038 Can You Picture That? Revisiting The Muppet Movie

🐸 The Muppets Are Having a Moment

With a Muppet-themed retheme coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and renewed interest in the franchise, we revisit the original 1979 classic that started it all.

The Muppet Movie
Directed by James Frawley
Starring the original Muppet performers including Jim Henson and Frank Oz

Released in 1979 during the third season of The Muppet Show, this musical road comedy serves as the origin story of Kermit and the gang.

Synopsis

Kermit leaves his swamp after being “discovered” and heads to Hollywood in pursuit of the standard rich and famous contract. Along the way, he picks up friends like Fozzie, Gonzo, and Miss Piggy — while being chased by frog-leg entrepreneur Doc Hopper.

It’s friendship.
 It’s show business.
 It’s existential frog longing under a rainbow.

🌈 The Wizard of Oz Parallel?

Michelle’s epiphany:
 Is this secretly a Muppet-flavored Wizard of Oz?

• Rainbow motif
• Road journey
• Gathering companions
• A looming antagonist
• Meeting “the wizard” at the end

We may never know if that was intentional, but the structure is undeniably familiar — and maybe that’s part of why it works so well.

🎶 The Music

Music by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher.

• “Rainbow Connection” (Academy Award–nominated)
• “Movin’ Right Along”
• “Can You Picture That?”
• “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along”

Fun fact: Jim Henson duets with himself as Kermit and Rowlf. The original split-screen technology, if you will.

🎭 Cameos, Cameos, Cameos

The film set the gold standard for celebrity cameos, including:

• Bob Hope
• Milton Berle
• Steve Martin
• Mel Brooks
• Orson Welles
• Richard Pryor

Will younger viewers recognize them all? Probably not. Does it still work? Absolutely.

🚗 The Studebaker & Puppetry Innovation

The film was a technical marvel:

• Kermit riding a bicycle (marionette + crane system)
• A fully drivable Studebaker with a hidden trunk driver
• The iconic swamp scene filmed with Henson submerged in a custom tank

Cherie even shares her personal connection to the restoration of the original movie car — now displayed at the Studebaker Museum.

Yes. We love a deep-cut puppet industry flex.

🏆 Cultural Impact

In 2009, the film was added to the National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.

Peak Muppet? We think yes.

🎙️ Personal Reflections

• Childhood piano recital featuring a frog lip-syncing “Rainbow Connection”
• A Star Studio dual cassette deck era
• The influence of the Muppets on a career in puppetry
• Favorite Muppets (Beaker, Cookie Monster, and heated debates about limited vocabulary)

🎬 Does It Hold Up?

Yes.
 It’s heartfelt.
 It’s funny.
 It’s technologically groundbreaking.

It may scream 1979 in spots, but that’s part of the charm.