The Great Muppet Caper [Kermit's 50th Anniversary Edition]

Director: Jim Henson Jim Henson

Overview

The Great Muppet Caper is the second Muppet film and it is considerably more complex than its predecessor, The Muppet Movie, which was essentially just a road movie. As the film begins, Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear are reporters who have failed to bag a story of a London jewel heist, which happened under their watch. The real criminals managed to escape and frame Miss Piggy as the thief. Kermit, Fozzie and the Great Gonzo set out on a mission to solve the mystery and track down the criminals who stole the Baseball Diamond. There are fewer star cameos and songs in The Great Muppet Caper than in The Muppet Movie, although appearances from John Cleese and Charles Grodin are particularly memorable.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/29/2005
UPC:	0786936287820
Original Release:	1981
Rating:	G
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00

Special Features

Backstage Disney; Pepe Profiles Presents - Miss Piggy: The Diva Who Would Not Be Denied; Technical Specifications:; May only applyto feature film; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; Widescreen (1:85.1)-enhanced for 16x9 television; Full screen (1.33:1); French language track

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Charles Grodin	Nicky Holiday
Diana Rigg	Lady Holliday
John Cleese	Neville
Robert Morley	British Gentleman
Peter Ustinov	Truck Driver
Peter Falk	Tramp
Jim Henson	Kermit/Rowlf/Dr. Teeth/Waldorf,Muppet Performer
Frank Oz	Miss Piggy/Fozzie Bear/Animal/Sam the Eagle
Dave Goelz	The Great Gonzo/Beauregard/Zoot/Dr. Bunsen
Jerry Nelson	Floyd/Pops/Lew Zealand,Girl in Park
Richard Hunt	Scooter/Statler/Sweetums/Janice/Beaker
Steve Whitmire	Rizzo the Rat/Lips
Caroll Spinney	Oscar the Grouch
Jack Warden	Mike Tarkanian
Erica Creer	Marla
Kate Howard	Carla,Actor
Della Finch	Darla
Michael Robbins	Guard
Joan Sanderson	Dorcas
Peter Hughes	Maitre d'
Peggy Aitchison	Prison Guard
Tommy Godfrey	Bus Conductor
Katia Borg Valli Kemp	Model
Michele Ivan-Zadeh	Model #3
Chai Lee	Model #4
Valli Kemp	2nd Model
Lynn Latham	Charlie's Water Ballet Performer
Susan Backlinie	Charlie's Water Ballet Performer
Cynthia Leake	Charlie's Water Ballet Performer
Louise Gold	Muppet Performer
Kathryn Mullen	Muppet Performer
Bobby Payne	Muppet Performer
Robbie Barnett	Muppet Performer
Denise McKenna	Charlie's Water Ballet Performer
Mike Quinn	Muppet Performer
The Muppets	Actor
Joe Raposo	Composer

Technical Credits

Tom Patchett

Jay Tarses

Jerry Juhl

Jack Rose

Jim Henson	Director
Tom Patchett	Screenwriter
Jay Tarses	Screenwriter
Jerry Juhl	Screenwriter
Jack Rose	Screenwriter
David Lazer	Producer
Frank Oz	Producer
Martin Starger	Executive Producer
Michael Barnes	Casting
Peter Sutton	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Jim Henson's feature film directorial debut is actually the Muppets' second silver screen effort, but follows the same formula that made their television show and first film a success. The Great Muppet Caper boasts crowd-pleasingly silly musical numbers which combine with clever jokes and sight gags that range from innocently goofy to relatively sophisticated, clearly taking into consideration the audience's wide range of ages. The Great Muppet Caper is, of course, populated by Henson's very cuddly and adorable creations, but is also smart enough to know that while cute can carry you a long way on a short TV. show, a feature length film requires a little more effort. Thus, the film pokes as much fun at itself as it does at its setting ("Merry Old England"). The script could use a little tightening up, as the story sometimes stumbles in search of ways to hook the tunes and gags to a plausible plotline. Narrative flaws notwithstanding, Henson's cheerful and giddy film, which is packed with mostly quite amusing cameos by B-level movie stars, is in many ways a throwback to the goofy and mostly pointless comedies of the 1960's (Help, et al.).