movies are now under the Disney brand, which is lucky for our blog, so we can now feature the Muppets along with our other favorite Disney franchises.
Being a major Muppet fan, this Muppet film is my favorite
above all the other ones. The movie is funny, heartfelt and inspiring and gives
us a nice backstory (sort of) to how the Muppets approximately got started. The Muppets all gather together in a private theater to watch their film that they experienced and then filmed for a full-length feature, which is the story we're about to witness.
Our story begins from the first strum of Kermit’s banjo to
the music of Rainbow Connection, a
truly beautiful song. For me, the song is truly about finding yourself and
living your dream and really sets the tone for the rest of the movie. When a
Hollywood agent named Bernie (Dom Deluise) meets him in the swamp, he convinces
Kermit to audition in Hollywood and possibly make millions of people happy.Kermit declines the fame and fortune, but upon hearing he could have the chance to make millions of people happy, he decides to go and audition. This is one of the reasons why I love Kermit. The only thing he cares about is everyone else and how they would feel. He cares about making the audience happy when not even thinking about his own fortune, unlike a certain pig out there.
The music in the movie is always completely catchy, upbeat,
mellow and profitable, (I’ve had Can You Picture That stuck in my
head all day. The Rainbow Connection was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, but lost to “It Goes Like it
Goes” from Norma Rae, it’s a true shame, as The Rainbow Connection was a much
deeper and meaningful song than the others.
The other songs, including I’m Going to Go Back There Someday is
easily one of the saddest songs in filmmaking history, which is sung by Gonzo
when all hope is lost, and it seems that the Muppets will never be able to accomplish
their dreams. I Hope That Something Better Comes Along is catchy and fun as
is Movin’
Right Along which is probably one of my favorite Muppet songs ever.
With this being the first Muppet film I have to say they
really started things off with a bang! The puppetry is eye-popping and way
ahead of its time. Fozzie and Kermit dancing on-stage creates is incredibly
eye-popping and sets the stage for an entire film where you will completely forget
the characters are even puppets, and this was way before the days of CG
animation.
In Rainbow Connection, Kermit sits on a log in the swamp
playing his banjo. Many people think this film is fake and filmed on a
soundstage but in fact was actually filmed on location. Jim Henson would bend
down into a small underwater tank filled with oxygen with two spots to control Kermit and
his banjo. It was extremely uncomfortable, but the finished project was totally
worth it. I mean, just how did they even film that giant Animal
sequence? I can’t even imagine how hard that might have been.
The cast of cameos lineup is truly terrific and has a great
and hilarious lineup of celebrities including many popular names of the decade
such as Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Milton Berle, Steve Martin, Chloris
Leachman, Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Orson Welles, Bob Hope, Big Bird(!) and so
many more. I truly love every cameo in this movie as each one is more memorable
than the other. Some remain on-screen for as little as ten seconds, but their
lines are quick and memorable and will always have a spot in Muppet history.
I truly love this movie. It’s the beginning of Muppets on
the big-screen and began many more Muppet films to come, including Muppets
Most Wanted, out in under two weeks. It’s the seed that grew into an
entire big screen franchise and played predecessor seven other great Muppet
films. It’s a lot of fun, has a lot of heart, depth and great story. I love
this film and it still remains of my absolute favorites.
