| "Man or Muppet" | |
|---|---|
 Gary and Walter, playing piano and singing alongside their respective counterparts. | |
| Song byJason Segel andWalter (Peter Linz) | |
| from the albumThe Muppets | |
| Published | Fuzzy Muppet Songs[1] |
| Released | November 22, 2011 |
| Length | 2:58 |
| Label | Walt Disney |
| Songwriter | Bret McKenzie |
| Producers |
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| Music video | |
| "Man or Muppet" onYouTube | |
"Man or Muppet" is a song fromWalt Disney Pictures' 2011 musical comedy filmThe Muppets, written by singer-songwriterBret McKenzie. Performed by the film's main characters, Gary (Jason Segel) andWalter (Peter Linz), the song also featuresBill Barretta andJim Parsons portraying the contrasting identities of Gary and Walter, respectively.[2] The song was released byWalt Disney Records on November 22, 2011, as part of thefilm's original soundtrack.
"Man or Muppet" wonBest Original Song at the84th Academy Awards and the Sierra Award for Best Song.[3] It was also nominated forBest Song Written for Visual Media at the55th Annual Grammy Awards,[4]Best Original Song at the16th Satellite Awards[5] andBest Song at the17th Critics' Choice Awards, in which two other songs from the film, "Life's a Happy Song" and "Pictures in My Head", were also nominated, with the former winning.[6]
In the film, the song is performed by Gary (Jason Segel), Walter (Peter Linz), a Muppet form of Gary (Bill Barretta), and Walter's human form (Jim Parsons).
The song is a piece that reflects Gary and Walter questioning what their true identities are. Through the course of the film, Gary is oblivious to the desires of his longtime girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), and instead offers to sacrifice his time to assist the rest of theMuppets return to fame. This leads to a conflict between him and a distraught Mary, who returns to her home in Smalltown without him. Meanwhile, his younger brother, Walter, despite his respect and admiration for the Muppets, experiences anidentity crisis as he comes to terms with the dilemma of having to choose between becoming part of the Muppets—which has been his lifelong dream—or continuing his ordinary life alongside Gary and Mary.
During this song, Gary and Walter see alternate versions of themselves—while wandering the streets, Gary sees himself as a Muppet in a shop window and trolley, and Walter sees himself as a human (Parsons) in a circle of mirrors inside theMuppet Theatre. At one point, Gary and Walter (each with their respective counterpart) come together in an abstract, recondite musical setting, dressed in whitetuxedos and playing pianos facing each other. At the song's conclusion, both characters ultimately accept who they really are; Gary declares himself a "Man" (but "a Muppet of a man") and Walter a "Muppet" (but "a very manly Muppet"). Gary and Mary are later seen reconciling after Gary goes back to Smalltown and apologizes to her.
I think everyone has had that crisis at some point, trying to figure out whether they are a man or a Muppet ... I like the idea of people having that crisis, driving around, trying to figure it out.
The film's writers,Nicholas Stoller and Segel, informed McKenzie that he had to avoid alluding to the term "puppet", stating that the Muppet characters view themselves as actual people, and never as sentient puppet figures.[7]
McKenzie citedpower ballads written by artists such asEric Carmen andHarry Nilsson as inspiration for the song's tone.[7] He also stated that the main reason for the song's inclusion in the film was to have the characters resolve the problem of coming to accept their true selves.[7]
Michael Cera andPaul Rudd were considered for the role of Walter's alter-ego.[8] The part was eventually given to Jim Parsons, who described it as "the role of a lifetime".[9]
After receiving the Oscar nomination, McKenzie admitted that he never expected it to be nominated and described his experience in writing the lyrics, stating that he "really wanted it to be hilarious and beautiful" and that the song itself is "sincere but ridiculous".[10]
"Man or Muppet" was the third song from a Muppet film to be nominated for anAcademy Award but the first to win, the previous nominations being "Rainbow Connection" (fromThe Muppet Movie) and "The First Time It Happens" (fromThe Great Muppet Caper).[11] It is also the twelfth song from a Disney film to win for Best Original Song;[a] Since then two more songs from Disney films also won for Best Original Song.[b]
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Result | |
| Academy Awards | Best Original Song | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Song | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | Best Original Song | Won | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Song Written for Visual Media | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Song | Won | |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[12] | 121 |
On December 20, 2011,Walt Disney Records produced a music video for the song on theirDisney Music YouTube channel. The video is similar to that of what is seen in the film during the song's duration, however there are a few other scenes from the film spliced in throughout the video. The video has been aired onDisney Channel andDisney XD.
On February 24, 2012, Walt Disney Records re-published the music video inhigh-definition onThe Muppets Studio' official YouTube channel.
