The Movie:

It's hard to believe that fifty years have passed since Jim Henson (the genius) created Kermit the frog. Many generations of children have grown up with the Muppets on TV, in movies, or in song, and frankly you'd be hard pressed to walk the streets and come across someone that couldn't list at least five characters. Unfortunately, since Henson's passing the quality of his creation has slipped. But prior to his untimely death were the Muppet's golden years.

While The Muppet Show may have been Kermit and company's crowning achievement, the subsequent movie debuts weren't anything to scoff at. Just like the television show, these affairs proved to be full of big name celebrities, crazy antics, and of course tons of musical numbers. In total there have been six theatrically released movies and though they each offer something different, the original is arguably the best.

The Muppet Movie came out in 1979 and offered fans a glimpse at the origins of their beloved characters. The film was nominated for an Oscar thanks to the wonderful soundtrack, but unfortunately it didn't win the award. Even so the picture offered a ton of family entertainment with a crazy story to tell and a huge star-studded cast to fill in the blanks. Names like Mel Brooks, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Bob Hope, and Steve Martin. Needless to say, the film felt more like an extended Muppet Show episode rather than a movie, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Things start off humbly enough as the Muppets are all sitting in a theater getting ready to watch the tale about how it all got started. As the story unfolds, Kermit is happily playing the banjo and catching flies in his swamp when a Hollywood agent (Dom Deluise) paddles by. He just happens to mention that Hollywood is looking for fresh faced frogs and tells Kermit he could make millions of people happy in movies. Unable to resist the offer, Kermit sets off for Hollywood, leaving the agent to fight off Arnie the alligator.

Kermit eventually finds himself in the El Sleezo Café and comes across a professional comedian (3 performances) known as Fozzie the Bear. The two set out on a journey to stardom that will garnish them fame, riches and friends. Several other characters also join in like Miss Piggy, The Great Gonzo, Rowlf, and the gang from Electric Mayhem. But getting to Hollywood turns out to be a lot more difficult than originally planned when a French Fried Frog Legs chain owner, Doc Hopper, decides he wants Kermit for his mascot and won't take no for an answer.

The material here is very self-referencing and reminiscent of the 1970s ("I'm lost." "Have you tried Hare Krishna?"). While the laughs aren't constant, the movie certainly comes across as lighthearted and comical. There are several scenes in general that are classics in their own right. Steve Martin's restaurant skit for example is one of the more shining moments for the film. Other notable points involve Mel Brooks playing a sadistic German Scientist named Professor Krassman, a cameo from Big Bird, and Animal eating some experimental drugs.

Of course, what Muppet feature would be complete without the music? The Muppet Movie offered up easily one of the best soundtracks from the films with "The Rainbow Connection", "Never Before, Never Again", and "Movin' Right Along". Paul Williams had a strong role with the musical direction of the movie and considering his love for the Muppets, it should go without saying that the tunes here have a great personal touch.

The Muppet Movie represents the golden time period for the Muppets when things were easily at their peak. Everything about this movie encompasses the things that fans loved most about Henson's creation, and for the most part the material here is timeless. There are some references and points in the special effects that may put a newer audience at bay, but for the time period things didn't get a whole lot better than this.

The DVD:

The original release back in 2001 for The Muppet Movie on DVD garnered a lot of criticism from fans regarding poor image quality. Things aren't all that better on the 50th Anniversary Edition, but there are some slight improvements. The film is still presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and there is an optional full frame ratio included as well. You can access both from the DVD menu at the start of the film, instead of flipping the disc over.

It is quite evident with many scenes that some attention has been paid to this release in an effort to clean things up a bit, though not enough to be glaringly obvious. The prior edition featured tons of grain, softness, speckle, edge enhancement and some faded colors. This "remaster" offers much of the same, but to an arguably lesser degree. Colors appear more natural, some points seem sharper and several scenes are noticeably cleaner, though the movie still shows its age. This version is a better option compared to a VHS tape, but not different enough to warrant a double dip if you own the prior edition.

Since both video presentations are on the same side of the disc now, Disney decided to drop some of the audio options to make room. The only tracks available on this new edition are English 5.1 and Dolby Surround French. While it gets the job done, I felt that the English selection was pretty flat for a 5.1 offering. Granted the original material was recorded with Mono in mind, but not a lot was done to bring the sound of this movie to life on DVD. The rear channels get little play and for the most part the audio comes from the center soundstage. Overall it's a pretty disappointing and lackluster presentation. The disc offers optional English Captions for the hearing impaired.

One would have hoped with this version being released for Kermit's 50th Anniversary that some nice bonus material would have been included. Unfortunately that's not the case. All that is featured on this disc for an "extra" is a little video entitled "Pepe Profiles Present - Kermit: A Frog's Life". This six minute feature is a brief look at the mean green machine with some comments from his co-stars and movie clips. Apart from this there is a smattering of previews for some other Disney titles.

Final Thoughts:

The Muppet Movie itself is the first and best of the theatrical endeavors from Kermit and company. While some of the material in the film may be most appreciated by fans that grew up with the Muppets in the 70s, and there is a certain timeless factor surrounding it all. Unfortunately the 50th anniversary DVD release is less stellar. If you own the prior edition from 2001 you will have to scrutinize the image closely in order to see any real difference. The 5.1 is pretty disappointing and for that matter, so is the lack of notable bonus material. This disc is hardly an upgrade to the previous version and is really aimed at fans that weren't able to get their hands on the movie. Recommended

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