The Muppet Movie (1979)

Kermit and his newfound friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog legs merchant is after Kermit.

Director:

James Frawley

Writers:

Jerry Juhl, Jack Burns

Stars:

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Henson	...	Kermit the Frog / Rowlf / Dr. Teeth / Waldorf / Swedish Chef / Link Hogthrob / Doc Hopper's Men (voice)
Frank Oz	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam the Eagle / Doc Hopper's Men / Marvin Suggs / Swedish Chef (assistant) / Motorcycle Guy (voice)
Jerry Nelson	...	Floyd Pepper / Crazy Harry / Robin the Frog / Lew Zealand / Camilla / Blue Frackle (voice)
Richard Hunt	...	Scooter / Statler / Janice / Sweetums / Beaker / Fozzie Bear (assistant) (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	The Great Gonzo / Zoot / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Doglion / Iraqian in El Sleezo Cafe / Nigel / Pig (voice)
Charles Durning	...	Doc Hopper
Austin Pendleton	...	Max
Edgar Bergen	...	Himself / Charlie McCarthy
Milton Berle	...	Mad Man Mooney
Mel Brooks	...	Professor Max Krassman
James Coburn	...	El Sleezo Cafe Owner
Dom DeLuise	...	Bernie the Agent
Elliott Gould	...	Beauty Contest Compere
Bob Hope	...	Ice Cream Vendor
Madeline Kahn	...	El Sleezo Patron

Storyline

While living the quiet life in a swamp, Kermit the Frog is approached by a Hollywood agent to audition for the chance of a lifetime. So Kermit takes this chance for his big break as he makes the journey to Hollywood. Along the way, Kermit comes across several quirky new friends including comedic Fozzie Bear, beautiful but feisty Miss Piggy, and the Great Gonzo. But Kermit must also watch out for ruthless Doc Hopper, who plans to use him as his spokesman for his frog legs food chain.

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Plot Keywords:

the muppets | hare krishna | national film registry | troubled production | 1970s | 

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Taglines:

More entertaining than humanly possible!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Aventuras dos Marretas

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$65,810,475

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,810,475

Company Credits

Production Co:

Henson Associates (HA), ITC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sequences where Fozzie, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the gang cruise around in that old Studebaker seem effortless, but they were a logistical nightmare. Kermit and Piggy each required a puppeteer, Fozzie required two, they all needed monitors, and none of them could appear in the shot. So four men squeezed underneath the dashboard of the car with their video monitors to accomplish this movie magic, but the engineering didn't stop there. James Frawley told SF Gate that they also "had a little person in the back of the car, steering and driving. We had a video camera on the nose of the car so he could see where he was going."

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Goofs

When Miss Piggy jumps off the balcony to attack the men and save Kermit the Frog, an arm covered by a long black glove is seen throwing her.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Statler: I'm Statler.
Waldorf: I'm Waldorf. We're here to heckle "The Muppet Movie".
Gate Guard: Gentlemen, that's straight ahead. Private screening room D.
Statler: Private screening?
Waldorf: Yeah, they're afraid to show it in public.
[they laugh as their car proceeds forward]

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Crazy Credits

Over first few credits, Sweetums bursts out of the screen, followed by many Muppet gags

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Alternate Versions

The theatrical and Magnetic Video releases show the Associated Film Distribution logo and a Rated G MPAA rating screen after the credits. But on further releases, the AFD logo is plastered by the Jim Henson Pictures logo, and the rating screen is edited out.

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Connections

Followed by The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

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Soundtracks

Movin' Right Along
Music and Lyrics by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher
Performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz

User Reviews

A Witty and Clever Movie For "Kids" Of Any Age.

There's just something pleasantly memorable about a little green frog singing and playing a banjo in the middle of a swamp. The opening scene is a wonderful introduction for this truly excellent film.

My favorite of the Muppet movies, this has excellent songs, some truly funny running gags and one-liners (and some that are absolute "groaners", but they're still deserving of a chuckle.), and a fun group of Muppets and celebrity cameos. Jim Henson is, and always will be, the definitive voice of Kermit. The film itself is very gentle in tone without getting too syrupy, and truly entertains all the way through.

With all of the "quality" children's programming that comes out these days, I can't help but wonder why more "family" films aren't actually made for the entire family like this film was. This is a real keeper, although it seems a little hard to find at times in the stores.