“The Muppet Movie” (1979) is a true classic: a road film, a comedy, a romance, a film with heart. It’s worth it for the cameos alone (Telly Savalas, Carol Kane, Orson Welles, Cloris Leachman, Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Mel Brooks, Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen, Dom Deloise, Elliot Gould, Madeline Kahn, Richard Pryor!). But there’s far more than cameos to cheer.
“The Muppet Movie” was released midway through the five-season run of TV’s “The Muppet Show” (1976-81) and is presented as a sort of origin story. These are the Muppets of said surreal variety show more so than the Muppets of “Sesame Street” (1969-), although Kermit the Frog appears in both. There is just a single reference to “Sesame Street,” when Big Bird delivers a line as a hitchhiker headed east rather than west.
Technical puppetry sophistication
Generally, the illusion of the Muppets as living beings is achieved by never showing the puppeteer who hides below the screen or behind a barrier such as a low wall or a garbage can. While a few large Muppets are inhabited by the puppeteer(s) themselves (like Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus) and a few tinier ones are drive-by-wire, the majority require the puppeteer to operate the Muppet below the line of sight.
“The Muppet Movie” (1979)
Director: James Frawley
Writers: Jerry Juhl, Jack Burns
Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz
Jim Henson frequently utilized the “platforming up” technique to design a heightened set so the puppeteer could stand or crouch – though this presented special challenges for the puppeteers whose vision was compromised. The puppeteer would watch their Muppet through a monitor.
In “The Muppet Movie,” there are some shots where the full Muppet is in view – legs and all – delivering dialogue and movements with no puppeteer in sight. There is even a shot of Kermit on the water in his beloved swamp home. (A submerged Henson is in a diving bell with an air hose and rubber sleeve.)
There are shots of the Muppet crew driving a bus, a Studebaker, a ’46 Ford “Woody” and a Citroën (piloted by Gonzo). And in one scene, Kermit rides a bicycle. Achieving these illusions required the very close attention to detail Henson was known for.
One-liners, tear-jerkers and meta
The script is every bit as sophisticated as the technical wizardry. The Muppets don’t shy away from breaking the fourth wall, delivering asides and commentary on the plot or other characters. Indeed, sometimes it seems they to dissolve the fifth and sixth wall, introducing the script of the film into the plot. This allows two plot lines to diverge and then reconnect by means of the characters following the script as they act it out.
“The Muppet Movie” also comments on film itself in a heartwarming way. The finale highlights the iconography of the film in a film of the film as Gonzo floats across the set held aloft by the balloons he purchased from Pryor. Then the set collapses in on itself and the Muppets emerge in a panoramic shot lit by a rainbow. It’s an absolutely terrific achievement. This is film at its finest.
