Film Feature: The 10 Best Muppet Movies Ever Made

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3. “Labyrinth” (1986)

Labyrinth
Photo credit: Disney

Though it has achieved cult status in the years following its box office flop, this deliriously uneven yet hugely entertaining fantasy remains Henson’s most misunderstood and underrated work of his career. It’s a startlingly touching portrait of a girl, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), perched on the precarious line separating childhood from adolescence. She’s faced with adult responsibilities but still feels the need to escape into her imagination, populated by images and characters reminiscent of the tall tales that she loved in her youth. Henson’s story is not a direct adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” but it is infinitely superior to every cinematic adaptation of Carroll’s work. He nails the author’s absurdist wit, mind-twisting riddles and devious love of misdirection. Paired again with conceptual artist Brian Froud (his “Dark Crystal” collaborator), Henson riffs on everything from L. Frank Baum and the Brothers Grimm to Maurice Sendak and M.C. Escher.

The adventure begins when Sarah is shocked to find her shallow prayers answered when the Goblin King (David Bowie) kidnaps her crying baby brother (Toby Froud, son of Brian) and takes him to her kingdom, located at the center of a sprawling maze, which is designed to externalize the labyrinth of Sarah’s own psyche. This is one heroine who’s assuredly the opposite of a cutesy, Disneyfied teen—she’s angry, whiny, selfish and rather insufferable in the opening scenes, but she grows on you (as does the film). It also helps that Connelly, who was 14 at the time of filming, already sported a natural onscreen presence and striking beauty. Bowie, however, seems less like a Goblin King and more like a bemused guest star on “The Muppet Show.” His songs are often awkwardly juxtaposed with the action, amounting to little more than distractions. The real highlight here is the phenomenal upgrade in character detail (in contrast to “Crystal”), typified by the animatronic expressions of Hoggle (voiced by a wonderfully crotchety Brian Henson) and the heart-meltingly sweet face of Ludo (a beast clearly modeled after Sendak). The picture’s Pythonesque tone comes courtesy of screenwriter Terry Jones, and is reminiscent of Henson’s early skits on “Saturday Night Live.” One sequence set in The Bog of Eternal Stench” has more flatulent gags than “Blazing Saddles.” It’s a terrific film, though the subsequent, short-lived series it spawned (“The Storyteller”) is even better.

2. “The Muppet Movie” (1979)

The Muppet Movie
Photo credit: Disney

A masterpiece, pure and simple. It emerged on the heels of 1977’s TV special “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,” in which Henson experimented with cinematic techniques that he had hoped to utilize on the big screen. His efforts paid off in spades. This rollicking feel-good picture tells the origin story of how the Muppets met and achieved success onscreen, but it’s told with an unusual amount of feeling and poetry. That’s because the film is really about Henson himself, his efforts to spread joy around the world, and the lifelong collaborators that gradually became his family. Paul Williams’ extraordinary songs are essential to the films’ success, since they dig deep into character’s inner confusion and stubborn desire to find their place in the universe—“the rainbow connection,” if you will. Throughout the film, it’s clear that Henson isn’t content with merely hurling his creatures onto a human canvas—he wants to achieve a sense of wonder. There’s a wonderful moment when Kermit engages in a conversation with a doppleganger that ends up affirming his refusal to give up. It’s unclear whether Kermit is talking to God, or if he’s discovering that sometimes the best wisdom comes from within. The fact that this brief but unforgettable scene raises such provocative questions is a testament to the enduring power of Henson’s artistry.

As for Oz, his portrayal of Piggy is flat-out Oscar-worthy—conveying her hunger for the spotlight and consuming lust for Kermit with each movement and whimper. Her torch song to Kermit, “Never Before,” is hilariously off-key, but is also emblematic of Oz and Henson’s collaboration, which deserves to be hailed as one of the greatest in the history of show business. Among the film’s wealth of cameos, the very best is reserved for Steve Martin as a put-upon waiter who earns guffaws simply through his delivery of the line, “Oh…may I?” Simply put, the picture is an overwhelming achievement from top to bottom that proves Muppets don’t need an endless stream of cultural references in order to get laughs. Many of the film’s funniest moments are spawned simply from the Muppets’ childlike view of the world, punctuated by a literal fork in the road.

1. “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992)

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Photo credit: Disney

Since the Muppets’ sublime adaptation of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic is indeed their finest film to date, it proves that a great Henson-less Muppet movie is indeed possible, yet every single frame is infused with the late master’s spirit. Taking the reins as director, Brain Henson made this film as a loving tribute to his father, epitomized by the film’s final, profoundly moving refrain of “The Love We Found.” The picture has remained such a beloved holiday perennial that it has served as an introduction to Dickens for various generations of kids. I’ll never forget the time that I attended a Goodman Theatre production of “A Christmas Carol,” and overheard a man informing his young son that the version they were about to see would feature only one Marley (and wouldn’t be portrayed by Statler or Waldorf). Jerry Juhl’s screenplay impeccably balances Dickens’ story with Muppet humor, while finding ingenious ways for the slapstick to enhance (rather than disrupt) the story.

Michael Caine’s performance as Scrooge is not a mere deadpan walk-on. It’s a beautifully restrained piece of work that never hits an inauthentic note while navigating through the character’s emotional arc (it’s also vastly superior to other notable screen portrayals of the curmudgeon). Whitmire does a fine job as Kermit, but he truly shines as Rizzo the Rat, the comic foil to Gonzo’s Dickens (Goelz in the performance of his career). Their banter throughout the film is in keeping with Henson’s penchant for self-reflexivity, but it never upstages the story’s emotional core. There’s a truly ominous magic to the sequences involving Scrooge’s visiting apparitions. The Ghost of Christmas Past moves with an ethereal lucidness achieved through underwater photography, while the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is able to conjure a swirling vortex out of thin air. Jerry Nelson exudes Hagrid-like warmth as the Ghost of Christmas Present, while Oz entirely preserves Miss Piggy’s sass in the role of Mrs. Cratchit (I love it when she threatens to raise Scrooge “right off the pavement” with her fist). And yet, what ultimately holds the film together are the songs by Paul Williams, which are as jubilant as they are transcendently powerful. A great many colleagues of mine have informed me that “Muppet Christmas Carol” is among their very favorite movies, and it’s easy to see why. It may be one of the most moving films ever made.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com