Will The Muppets work for a new generation?

Jim Henson's beloved puppets strive for continued relevancy as they "play the music and light the lights" for their first film in more than a decade

The Muppets return to the big screen after a 12-year hiatus, and critics forecast that a whole new generation of kids will fall in love with Jim Henson's creations.
(Image credit: Facebook/The Muppets (2011 Movie))

When The Muppets hits theaters on Wednesday, it will mark the first time in 12 years that Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear have shared the big screen. (Their last film was the much-maligned Muppets from Space.) Indeed, as Rashida Jones' TV exec character brutally informs Jim Henson's creations in the new film, "I'm going to shoot straight: You guys aren't famous anymore." Actor Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), who co-wrote The Muppets with his Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller, hopes to change that. In the new film, Segel and Amy Adams (Enchanted, The Fighter) play unabashed Muppet fans who, upon learning that the famed Muppet Studios will be closed, set out to reunite the gang for a big comeback. Will the film also set up a real-life comeback for the Muppets?

Definitely. The Muppets is delightful: It's been a very long time since the Muppets had a hit film, says Peter Travers at Rolling Stone. So it was never going to be easy for Disney "to show a new generation what the fuss was about." And yet, the film succeeds with a "slam-dunk." Despite their R-rated backgrounds, Segel and Co. create a family-friendly delight, smartly using a Muppet reunion as the film's set-up, and delivering "enchantingly" on the idea's promise. The songs are wonderful, too. Segel's heartfelt "Man or Muppet" deserves Oscar consideration. "The Muppets slaps a smile on your face you won't want to wipe off."

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