One
really couldn’t have wanted for a better Muppets reboot than 2011’s THE
MUPPETS. Over a decade had passed since
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the gang headlined a major motion
picture, so—some thirty-five years after the debut of The Muppet Show (1976) on
television and release of THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979) in theatres—it was
questionable whether Jim Henson’s felt-skinned friends could still fire our
imaginations and tickle our funny bones.
Writer
/ star Jason Segel (I LOVE YOU, MAN) cleverly addressed the Muppets’ relative
post-millennial obscurity for their new Disney keepers by setting his human
character’s half-pint brother—Walter the Whistler—after Kermit and company in a
bid to save their historic studio from a greedy oil tycoon. The resulting romp packed ample pep for young
audiences but was also nostalgic (and smart) enough for parents who grew up
watching the show and early films. The
musical numbers were catchy, the gags funny, and the whole “let’s get the gang
together again” story sufficiently heartwarming for all.
So
how could Disney top Segel’s reunion picture?
