAR for the best song Congrats

 

[LouisTheOtter]

Since people are still sharing their thoughts on The Muppets, I thought I'd add a few observations that Mrs. Otter and I made when we watched it for the third time after picking up the Wocka Wocka Pack a few weeks ago. (We got the Wal-Mart special edition with the Kermit, Fozzie, Piggy and Gonzo finger puppets, which are now proudly on display in the Otter Family living room.)

Mrs. Otter best summed up our collective feelings with the comment that "the movie travels well" - it didn't feel like we were watching it for the third time in less than four months. This bodes well for its lasting place in the overall Muppet legacy.

Stuff we somehow didn't notice during our two theatrical viewings which tickled us on the third go-around:
(1) When the Swedish Chef blasts the "rotten food" during the clean-up sequence, he says "Say hello to my little friend!" in pigeon Swedish. (Fun fact: This line wasn't altered one iota for the film's French translation.)
(2) Roger Ebert's review of The Muppet Movie famously said that "not only do we see The Muppets on a big screen, but we also see their feet." Well, The Muppets may be the first movie in which we also HEAR the Muppets' feet - the footsteps are especially prominent during the telethon's opening theme and even when Kermit hurries onstage after the song wraps up. Nice touch.
(3) "All hail the new Hobo King!" as Jack Black is carried off by Hobo Joe and his comrades during the "Life's A Happy Song" finale...Priceless.

I always found the botched opening-theme rehearsal funny but lately the thing that cracks me up is the sight of Link Hogthrob and Bobby Benson just chatting away at the arches while everybody else is trying to keep it together. I almost wish I knew what those loveable egomaniacs were saying to each other...

A pleasant surprise (mentioned elsewhere in this forum): The closing credits of the home version feature instrumental versions of the soundtrack songs and score (even the "Kidnapping Jack Black" sequence), instead of the "generic zany symphony score" that so disappointed me in the threatrical version.

I can't be the only one impressed by the emphasis on unique camera angles. This applies pretty much to the whole film but in particular to the "Rainbow Connection" sequence - Kermit and Piggy are shot from pretty much every position in the opening verse, and that final pull-back from Animal to reveal the entire cast/stage is simply amazing. The whole movie was worth it just for that one shot IMHO.

Minor complaint from Mrs. Otter (to which I agree) on the Gary-and-Walter exchange prior to his whistling telethon finale: All the "this is all part of growing up" stuff screamed Disney, and not in a good way.

Bottom line: The Muppets scores on the small screen as much as on the big screen, possibly even more. We're going to treasure this one for years to come.

 

[miss muppet]

Never in my life have I seen such a breathtaking film I just couldn't wipe the smile from my face .

 

[LouisTheOtter]

Well said, Miss Muppet!

Another observation: The first time I saw the film, it looked like Kermit didn't want to open up the "O" door in the Muppet Telethon sign and was almost resigning himself to dredging up past memories in a desperate effort to save the theatre. But the next two times I saw it (in the theatre and at home on DVD), it became more clear that he was simply regaining his confidence and telling himself, "Yes, I/we can do this."

Which proves, for the nine millionth time in Muppet history, that the performers' skill extends far beyond the delivery of lines - they can convey so much with the characters' facial expressions. Steve Whitmire has been especially good at this with Kermit and made him a joy to watch over the past 22 years.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I knew right away when I first saw the film that Kermit was hesitant to open the door because he was nervous that their doing a show again after all these years and he was probably wondering if they'll even raise enough money. That moment had a very serious tone to it even if it wasn't a long scene.

 

[Yorick]

Oh, and I LOVE the comparison to Hugo. Oh, that pretentious movie that's going to go down like all the other overly pretentious children's movies like The Waterhorse and... uh... I can't think of another! They're just so forgotten. "Martin Scorsese...blah blah blah Magic." What's the magic? Making FRENCH kids sound British? The go to pretentious accent?

Hey now, The Waterhorse and Hugo were both great. Do you really think they're both bad, or is that just a reaction to the negative review of the 2011 Muppet film? As of this writing, it's the only Muppet production that (to me) has moments that aren't so great, but those moments pass by quickly enough, so I overlook them...and I enjoy the film a lot! But don't blame The Waterhorse and Hugo for anything Those films both had a lot of class and a lot of heart. And one of them had Christopher Lee, who's always super!

 

[jvcarroll]

Hey now, The Waterhorse and Hugo were both great. Do you really think they're both bad, or is that just a reaction to the negative review of the 2011 Muppet film? As of this writing, it's the only Muppet production that (to me) has moments that aren't so great, but those moments pass by quickly enough, so I overlook them...and I enjoy the film a lot! But don't blame The Waterhorse and Hugo for anything Those films both had a lot of class and a lot of heart. And one of them had Christopher Lee, who's always super!

I agree. Both of those are fine films. I can see why some moviegoers would find them too precious for their pallets. The British accent subs for many foreign dialects in Western cinema so I'm just used to that. I do think the Muppet review Tooth was talking about went way off the O.C.D. deep-end. Nothing can withstand that sort of scrutiny. The Muppets has plenty of flaws. However, it somehow hit just the right spot to eclipse a jaded film marketplace and reignite the character franchise. The film was more movement than movie. I've watched it a half-dozen times and it's still enjoyable. It mostly makes me excited for the next one.