Then, in 2011, it all changed: 2011 was a very rough year for movies, both animated and live-action. There were films that year that were either unoriginal, just okay, or downright horrible. Then, on November 23rd of that year, The Muppets appeared on the big screen for the first time in 12 years, in a film simply called 'The Muppets'. It got glowing reviews, introduced a new generation of viewers to the Muppets, and won the Oscar for Best Original Song (Man or Muppet).
Directed by Jason Segall, who happens to be a big Muppet fan himself, The Muppets tells the story of Muppet fan Walter (Peter Linz) and his human brother Gary (Jason Segall). Gary got tickets for a trip to Los Angeles, California so he can get closer with his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), but Walter wants to go to LA so he can visit the Muppet Studios. However, when he sneaks into Kermit's old office, sinister oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) wants to destroy the Muppet Studios so he can drill for oil. Now it's up to Walter to find Kermit and bring the Muppets back together for one last show.
The Muppets works as a film because it has a proper, albeit familiar, story, characters that many people are familiar with, an emotional score from Christophe Beck, some catchy songs, and believable puppetry brought to life through reliable Muppeteers like Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Bill Barretta, and David Rudman. Frank Oz, the original voice and puppeteer of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Animal, was asked if he wanted to return for the film, but he declined on the offer. He felt the script was disrespectful to the Muppets. However, I personally find the sequel, Muppets Most Wanted, to be more disrespectful, but that's for another day. In conclusion, The Muppets is a start-to-finish delight that the whole family can enjoy together.
Rating: The perfect rating of 5 stars.
Plus 5 frogs
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