The Muppets (film)
The Muppets is a 2011 American musical comedy film directed by James Bobin, produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, and written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. It is the seventh theatrical film featuring the Muppets.[7] The film stars Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones, as well as Muppet performers Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Peter Linz. Bret McKenzie served as music supervisor, writing four of the film's five original songs, while Christophe Beck composed the score.[8] In the film, devoted Muppet fan Walter, his human brother Gary and Gary's girlfriend Mary help Kermit the Frog reunite the disbanded Muppets, as they must raise $10 million to save the Muppet Theater from Tex Richman, a greedy businessman who plans to demolish the theater to drill for oil.
This article is about the 2011 film. For the original 1979 film, see The Muppet Movie. For other Muppets films, see List of The Muppets films.The Muppets
Disney's Muppet characters and properties
- Jason Segel
- Amy Adams
- Chris Cooper
- Rashida Jones
James Thomas
- November 4, 2011 (Savannah Film Festival)
- November 23, 2011 (United States)
103 minutes[3]
United States
English
$165.2 million[6]
Walt Disney Pictures first announced the film in March 2008, with Segel and Stoller as the screenwriters and Hoberman and Lieberman's Mandeville Films as co-producer.[2] Conceived by Disney to serve as a creative reboot of the franchise after years of relative dormancy following their acquisition of the Muppets in 2004, Segel and Stoller intently addressed the characters' recent real-world lack of public exposure in mainstream culture within the context of the film's plot. Though reports indicated Stoller would direct the film, Bobin was ultimately hired to direct in January 2010, and the film's supporting cast was filled out in October of the same year with the casting of Adams, Cooper and Jones. Filming began in September 2010 and was completed entirely in Los Angeles five months later. The film was the first theatrical Muppets production to not star Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson performing their respective characters, although Nelson contributes an uncredited voice cameo.[9][10] Instead, their roles are performed by Jacobson and Vogel, respectively, marking their theatrical feature film debut as those characters.
The Muppets premiered at the Savannah Film Festival on November 4, 2011, and was released theatrically in North America on November 23, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[11] The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $165 million worldwide on a budget of $45 million and garnering acclaim for its humor, music, and revitalization of the characters. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for McKenzie's song "Man or Muppet", as well as earning BAFTA and Critic's Choice Awards nominations. A sequel, titled Muppets Most Wanted, was released on March 21, 2014.[12]
Plot[edit]
Walter, born a Muppet and a resident of Smalltown, is a lifelong fan of The Muppet Show. His older brother Gary intends to take his long-term girlfriend Mary on a vacation to Los Angeles. Mary wants Gary to propose to her, but feels his devotion to Walter distracts from their relationship.
The trio tour the rundown Muppet Studios, where Walter sneaks into Kermit the Frog’s office. There, he overhears oil magnate Tex Richman and his henchmen, Uncle Deadly and Bobo the Bear, intending to buy the Muppet Theatre from Statler and Waldorf. The old men state that the Muppets could repurchase the theatre if they raised $10 million before their original contract expires. However, in private, Richman reveals he intends to destroy the theatre to drill for oil.
Walter informs Gary and Mary. They visit Kermit in his mansion, who realizes the Muppets would have to reunite and throw a telethon to raise the money. Though the Muppets have gone their separate ways, Kermit is convinced to reunite them. He convinces Fozzie Bear to join in, having been performing in Reno with the Moopets, a tribute band of uncouth Muppet impersonators. Gonzo, working as a plumbing magnate, at first refuses to join, but changes his mind. Animal attends a celebrity anger management clinic, sponsored by Jack Black, and refuses to play the drums. The other various Muppets are recruited via "map montage".
The group travels to Paris to recruit Miss Piggy, who is an editor for Vogue Paris. At first she refuses to return, but later does so when her Moopet counterpart Miss Poogy is hired. The Muppets pitch their telethon to several networks. CDE network executive Veronica Martin agrees to air their show if they gain a celebrity host and The Muppets rebuild the theatre. Needing enough acts to fill the telethon's two-hour timeslot, Kermit encourages Walter to find a talent. With Gary helping Walter, Mary goes sightseeing alone and eventually returns to Smalltown.
With time running out, a desperate Kermit tries to implore Richman to return the studio, but he refuses, revealing he will give the Muppets’ trademarks to the Moopets. Kermit gives up, prompting Miss Piggy to rally the other Muppets to kidnap Jack Black to be the host. Gary discovers Mary has left and returns to Smalltown.
The Muppets convince Kermit to participate in the telethon, which slowly gains both an audience and rising funds, thanks to telephone pledges from celebrity callers. Richman repeatedly attempts to sabotage the show, cutting the theatre's power, but Gary and Mary arrive to restore it. A guilt-stricken Uncle Deadly betrays Richman and stops his second attempt at sabotage. Kermit and Miss Piggy reconcile, leading the Muppets to perform a rendition of “Rainbow Connection”. During this, Animal regains his love for drumming. Walter, with encouragement from Gary, performs a whistling act and earns a standing ovation.
Richman, refusing to accept defeat, deliberately crashes Kermit's car into a telephone pole, cutting off the phone lines just short of the goal, and evicts the Muppets from the theatre. However, the group are met by adoring fans outside, Walter joining the Muppets. Gary proposes to Mary, and Richman, after being struck in the head by Gonzo's bowling ball, laughs for the first time and willingly returns the theatre to the Muppets.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In 2008, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller pitched a concept for a Muppets film to Walt Disney Studios executive vice-president of production Karen Falk, and they were offered a deal to develop their script, with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films producing.[2] The news became public in March 2008 when Variety first reported that Disney had signed a deal with Segel and Stoller, with Segel and Stoller writing the script and Stoller directing.[29][30] In June 2008, Segel announced that he had turned in the first draft of his script and was hopeful that the film would live up to previous Muppets movies.[31][32][33] Later in 2008, Stoller noted that he and Segel had written an "old school Muppets movie, where the Muppets have to put on a show to save the studio." In this same interview, Stoller also confirmed that they would get as many cameos and guest stars as possible, and that Segel would play a ventriloquist.[34]
Originally, the film was titled The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time!!!, and an early leak of the script suggested that it would feature celebrity cameos by Adam Sandler, Bill Hader, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Christian Bale, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Jack Black, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Brooks, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Rachael Ray, Bob Saget, Lisa Lampanelli, Jeff Ross, and Charles Grodin.[35] Another former title of the film was The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made!, after an unused script written by Jerry Juhl back in 1985.[36] Although early reports indicated that Stoller would direct the film,[29][37] in January 2010 it was announced that James Bobin would direct the movie.[38][39][40] In February 2010, additional details about the plot surfaced, indicating that the film would be about a villain that wanted to drill for oil underneath the old Muppet Theater, and that the only way to stop him would be to put on a show that draws ten million viewers.[41][42] Reports from the summer of 2010 revealed that the production team had met with the creative heads at Pixar Animation Studios to fine tune the script.[43] During the summer of 2010, it was announced that the film would be released on Christmas 2011, but in December 2010, the release date was moved to Thanksgiving 2011.[11][44]
In October 2010, it was confirmed that Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and Rashida Jones would also be starring in the film.[45][46][47] Over the next few months, several guest cameo announcements emerged, including, but not limited to Adam Sandler, Bill Hader, Emily Blunt, Ricky Gervais, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Crystal, Jack Black, Alan Arkin and Dave Grohl.[48][49][50] However, Gervais, Crystal and several other cameos including Beth Broderick,[51] Kathy Griffin,[52] Ed Helms,[53] Sterling Knight,[54] Mila Kunis,[55] Ben Stiller,[56] Eric Stonestreet,[53] Wanda Sykes[57] Lady Gaga,[58] Katy Perry and Danny Trejo[51][53] were completely omitted from the film due to time constraints. Jim Parsons' cameo was kept as a secret by producers despite rumors that leaked on the Internet regarding his role in the film.[59][60] In a March 2009 interview on The Late Late Show, Segel revealed that he had asked host Craig Ferguson to appear in the film, and at the time, he (Ferguson) had been the only person that had agreed.[61] Ferguson was ultimately not given a role, for which he jokingly chastised Segel in a November 2011 interview.[62] A cameo was written for the Sesame Street Muppet Elmo, but was rejected by Disney's attorneys and representatives from Sesame Workshop.[63][64]
During the summer of 2010, Flight of the Conchords co-star Bret McKenzie flew to Los Angeles to serve as the music supervisor for The Muppets.[65][66]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The Muppets was a commercial success, accumulating a box office gross nearly quadruple its $45 million budget. It grossed $6.5 million on its opening day and debuted in second place, behind The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.[115] The following day, Thanksgiving Day, the film grossed $5.8 million for a two-day total of $12.5 million.[116] From Friday to Sunday, The Muppets grossed $29.2 million, while holding onto the No. 2 spot. Overall, the film grossed $41.5 million in five days; during which, it outgrossed every previous Muppet film, excluding The Muppet Movie.[117][118] The film closed on April 5, 2012, having grossed $88,631,237 in North America, along with $76,553,000 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $165,184,237,[119] becoming the highest-grossing puppet film and the first film in the series to gross over $100 million worldwide (unadjusted for inflation).[120][121]
Critical response[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 95% based on 228 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Clever, charming, and heartfelt, The Muppets is a welcome big screen return for Jim Henson's lovable creations that will both win new fans and delight longtime devotees."[122][123] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[124] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave The Muppets an "A" grade rating on an A+ to F scale.[125]
Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, praising the revitalized Muppets and their distinctive personalities.[126] Justin Chang of Variety called it "an unexpected treat," noting that the film effortlessly blends "wised-up, self-reflective humor with old-fashioned let's-put-on-a-show pizzazz."[1] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as "A mostly winning return for childhood favorites from a prior century [that] looks to accomplish its goal of pleasing old fans and winning new ones."[127] Alonso Duralde of The Wrap agreed writing that, "The Muppets has the same brilliant absurdity, anarchic humor, subtle uplift and ensemble comedy that fans have come to expect over the years."[128] Both the Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly praised the screenplay's self-referential humor, Jason Segel and Amy Adams' supporting roles, and the film's clever employment of cameos.[129][130]
Michael Phillips gave the film three out of four stars, positively summarizing that "those of us who've had Muppets in our memory since childhood will find ourselves in a state of contentment."[131] Peter Travers, writing for Rolling Stone, commended the film's musical segments, particularly Bret McKenzie's "Man or Muppet".[132] The Boston Globe also gave it three out of four stars and said, "The result is refreshing on every level, a piece of nostalgia so old it's new again, and a breather from Hollywood's 3-D digital onslaught in favor of fur and fuzz."[133] Christopher Kelly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram stated that the film was "much more than just an affectionate reimagining of familiar Muppets routines, [but it] is rooted in real emotions and characters," and that "they remain as committed as ever to doing what Muppets do best: putting on a grand show."[134]
Pre-release criticism[edit]
Prior to the film's release, some past Muppet performers were reportedly critical about the film's portrayal of the characters.[135] Retired Muppet performer Frank Oz initially disapproved of the script and thought that the early version was disrespectful toward the characters.[136]
After the film's release, Oz modified his earlier statements: