Generally speaking, puppets need to be received by today’s media. It may be because they lack the gritty realism that Hollywood has deemed the peak of cinema. Maybe it is because they often exist in what people call the “uncanny valley,” which is not quite human but also too realistic to be fake. Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets, played an essential role in the transformation of the film industry as a whole, pioneering the use of puppetry in films.
I watched “The Muppets” (2011) in theaters with my mom and was immediately a fan. I was specifically drawn to the ever-popular Miss Piggy, a sassy, independent woman who truly embodied everything I wanted to be in life. Also, this film is a musical, which, looking back, likely spawned my love of movie musicals. What I appreciate about this movie, something I only realized when I aged, is that The Muppets as a unit are one big family. Each member of the muppets is so different from the next, but regardless of those differences, they were able to come together to entertain the masses. In that sense, each character has their niche or skill that makes them unique to the crew, and they each get their own screen time.
There is also such a meta feeling to these movies because it is about them coming together to put on The Muppet Show, yet in a way, we, as the audience, are watching a show about the muppets already. As a whole, The Muppets also do an incredible job of connecting generations. From “The Muppet Movie” back in 1979 to the “Muppet Babies” show on Disney Junior, people of all ages can share this franchise, something you don’t often see these days. As a kid, I remember my great-grandmother having an old tea set with The Muppets on it; even though we were born 70 years apart, I was able to share that with her.
As someone who did get to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios before the destruction of Muppet Studios, I can firmly say that those of us with taste will sorely miss it. If you have somehow made it this many years into life without watching anything Muppets related, I heavily encourage you to give it a chance. The humor and messaging, I believe, can be appreciated by those of all ages, and it can be a great way to connect with older generations. If you finish watching the movies and are somehow not profoundly emotionally attached to one or more of the characters, then I don’t know what to tell you.