The Muppets Take Manhattan

The Muppets have just finished college, where their senior variety show was a hit, and they head to New York hoping to turn it into a Broadway production. Finding a backer proves far harder than performing, and the group's unity is tested as the would-be stars scatter into odd jobs across the city. Miss Piggy, meanwhile, has plans of her own involving Kermit, and a mishap leaves the troupe's leader with no memory of who he is or the friends trying to bring him home.

Frank Oz directed the film, his second feature after The Dark Crystal and the one that preceded Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and a long run of comedies through Death at a Funeral. He wrote the screenplay with Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, and David Lazer produced. The puppeteers appear both behind and before the camera: Jim Henson voices Kermit, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth and others; Oz performs Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal and Sam the Eagle; Dave Goelz takes Gonzo and Bunsen Honeydew; Steve Whitmire plays Rizzo the Rat; Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson round out the principal performers.

Made for roughly 8 million dollars, the film returned about 26 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9/10 from around 24,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.6/10 from 436 votes, so audience feeling on both platforms is broadly similar and favorable.