‘The Muppets’ Revives the Spirit of Jim Henson

The idea seemed utterly impossible. After nearly two decades of big screen misfires and increasingly underwhelming TV specials, could the long-waning Muppet franchise be successfully rebooted by the creative team behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall? 

Could screenwriters Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller nail Jim Henson’s trademark mixture of self-reflexive humor and warmhearted humanity? Could director James Bobin (of Da Ali G Show and Flight of the Conchords fame) somehow manage to capture the late Muppet master’s imaginative and un-cynical approach to crowd-pleasing entertainment?

The answer, I am thrilled to report, is a sensational, inspirational, resounding “yes!”

Several months of ingenious music videos and hilarious parody trailers have built expectations to nearly insurmountable heights, but The Muppets surpasses them all. It’s one of the very best films of 2011, and certainly the most joyous. Segel, Stoller and Bobin have triumphantly revived the spirit of Henson for the first time since 1993’s timeless family classic The Muppet Christmas Carol, while bringing a fresh satirical edge to the material that is guaranteed to win over new generations of moviegoers.

In an age of inflated 3D ticket prices and shrill computer animated cash cows, the Muppeteers’ handcrafted marvels are all the more refreshing. So many nuances can be read into their expressive faces, which are deftly brought to life by the human hands beneath their felt and foam surfaces. Kermit the Frog has always had the most meticulous expressions, since his face was originally shaped to fit the hand of Henson, allowing the slightest movement of a finger to elicit an altogether different emotion. Yet in recent years, Kermit’s depth of character has been wasted by writers intent on reducing him to a one-note vessel for bland, Hallmark-style warmth and wisdom.

What ultimately made The Muppets so endearing was their intensely personal connection to their creator. Kermit and the gang’s masterful 1979 debut feature The Muppet Movie was a direct reflection of Henson’s own journey to the top, the close friends and collaborators he met along the way and their shared dream of “singing, dancing and making people happy.” 

The Muppets works because it’s every bit as much a personal passion project for Segel, whose status as an outsider and impassioned love of Henson’s work are embodied by the wholly new Muppet character of Walter (Peter Linz), an idealistic fan who coaxes Kermit and Co. out of retirement. The fact that Walter is the brother of a human, Gary (Segel), is a typical example of the film’s cheerfully whimsical humor, as well as a clever homage to the running gag in Henson’s 1981 effort, The Great Muppet Caper, in which Kermit and Fozzie Bear are cast as identical twins. 

From the moment Gary and Walter break out into their first big number, the Oscar-worthy “Life’s a Happy Song,” it’s clear that music supervisor Bret McKenzie put forth a great deal of effort into creating hummable, jubilant tunes on par with the Muppet classics written by Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss and the great Paul Williams. Yet just as there’s only one Henson, there’s only one Williams, and the film’s emotional high point takes place during a nostalgic rendition of the legendary songwriter’s masterpiece, “Rainbow Connection” (unforgettably featured in the opening of The Muppet Movie).

As Kermit, Steve Whitmire gives the performance of his career in the coveted role that Henson had originally entrusted to him. His delivery of McKenzie’s song “Pictures In My Head” is deeply moving, as he walks past weathered portraits of his old friends that magically come to life. 

It’s a joy to see new depths brought to the tumultuous relationship of Kermit and the porcine diva Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson, standing in for the retired Frank Oz), which hasn’t been adequately explored since 1984’s gem The Muppets Take Manhattan. I’ll confess that I got misty-eyed upon hearing children in the audience laugh at the slapstick pratfalls of The Great Gonzo, (performed by Dave Goelz, who originated the role 36 years ago). 

Though Disney’s ownership of the Muppets is arguably what has caused the franchise to stall for so long, the studio should be applauded for giving Segel and his team the freedom to fully realize their vision. The Toy Story short that precedes the film perfectly sets the mood, since Pixar is emblematic of the all-ages entertainment that the Muppets once stood for. 

With its plethora of witty sight gags involving a support group for “discarded fun meal toys,” the Pixar film shares Henson’s childlike view of the world that was punctuated (in Muppet Movie) by a literal fork in the road. It’s precisely this sort of humor that Bobin fuses with modern comedic sensibilities (there’s a priceless “Family Guy”-style cutaway gag involving Rowlf, beautifully played by Bill Barretta). 

Since practically every recent kiddie franchise relies on popular songs for easy marketability (such as Happy Feet Two and Alvin and the Chipmunks), it’s worth remembering that the Muppets performed affectionate send-ups of hit songs better than anyone on “The Muppet Show.” No song parody in recent memory tops the Princesses of Poultry’s clucking version of a particular Cee Lo Green number, which brought the house down at the Saturday screening I attended. 

If The Muppets ends up being the final cinematic vehicle for Kermit and the gang, it will be remembered as one of the finest and most heartfelt sendoffs in show business history. Yet despite their slightly aged voices and graying eyebrows, the Muppets prove that they are as vital as ever. A new “Muppet Show” would be a surefire hit, as hinted at by the film’s exuberant celebrity cameos (Jim Parsons’ appearance is a masterstroke). For Muppet fans across the country and around the world, Segel, Stoller, McKenzie and Bobin have given us a lot to be thankful for this season.

The Muppets opened Nov. 23 at the AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18, Regal Gardens 1-6 and Regal Gardens 7-13 in Skokie. It opened at number 2 behind The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, earning $29.5 million over the weekend, thus bringing its total to $42 million, according to Box Office Mojo. It is rated PG.

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