I have been a part of the Muppet experience since a very young age. The first Muppet production I watched was "The Muppet Christmas Carol" from 1994. My grandfather, being a great fan of the Charles Dickens classic, was watched it and as I joined him, I was instantly transfixed. Then, I moved on to "Muppet Treasure Island" and "Muppets from Space" but I wasn't till a few years ago that I finally saw this classic. Back in the mid to late 70's, Jim Henson decided to make his successful new program, "The Muppet Show", into a feature film. And that has helped the Muppets grow and has helped them become what they are today. This movie showed how the Muppet gang came together in a very entertaining and fun way. All of the main characters of the show, from Rowlf the Dog to Camilla the Chicken, and of course, Kermit the Frog, are all there along with a variety of songs. In addition, there are several cameos from stars of that time. Among my favorites are Steve Martin and, specifically, Mel Brooks. This is a great introduction for someone who is not familiar with the Muppets and is a must see for those who are.

Maybe it's my age, or maybe it was due to the fact that I was rarely allowed to watch children's television, but my early life was sadly without Jim Henson and his hugely successful creation The Muppets. Because of this, I've always felt somewhat reluctant, and almost undeserving, to tackle the Muppet movies, feeling that my lack of childhood experiences of Kermit, Miss Piggy et al with hamper my enjoyment of them, or I will somehow not 'get it'. Well, after 27 Muppet-free years, Marc swayed me into finally taking the plunge, and, I'm happy to say, The Muppet Movie was an amazing experience, and one that made me feel like I'd known the vast array of characters for years.After a chance meeting with a Hollywood agent, Kermit the Frog leaves the comfort of his swamp in order to travel to Hollywood for an audition. Yet he is pursued by fast-food chain store owner Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), who sees Kermit as the perfect face to head his advertising campaign to promote his failing French-fries frog legs business. Kermit has other ideas, and after a punch up in the El Sleezo bar, he escapes with Fozzie Bear (a-wacca-wacca!) and his Studebaker. Further down the road he picks up more eager passengers, such as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Great Gonzo, and Miss Piggy, who falls in love with Kermit after winning a beauty pageant.While the 'origin' movie is quite often the route that TV series take when taking the leap into movies, The Muppet Movie benefits from taking an almost classical take on the road movie. It is not about the destination, but the journey, and the journey is peppered from hilarious set-pieces, satirical swipes, and quite beautifully written (and performed) songs. The Muppets always appealed to all ages, and adults have the pleasure of enjoying many self-reflexive moments and audience awareness (Kermit turns to camera and says "I hope you appreciate I'm doing all my stunts!"), as well as cameos from the likes of James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn, Elliot Gould, and Orson Welles.Amongst all the mayhem, there is also a quite beautiful moment in Gonzo crooning "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday", recollecting his past in the sky and desire to return someday. "Rainbow Connection" is also a great song, but my favourite musical moment has to be "Movin' Right Along", gleefully sang by Kermit (on his banjo) and Fozzie - the movie really came to life for me here. It's moments like these that really make this movie special, and something that can hopefully still be cherished by modern consumerism-obsessed children (if they can pull themselves away from their i-Phone). Marc warned me that if this film didn't leave me feeling warm inside then there is no hope for me. Well, thankfully it did, so maybe there's hope for me yet.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

An inspired combination of slapstick, music, vaudeville and charm, The Muppet Movie takes all the now familiar characters away from the Muppet Theatre where humans were the minority, and plonks them right among the (almost) real world.We meet Kermit alone in his swamp singing beautifully to himself, and after a chance meeting with the frog, a crocodile and a movie agent – yes it's that kind of film – Kermit is inspired to try to forge his own path in showbusiness.Along his journey to Hollywood he meets aspiring stand up comedian Fozzie, amateur stunt man Gonzo and a group of zany musos known as The Electric Mayhem. He also finds that romantic sparks fly when he meets a diva pig with delusions of grandeur.That's the core part of the initial Muppet group identified, the slightly awry element arrives in the form of a fat, sweaty guy in a white suit named Doc Hopper, who just happens to sell frog's legs as cuisine. He takes a shine to Kermit's pins and decides that he simply must have them to promote his wares, whether Kermit agrees or not.The remainder of the film is essentially an extended chase sequence as Kermit and the gang hightail it towards Hollywood with Doc Hopper and his toadying (no pun intended) assistant close behind.And this to me is the problem with the initial Muppet Movie, the best parts are the simple times, Kermit sitting on the log singing Rainbow Connection without a care in the world, the awkward but undeniable chemistry between pig and frog, the stoner-ish hep dialogue between the members of the Electric Mayhem, the stand-up bear who is terrible at stand up.They kinda lost me when the film veered into 'eating the primary character's legs' territory. They definitely lost my four year old in the looming torture scene, and nearly killed the poor boy when the Frog assassin clad all in black and looking decidedly evil showed up. (I really didn't remember these things from my previous viewings.) Despite these depressing and out of place sequences there is still a lot to love about the first Muppet Movie, the constant breaking of the fourth wall is already obvious, the general funkiness of the Electric Mayhem and the timelessness of Kermit's tunes, the cheesy jokes that are so bad that you can't help but smile – especially when delivered with such innocence and charm by a handpuppet… the inclusion of several big name cameos, none of whom for a moment let on that they are conversing with a sock, yet some of whom still manage to out-ham the very same talking puppets.The Muppet Movie finds a bunch of frogs, pigs, bears and whatevers coming to terms with their own existence, growing into their own skin and fur. Over the years some peripheral characters became more central, and others stepped back to spout occasional quips when required.Most of all this film showed that there was entertainment value to be found in these talking socks, and that people of all ages could enjoy their shenanigans guilt free.Final Rating – 7 / 10. 'Mature thematic elements' aside, this is a fine intro to the Muppetational world.

And so, we finally get to learn the origins of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and the rest. Of course, "The Muppet Movie" is more than a series of absurd gags (but make no mistake, there are quite a few of those). The main issue is friendship and standing up for what one believes in. Still, it's fun to watch Kermit elude the lascivious Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) and the Doc's meek assistant Max (Austin Pendleton) while meeting the rest of the Muppets on the way to Hollywood, and to spot the seemingly endless number of comedians in bit parts.OK, so we could be cynical and note that Jim Henson's work got excessively commercial after he died. But still, the movie is a perfect representation of Henson's original vision. And besides, how can you not like Steve Martin's performance as the waiter and Mel Brooks's performance as the scientist? "The Muppet Movie" is one flick that you can't afford to miss! PS: director James Frawley is the son of William Frawley, who played Fred Mertz on "I Love Lucy"