Julie Samrick
Kid Focused


After all these years, the Muppets are still their charming, wholesome, zany selves, gaining a new generation of fans as well as staying exactly the same for those of us who grew up watching them.  Writer and star of The Muppet Movie, Jason Segel, doesn't try to modernize the Muppets by making them crude and rude as many remakes do. In fact, I felt so nostalgic, the film left me wondering "What did happen to the Muppets?  Why have they been out of our lives for so long?"

Man child Gary (Jason Segel) and his muppet brother, Walter, are as close as any two brothers could be, sleeping in side by side twin beds and wearing matching clothes. They travel to LA with Gary's girlfriend (Amy Adams) to sightsee and to get a glimpse of Walter's childhood icons, the Muppets. 

When the trio find dust and cobwebs have collected at the once vibrant Muppet Studios, a telethon bringing together the cast of Muppet characters to raise $10 million is their only hope of salvaging it before an oil tycoon (Chris Cooper) takes over the property.

With Kermit as their guide, the group set out to find all of the characters from the past. Miss Piggy is a Vogue executive in Paris; Fozzie the Bear has created a D List "Moopets" show at a hole in the wall in Reno.  Every single Muppet is back and watching each return to the big screen was like going to a class reunion- I'd forgotten about some, but within seconds of seeing them I remembered their essence.

The whole movie plays like a musical, with plenty of charm, laughs and nostalgia as its glue.

My husband and I took our 4 kids plus 2 nieces and our nephew.  With 7 kids I was hoping to answer the question: Do kids really like The Muppets or is the movie more for my generation and older?  The kids all loved it and they each had a different favorite character and scene from the movie.  

As for the film's PG status, there were a couple of scenes that could've easily been cut to give it a G rating. There's an unnecessary electrocution scene early on and a later brawl when the gang finds Animal in an Anger Management class.  When "Drums" is said, Animal's "trigger word," fists start flying.  And even though Gary and Mary are girlfriend and boyfriend, there's no evidence they've so much as kissed - each acting the wholesome part. I give the film kudos for that.

All in all, The Muppets is a great film for everyone in the family.

Julie Samrick is a stay-at-home mom of 4 young kids and the founder of Kid Focused, a site devoted to children and family issues.  Subscribe to the free Kid Focused newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.  Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com