“The Muppets” nostalgic air makes for a grand film

By: Juan Barquin/Columnist

Countless filmmakers have attempted to revamp popular shows and movies from the past, but no one has ever been able to get that formula quite right, leaving many to wonder: what makes introducing the Muppets to this generation any different? Believe me when I say that I was a skeptic when it came to Jim Henson’s characters being brought back to life after over a decade, but I can firmly say after watching “The Muppets” that everything is great and everything is grand.

Regardless of whether or not you were raised with these lovable talking animals, “The Muppets” is full of heartwarming and nostalgic air that you can’t help but smile from the moment the first musical number starts. As always, in traditional Muppet fashion, there is no shortage of musical numbers.

Instead of throwing us right into the arms of Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy, “The Muppets” introduces us to Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) — a Muppet fan who desperately dreams of joining his idols on stage someday.

Walter lives a simple life in Smalltown USA with his brother Gary (Jason Segel), who announces that they’ll be taking a trip to Los Angeles with his fiancé Mary (Amy Adams) for their 10th anniversary.

The three fans head off to Hollywood, where Walter overhears an evil oil tycoon (Chris Cooper) planning to demolish the old Muppet studios. Taking it upon themselves to save the studio, they set off to get the Muppets together again and raise the 10 million dollars by means of a show.

Placing the writing duties for “The Muppets” in the hands of Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller was the best idea that Disney had generated.

Their writing gives the movie the nostalgic feel it needs to draw in older fans, while managing to sway in a new crowd with its charm and feel-good attitude. Segel, who also plays one of the main characters in the film, had previously worked with puppetry on “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” which granted him an easy transition into “The Muppets.”

The jokes that they use in the film are fresh and fun; they steer away from taking the offensive route that many comedies have settled for this year. You know you’ve got a family-friendly movie on your hands when the crudest joke involves Fozzie the Bear wearing fart shoes.

However, not all the credit can be given to Segel and Stoller as the direction and musical numbers add a great deal to the movie. Director James Bobin creates a world where humans and puppets happily coexist and no one bothers asking how or why.

It isn’t hard to see where his work on “Flight of the Conchords” — of which he is the co-creator — comes into play with “The Muppets.” Utilizing quick cuts into unexpected musical numbers, Bobin knows just how to catch the audience off guard without taking the film off track.

Even the most random segment, which involves Chris Cooper rapping about his character, fits snuggly into the collection of tunes — both old and new — that populate this feature.

When it comes to the original songs written for the film, the credit goes to Bret McKenzie, who is best known for being one of the folk comedy duo, Flight of the Conchords.

The influence of his previous work can definitely be heard in all four of his songs, but his brand of comedy fits the film appropriately, leaving you with some particularly catchy tunes that will stay on your mind for days. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to hear that the optimistic jingle, “Life’s A Happy Song,” is one of the lead competitors for the Academy Award for Best Original Song this year.

While all these things might contribute to making “The Muppets” the feel-good movie it is, it would be nothing without the master puppeteers and the characters they’ve brought back to life.Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel and Peter Linz all bring the Muppets back to the screen with voice acting that would most likely make Jim Henson proud.

Adding to the characters that many know and love, there’s a massive assortment of cameos, bringing in a weird blend of popular celebrities and some contemporary stars you might not recognize.

Whether or not “The Muppets” will usher in a new era of Muppets fans is unknown, but with luck, this movie will prove that the Muppets are still able to give the world the third greatest gift of all: laughter.