Have you grown tired of the seemingly endless collection of parody teaser trailers for The Muppets, poking fun at all things pop culture related – ranging from rom-com clichés to the first Hangover 2 teaser and even Ryan Reynold’s raspy Green Lantern narration? Yeah, neither have we.
All the same, Walt Disney Pictures has at last gone ahead and released a full-length trailer for the new Muppet picture, from co-writer/human star Jason Segel and director James Bobin (The Flight of the Conchords). As you might expect, it has all the classic forms of irreverent humor and comedy that people love in any TV show or film featuring Jim Henson’s famous puppet creations.
The Muppets revolves around the efforts of three devoted fans, Gary (Segel), his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), and the human-like puppet Walter (brought to life by Peter Linz), to reunite Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, and the rest of the classic Muppet crew – in order to put on a grand show and save their original performance studio from being demolished by an oil tycoon (Chris Cooper).
As with any Muppet movie, the “plot” is largely an excuse for the Muppets to perform their old-fashioned but nonetheless one-of-a-kind brand of jokes, humor, and toe-tapping showtunes. Plus, what other film hitting theaters this year promises to feature bear fencing, pig fighting, AND a bunch of penguins lip-synching to Starship’s “We Built This City”?
On that note – check out the full-length Muppets trailer below:
Just seeing the Muppets back in action should be enough to conjure warm feelings of nostalgia for anyone who grew up watching any of the TV shows or movies that featured Henson’s beloved characters. Plus, now a whole new generation of young people can be introduced to Kermit and Co. in a big-screen venture that takes place in a more modern setting – though, chances are good that watching The Muppets will inspire them to seek out older titles like the original Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, etc.
Another thing to admire about all the Muppets theatrical previews so far is how they’ve by and large kept the innumerable celebrity cameos in the film under wraps – though the few glimpsed so far (especially Danny Trejo’s) have been quite entertaining. Considering that the actual movie is said to feature brief appearances by the likes of Ed Helms, Mila Kunis, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Rashida Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Jack Black, and Zach Galifianakis – among others – there should be plenty more where that came from.
Finally – Segel and Bobin in particular seem like virtually ideal candidates to be responsible for bringing the Muppets back to theaters. Both of these fellows are well-known for their own irreverent, often off-beat and quirky style of comedy, which makes them an excellent fit for the job. It’s also all too clear that Segel and his flesh-and-blood co-stars are just pleased to be hanging with the Muppet crew.
Case in point: Check out the expressions on Segel and Adams’ faces during the car scene in the new trailer. Having to look like you’re having fun being surrounded by Muppets isn’t exactly the hardest job in the world, right?
The Muppets arrives in U.S. theaters this fall on November 23rd, 2011.
