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| The Muppet Movie - Kermit's 50th Anniversary Edition | 
 enlarge | Actors: Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Dom Deluise
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $10.98
You Save: $9.01 (45%)
New (53) Used (22) from $10.32
Avg. Customer Rating:  126 reviews
Sales Rank: 948
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 95
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DISD40547D
ISBN: 0788860119
UPC: 786936287769
EAN: 9780788860119
ASIN: B000ATQYTM
Theatrical Release Date: June 22, 1979
Release Date: November 29, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Kermit & his new foud friends trek across america to find success in hollywood but a frog-legs merchant is after kermit. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/29/2005 Run time: 96 minutes
Amazon.com essential video
This simply irresistible first feature from the Muppets has Kermit the frog going from the swamps to Hollywood to be a star. As he travels and picks up his usual friends (Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear), Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) is in pursuit, looking for Kermit to be the spokesman for his frog-leg cuisine. A loose rendition of The Wizard of Oz, the film incorporates the same cagey humor as their breakout syndicated TV series The Muppet Show. This is one of the few times that a human cast (notably Steve Martin, Orson Welles, and Carol Kane) are integrated seamlessly with nonhumans. Worth noting is Paul Williams's score, which includes the Oscar-nominated "The Rainbow Connection." Williams's music, much like Howard Ashman's work on The Little Mermaid and other Disney films, provides more than atmosphere; there's a degree of magic here. Williams did not work on the future Muppet films until A Muppet Christmas Carol. His contributions made these films the best of the Muppet series. --Doug Thomas
Amazon.com
Jim Henson vaulted Kermit, the famous floppy-armed frog, and his Muppet pals to the big screen with this charming 1979 musical adventure. Like the TV show that inspired it, Henson and director James Frawley playfully acknowledge movie cliches and conventions and allow the characters to address the camera in asides, like a Hope and Crosby road film for the 1980s. The ambitious singing frog decides to leave his swamp and conquer Hollywood, gathering a group of friends along the way (Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and more) and bumping into oodles of guest stars making tongue-in-cheek cameos (my favorite is the tip-of-the-hat appearance by Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy). Meanwhile, despicable fast-food king Charles Durning pursues Kermit, hoping to make him the spokesfrog for his Frogs-Legs restaurant franchise. Austin Pendleton costars as Durning's sad sack henchman while guest stars include James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Madeleine Kahn, Steve Martin, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Elliot Gould, Orson Welles, and Big Bird. Paul Williams penned the bouncy, song-filled score. You'll believe a frog can sing! --Sean Axmaker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 121 more reviews...
 5 star movie, 2 stars for shoddy treatment and extras November 29, 2005
120 out of 122 found this review helpful
OK to clear up some confusion about the latest incarnation of "The Muppet Movie" this edition is celebrating the fact that Kermit always a bit green around the gills is 50 years old. That said I'm completely unimpressed with this edition of a classic family movie. I'll get to the reasons why in just a bit in the meantime here's a recap of the plot for those of you who have forgotten what its about.
Discovered by a big time agent (Dom DeLuise) playing his banjo among the reeds and lilly pads, Kermit (Jim Henson) moves to Hollywood for fame and fortune. Along the way he hooks up with Miss Piggy (Frank Oz), Fozzie Bear (Frank Oz) and other Muppets who are looking for their road to the big time. Kermit is pursued by Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) who wants to open a chain of fast food frog leg restaurants. He hopes to make Kermit his company mascot. Along the way Kermit and his friends meet a who's who of Hollywood's funniest comedians along the way. Featuring a who's who list of top notch celebrity talent including Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahnm Richard Pryor, Edgar Bergen, Steve Martin and others, "The Muppet Movie" provided the early template for family films that could also be adult friendly as well.
With bright vivid colors "The Muppet Movie" looks solid in this DVD transfer but the film could have used a bit of restoration. Image clarity and sharpness are not what they could have been as well with an occasional softness that surprised me. Granted, this edition looks better than the Tri-Star release of four years ago but the film really needs to be carefully restored improving the overall image and sound quality. The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix presents dialogue with nice clarity but the music score and just about everything else in the movie's soundtrack comes across sounding tightly compressed. Again, an overall disappointment even when compared to the previous edition of this movie from four years ago.
I would have thought that a great movie would deserve great extras. Instead, the best extra from the previous edition (Frawley's test footage) is missing from this edition. Instead of that we get an underwhelming five minute featurette about Kermit. It's a waste of money and space on the DVD. We also get the usual assortment of Disney previews at the beginning although you can skip them. A note to Disney--including a full screen version of the same movie no longer counts as a special feature
About the only good thing about this DVD release are the chapters placed throughout the film. It makes navigating to a particular scene pretty easy overall but that's not saying much in an age where "The Wizard of Oz" gets a deluxe three DVD edition or even the recent "War of the Worlds" a two disc edition. Honestly, it feels like Disney blew it here. I'm not sure they knew what they wanted to put on the disc and this smells suspiciously like a double dip down the line. Considering the deluxe treatment that Disney recently gave "The Muppet Show" on DVD, I'm really surprised at how shabbily they treated this classic film.
A classic that receives truly pedestrian treatment, I'd recommend waiting to see if a deluxe edition of this film is coming out before buying. If you don't have the very good previous edition of this film on DVD and feel you must have it now by all means feel free to pick it up. I have the distinct feeling you'll be kicking yourself later however and suggest renting and then taking a wait and see attitude about buying this feeble "Special Edition". Man talk about being green, watching the treatment this classic received on DVD made me sick to my stomach.
 Great movie--but what the HEY? Censorship! November 5, 2003
86 out of 93 found this review helpful
I love the Muppet Movie. Its nods to film noir and buddy films, the music by the fabulous Paul Williams, the celebrity cameos, the characters--especially Miss Piggy and Fozzie. Now then, I always watched the Muppets very aware that the movies were working on both the child and adult level, and happily put in the DVD anticipating my favorite muppet joke of all: when Kermit walks into a bar after having lost Piggy and says, sadly, "I'll have a grasshopper, please." Great joke! Kids won't know what a "grasshopper" is or that he is boozing over being stood up--they'll just tune out til the music! So why did they cut it from the DVD? Especially when they kept the visual that Kermit drank alllll the champagne after Piggy left, and Rowlf's assertion that every night he has "a coupla beers." This PC thing has gone too far. I suppose it's not enough to deduct a whole star--except it's my all time fave muppet moment. Oh well, love the movie. And love the DVD option of watching it in French, where they have to change Piggy's trademark "Moi!" to "Me."
 sick of censored crap!!!!!! November 30, 2005
41 out of 48 found this review helpful
My review for the movie itself is that it's at least 4-5 stars. However, I am sick and tired of studios censoring movies. And TV shows (using cut syndicated versions on supposed "complete" seasons). And music. But let's stick to this. I grew up watching this movie. Does that mean I order Grasshoppers by the dozens and drink myself silly every night just because Kermit had one in this movie? NO! Give kids some credit. Besides that, why the heck am I being punished when I don't even have kids?!?!? You want to censor? Fine, put out a censored version for those parents who can't handle a conversation with their kids about the "evils" of alcohol. But Jimney Crickets, at least put out an actual COMPLETE, UNCUT, UNCENSORED version of the movie! It's the Muppets for crying out loud. Oh, and by the way, the fact that The Muppet Show first season box set was butchered ticks me off, too. Cutting out parts with Vincent Price...
I'm done, that's it, I will not tolerate this anymore... November 28, 2005
34 out of 42 found this review helpful
Plain and simple: I was going to buy this movie but I absolutely, positively will NOT buy one more EDITED DVD! Not even a teensy tiny little edit will escape my wrath!
NO MORE! This is unacceptable and I would like to know what has become of our country that we allow children to see hardcore porn on the Internet, but edit the freakin' Muppet Movie!
Vote with your wallets people - Stand up and fight.
THE CURRENT EDIT LIST: (That I know of...)
1 - The History of Beavis & Butthead (Recalled Paramount release edits 'Good Credit', 'Bedpans and Broomsticks', the beginning of 'Give Blood' and 'Door to Door' and other things)
2 - Ren & Stimpy UNCUT (Of course, it is cut)
3 - Married With Children Season 4 (7 edited episodes)
4 - Tom & Jerry Collection 1 (Gee, why not lie to the kids, who needs history anyway?)
5 - Tom & Jerry Collection 2 (Mammy dubbed in 4 episodes)
6 - The Blues Brothers (Theatrical Version edits a Belushi line)
7 - Star Wars Eps IV, V, and VI (I would buy these all over again if I could get them completely uncut and original)
8 - Blade Runner (Theatrical Version unavailable - cut version sucks!)
9 - Time Life's 'Beavis & Butthead: There Goes The Neighborhood' DVD
10 - Beavis & Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection (The worst of all with almost 100 cuts!)
11 - Roseanne Season 1 (Edited, syndicated eps were used)
12 - In Living Color (Musical performances edited out)
and now, sadly....
13 - The Muppet Movie (The 'Grasshopper' line)
In case you think I'm being harsh giving such a great movie 1 star, I think you need to think about what is at stake when we are destroying original art and editing our history for future generations.
DVD NOT "censored", but "The Muppets Go Hollywood" SHOULD'VE BEEN INCLUDED! July 15, 2006
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
Let's clear up some confusion here....the "grasshopper" comment was on the movie soundtrack ONLY. It was NOT in the film. If you listen to the song "I hope that something better comes along" from the soundtrack recording, MOST of the dialog exchange between Rowlf and Kermit prior to the beginning of the song, is DIFFERENT than the movie (not just the "grasshopper" line). The different dialog on the soundtrack was to help make sense of the scene in which the song takes place, for those who hadn't seen the film.
I have an old VHS tape of The Muppet Movie from 1984, and the "grasshopper" line isn't on that either. Nothing was censored for the DVD.
I agree that the Muppets' 1979 TV special "The Muppets Go Hollywood" (which promoted the film's release), SHOULD have been included on this DVD. I'm deducting one star for that ridiculous omission.
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