The Muppet Movie
Trailer
Synopsis
After a chance encounter with a talent agent, Kermit the Frog heads to Hollywood with dreams of stardom. Along the way, he is joined by Fozzie, Gonzo, and Miss Piggy, who also aspire to become big stars. However, their hopes are jeopardized when Kermit is pursued by Doc Hopper, a fast-food magnate who intends to use him to promote his fried frog legs business.
Context & Trivia
The Muppet Movie was the first theatrical film to feature the Muppets and a milestone in cinematic puppetry. Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, produced the film and developed new techniques to bring the Muppets to life more vividly, including the first time Muppets were seen with legs on screen. To achieve this, innovative methods were used, such as Jim Henson squeezing into a specially designed underwater container to perform Kermit sitting on a log, and sets built with removable floor panels for puppeteers to work underneath. The grand finale, featuring 250 Muppet characters, required 137 puppeteers, including a young Tim Burton. The film is dedicated to the memory of Edgar Bergen, a ventriloquist admired by Henson, who made his final film appearance in the movie.
Puppeteers
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Caroll Spinney, Kathryn Mullen, Steve Whitmire, Tim Burton, John Landis
Puppet design
Michael K. Frith, Caroly Wilcox, Bonnie Erickson, Ed Christie, Rollie Krewson, Kirk Thatcher, Jim Henson, Don Sahlin
Puppet companies
Henson Associates · ITC Entertainment
Direction
James Frawley
Writing
Jerry Juhl, Jack Burns
Cast
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas
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