Synopsis
Broadway bound. The Muppets Take Manhattan by storm in this magical musical about breaking into show business! Fresh out of college, Kermit, Fozzie and the entire cast of Kermit’s musical “Manhattan Melodies” head for the Big Apple with plans to turn their small play into a big hit! All they need now is someone to produce their show! But when no one in town will even meet with them, it’s up to Kermit to believe hard enough for all of his friends that the show WILL go on!
The Muppets Take Manhattan is an interesting Muppet movie. Jim Henson’s creative prowess has always been to entertain kids first and foremost. With colorful, playful and charming Muppets, he achieves this beautifully; even after so many years. He mixed subtle humor with physical comedy and ended up with a very balanced amount of entertainment to keep kids watching. For example, in the film you get things like Animal running after girls, Fozzie Bear telling bad jokes and Gonzo having his nose used as a grip point in a hostage crisis; all these wonderful things make kids laugh. The kids connect with the characters and that’s what makes The Muppets Take Manhattan charming. There are also very subtle jokes, like Rizzo making rat jokes in a dinner that is simplistic enough for kids to understand, and enjoy. Again, it’s a balance that makes kids watch and feel like they have their own film to understand and enjoy. Henson used this same formula in Sesame Street and it worked just as well when translated to a Muppet film.
On the flip side to that coin, he also brings in silent commentary for the adults to appreciate when they watch the film. For example, when Kermit loses his memory and ends up at an ad agency, Henson makes the ad frogs seem absolutely dumb, as they’re trying out ridiculous slogans for soap. Maybe it was his dislike for marketing/ad folks, but it’s hilarious humor that adults won’t have to bring themselves down to enjoy. If you need another example of this ‘silent commentary’ then look at when Kermit (and crew) find a producer that ends up being a swindler (played by Dabney Coleman — who was the bad guy in every 80s film). Again, maybe Henson is digging deep to find funny, yet very true examples from his own showbiz experience to give adults watching the film something to truly laugh about.
Now, while there is a nice amount of humor for both adults and kids, the movie still has some issues to work through. The story seems to be stretched a bit in the middle. The beginning of the film is a wonderful start, where you see how the Muppets are trying to figure out how to ‘break into’ Broadway. As soon as their efforts fail, and the group breaks up, we’re stuck with 45 minutes of Kermit trying to find ways on his own. This would be fine normally, but it feels like Henson and company started running out of ideas on how to get Kermit out of his predicament 20 minutes into the process. His constant attempts at impressing producers seems forced mid way through and you’re just wanting him to get his producer and move on towards the ending. Instead, you get about 25 more minutes of story stretching that begins to produce just a slight bit of boredom. Granted, the ending of the film pulls the audience back in, but Henson nearly loses the story (and our attention in the process).
In the end, The Muppets Take Manhattan is not the best of the bunch, but it certainly isn’t the worst. It’s still neat to hear Jim Henson’s voice and see his creativity while he was alive, and that might just be enough to warrant adding this to your Muppet library. Your kids will definitely get a kick out of it.
As for the Blu-ray, I was really quite impressed with how Sony Pictures Home Entertainment cleaned up the film and transferred it to HD. There is some graininess here and there, but certainly not enough to say it’s as good as the DVD counterpart. They enhanced a lot of colors and made New York City seem a lot nicer than it actually is in person. For a film that was made in 1984 and shot with a low budget, the HD quality is exceptional. Sony deserves a lot of credit for making the Muppets look great in Manhattan. Also give them some props for the 5.1 audio transfer; it’s good stuff.
As for the special features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Interview with Jim Henson
– Muppetisms: Miss Piggy & Kermit the Frog, Pepe and Fozzie Bear
While there isn’t a lot here, it’s just nice to see a good interview with Jim Henson. The man was the Muppets and he made their world come alive (with the help of his friends, of course). Seeing an interview like this preserved on Blu-ray is quite good. As for the Muppetisms, enjoy those. I love the personalities that are involved with that, especially Pepe. A good set of features for a $14.99 Blu-ray/DVD combo.
