Amazon.com Essentials:
This simply irresistible first feature from the Muppets has Kermit the
frog
going from the swamps to Hollywood to be a star. As he travels and picks up
his usual friends (Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear), Doc Hopper (Charles
Durning) is in pursuit, looking for Kermit to be the spokesman for his
frog-leg cuisine. A loose rendition of The Wizard of Oz, the film
incorporates the same cagey humor as their breakout syndicated TV series
The Muppet Show. This is one of the few times that a human cast
(notably Steve Martin, Orson Welles, and Carol Kane) are integrated
seamlessly with nonhumans. Worth noting is Paul Williams's score, which
includes the Oscar-nominated "The Rainbow Connection." Williams's music,
much like Howard Ashman's work on The Little Mermaid and other
Disney films, provides more than atmosphere; there's a degree of magic
here. Williams did not work on the future Muppet films until A
Muppet Christmas Carol. His contributions made these films the best of
the Muppet series. --Doug Thomas
Amazon.com video review:
Jim Henson vaulted Kermit, the famous floppy-armed frog, and his Muppet
pals to the big screen with this charming 1979 musical adventure. Like the
TV show that inspired it, Henson and director James Frawley playfully
acknowledge movie clichés and conventions and allow the characters to
address the camera in asides, like a Hope and Crosby road film for the
1980s. The ambitious singing frog decides to leave his swamp and conquer
Hollywood, gathering a group of friends along the way (Fozzie Bear, Miss
Piggy, Gonzo, and more) and bumping into oodles of guest stars making
tongue-in-cheek cameos (my favorite is the tip-of-the-hat appearance by
Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy). Meanwhile, despicable fast-food king
Charles Durning pursues Kermit, hoping to make him the spokesfrog for his
Frogs-Legs restaurant franchise. Austin Pendleton costars as Durning's sad
sack henchman while guest stars include James Coburn, Dom DeLuise,
Madeleine Kahn, Steve Martin, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Carol Kane, Cloris
Leachman, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Elliot Gould, Orson
Welles, and Big Bird. Paul Williams penned the bouncy, song-filled score.
You'll believe a frog can sing! --Sean Axmaker
