| Muppets Most Wanted | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Bobin |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | Disney'sMuppet characters and properties |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Don Burgess |
| Edited by | James Thomas[1] |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[3][4] |
| Box office | $80.4 million[4] |
Muppets Most Wanted is a 2014 Americanmusicalcomedy film, directed byJames Bobin, and written by Bobin andNicholas Stoller. It isthe eighth theatrical film featuringthe Muppets. The film starsRicky Gervais,Ty Burrell andTina Fey. In the film, the Muppets become involved in an international crime caper while on a world tour in Europe.
The majority of the production team behindThe Muppets (2011) returned forMuppets Most Wanted, including Bobin and Stoller.Bret McKenzie andChristophe Beck also returned to compose the film'ssongs and musical score respectively.Principal photography commenced in January 2013 atPinewood Studios in England. It was produced byWalt Disney Pictures andMandeville Films.
Muppets Most Wanted had its world premiere at theEl Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 11, 2014, and was released theatrically in North America on March 21, byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film made less than its predecessor, grossing $80 million against a budget of $50 million. It received positive reviews from critics who praised its humor and soundtrack.
Following their last adventure, the Muppets are unsure of their next move. Their new tour manager, Dominic Badguy, suggests a world tour. Unbeknownst to them, Badguy is secretly working for Constantine, the world's number one criminal who bears a striking resemblance to Kermit. After escaping from a Siberian gulag, Constantine contacts his subordinate Badguy, and they hatch a plan to use the Muppets' tour as a cover for a series of heists. During the tour's first stop in Berlin, a stressed Kermit is ambushed by Constantine. The criminal slaps a fake mole on Kermit, making him look like the fugitive, and has him arrested and sent to the Siberian gulag in his place. Constantine then takes Kermit's spot, fooling most of the Muppets while Badguy secures them fancy venues that conveniently sit near high-value targets.
Two parallel stories unfold. In the gulag, Kermit's escape attempts are thwarted by prison guard Nadya, who puts him in charge of the prison talent show, where he bonds with the inmates. Meanwhile, on tour, Constantine and Badguy use the concerts as a distraction to steal valuable art. Their crimes attract the attention of Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon and CIA agent Sam Eagle, who team up to investigate. The tour, now diverted to Madrid and Dublin, continues as a front for Constantine's master plan: to steal the British Crown Jewels. However, Walter and Fozzie Bear grow suspicious, discovering Badguy is bribing critics and realizing the imposter is not the real Kermit. After being attacked by Constantine, Walter, Fozzie, and Animal (who was aware of Constantine's deception from the start) escape and decide to travel to Siberia to rescue Kermit.
Constantine proposes to Miss Piggy, planning a wedding at the Tower of London as the perfect distraction for the final heist. While Badguy—revealed to be Napoleon's nemesis, "the Lemur"—steals the Crown Jewels, Kermit, rescued from the gulag by his friends, storms the wedding to expose Constantine. A chaotic chase ensues, ending with the Muppets stopping Constantine's helicopter. Constantine and Badguy are arrested. Guard Nadya tracks Kermit to London but, seeing how much the Muppets need him, drops the charges. The world tour concludes with a final show back at the gulag, featuring the imprisoned villains in the prison talent show.
Tony Bennett,Lady Gaga,Salma Hayek,[7]Saoirse Ronan[8] andChristoph Waltz[9] appear as themselves.
Jemaine Clement plays The Prison King;Danny Trejo,[10]Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl,[11]Ray Liotta,[12]Tom Hiddleston[13] andJosh Groban[14] appear as Gulag 38B inmates.Stanley Tucci plays Ivan, a Gulag 38B Watchtower Guard.
James McAvoy,Chloë Grace Moretz,Miranda Richardson,Russell Tovey,Mackenzie Crook,Toby Jones,Rob Corddry,Hugh Bonneville,Tom Hollander,Sean Combs,[15]Celine Dion,[16]Zach Galifianakis,[17]Frank Langella,[18]Ross Lynch,[19]Til Schweiger[20] andUsher[21] also appear in minor cameos.
Some actors filmed scenes that were cut from the theatrical film release, but were later restored on the film's DVD and Blu-ray release. The actors include:[22]Dexter Fletcher andPeter Serafinowicz as Gulag guards, andBridgit Mendler,Debby Ryan,Jake Short, andTyrel Jackson Williams as wedding guests.
In March 2012, after the critical and commercial success ofThe Muppets,Walt Disney Studios negotiated a deal withJames Bobin andNicholas Stoller to direct and write, respectively, an eighth installment.[23] Disneygreen-lit the film on April 24, 2012.[24] Along withBrian Henson, Bobin is the only other person to have directed twoMuppets films.[25]
Writing began in April 2012 after a couple of weeks of outlining.[26]Jason Segel, co-writer and star of the previous film, declined any involvement with the eighth entry, citing that he had accomplished his ambition of bringing the characters to the forefront with the 2011 film.[27] Despite this, Bobin and Stoller quickly began work on the film based on Disney's demand. Taking on the form of a caper, the film was inspired by bothThe Great Muppet Caper andThe Muppets Take Manhattan as well asThe Pink Panther andThe Thomas Crown Affair.[25][26] Bobin said that the film was "a tip of the hat to the old-school crime capers of the '60s, but featuring a frog, a pig, a bear, and a dog—no panthers, even pink ones—along with the usual Muppet-y mix of mayhem, music and laughs".[5][28]
The first actor to be attached to the film wasChristoph Waltz in the role of an Interpol inspector. Waltz dropped out due to scheduling conflicts (though he would end up appearing in acameo appearance as himself) and was replaced byTy Burrell.[29] In December 2012,Ricky Gervais confirmed his casting.[30]Tina Fey was later confirmed in January of the following year.[31]
Originally commissioned under the titleThe Muppets ... Again!,[32]principal photography began in January 2013, at London'sPinewood Studios inIver, Buckinghamshire.[33][34] Filming also took place at theTower of London, a site where theCrown Estate rarely grants permission to do so.[35] Additional filming locations in London includedLeicester Square,Tower Hill, theRichmond Theatre,Wilton's Music Hall,Freemasons' Hall andThe Historic Dockyard, Chatham.[36][37] In addition to the United Kingdom, scenes were also shot atUnion Station, theWalt Disney Studios andParamount Studios lots, and onHollywood Boulevard (to recreate the previous film's ending) inLos Angeles.[38][39] On June 13, 2013, the title of the film was changed fromThe Muppets ... Again! toMuppets Most Wanted, although the original title is mentioned in the opening song.[40][41][42]
The production design was done byEve Stewart, who took atongue-in-cheek approach to each country setting while also being influenced by theretro style of "crime capers of the '60s and '70s".[43] Rahel Afiley returned as the costume designer, compiling the wardrobe for both Muppet and human characters. In addition to Afiley's own creations, English fashion designerVivienne Westwood also contributed four outfits for Miss Piggy while United States retailerBrooks Brothers created more than 200 items for the male cast.[44][45] Discussing Miss Piggy's wedding gown, Westwood said, "It's called the Court dress and is inspired by 17th-century English royalty and the court ofKing Charles II. It has been designed ... in a white pearlsequin fabric made from recycled water bottles."[46]
"If we are doing CG compositing, ... we always have puppeteers perform it. We never go down the road of having a full CG character, which you could easily do. It feels that the joy of this movie is the Muppets exist. They're real; you can touch them. There are very few forms of entertainment in the contemporary world that exist like that, and Muppets are the last bastion of it, and it would be shame to lose that."
Visual effects were done primarily by The Senate Visual Effects. The effects studio worked on 425 shots that included CG builds andset extensions,matte paintings,particle and laser effects, animation, and rod removals.[48] Additional visual effects work was done byDouble Negative, Factory VFX, and Nvizible.[49] As with the previous installment, the film requiredblue screen for scenes that requireddigital compositing. While green screen is more traditional for color keying, the screen's shade of green would clash withKermit and therefore be unusable;Sam Eagle's shade of blue is suitable on blue screen.[50]
Audio mixing and editorial services were done byTodd Soundelux and 424 Post. Based out ofTodd-AO's Santa Monica facility,[51]Kevin O'Connell andBeau Borders worked on the film as re-recording mixers alongside 424 Post's supervising sound editorsKami Asgar andSean McCormack.[52]
The first assembly cut of the film ran around two and a half hours.[53]
The film was dedicated to longtime Muppet performerJerry Nelson, who died during the film's development, andJane Henson, who died two months into production.
Themusical score forMuppets Most Wanted was composed byChristophe Beck, with additional songs byBret McKenzie. A soundtrack album was released byWalt Disney Records on March 18, 2014.[54] It features six original songs by McKenzie as well as re-recordings of contemporary music and past Muppet songs, including "Together Again" fromThe Muppets Take Manhattan.[55] A separate album entirely containing Beck's score (paired with the score forThe Muppets, also composed by Beck) was released by Walt Disney Records andIntrada Records on April 15, 2014.[56]
Muppets Most Wanted held itsworld premiere on March 11, 2014, at theEl Capitan Theatre inHollywood, California.[57] The film was theatrically released in the United States on March 21 and in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2014.[58] Theatrically, the film was accompanied byPixar'sMonsters University shortParty Central.[59]
Ateaser trailer was released on August 6, 2013, and was attached theatrically to screenings ofPlanes.[60] On November 20, 2013, two different trailers were released, one for the United States and one for the United Kingdom.[61][62]
In February 2014, the Muppets starred alongsideTerry Crews in a commercial forToyota that aired during theSuper Bowl.[63] Later that month, Disney partnered withSubway to promote healthy eating through an advertisement featuring the Muppets.[64] In early March, the restaurant chain started giving away free Muppet-themed bags with kids meals.[65] Spoof posters were released for the film, parodyingSkyfall (calledFrogfall),The World Is Not Enough (calledThe Pig Is Not Enough),Face/Off (calledFraud/Frog), andTinker Tailor Soldier Spy (calledAnimal Piggy Frog Spy).[66]
In February, the Android and iOS gameMy Muppets Show added content from the film, including a Big House stage, various props from the movie, and Constantine as a discoverable/purchasable character.[67] From March 20 to April 1, Disney's online gameClub Penguin hosted a special Muppets World Tour event. Players were able to visit nine country-themed rooms and perform alongside several Muppets.[68]
Muppets Most Wanted was released byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment onBlu-ray andDVD on August 12, 2014. The Blu-ray bonus features include three cuts of the film: the original theatrical cut (106 minutes), a truncated Statler and Waldorf cut (2 minutes), and an extended cut featuring 12 minutes of scenes not shown in the theatrical version (124 minutes). Also included are a blooper reel, a featurette called "Rizzo's Biggest Fan," and a music video of "I'll Get You What You Want" featuringBret McKenzie.[69]
Muppets Most Wanted grossed $51.2 million in North America, and $29.2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $80.4 million.[4] The film earned $17 million and opened to number two in its first weekend, with $17 million, behindDivergent.[70] Considering that pre-release tracking had forecastMuppets Most Wanted at opening with takings of more than $20 million,[71][72][73]Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distribution chief Dave Hollis said the film's opening was "definitely disappointing". Hollis said there was never a comparison between theprevious film and its sequel, since Thanksgiving is a concentrated time for family moviegoing.[74] In its second weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $11.3 million, leading to a better second weekend than its predecessor.[75] In its third weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $5.1 million.[76] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number nine, grossing $2.3 million.[77]
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 80% based on reviews from 207 critics, with a rating average of 6.7/10. The site's consensus stated: "While it may not reach the delirious heights ofThe Muppets,Muppets Most Wanted still packs in enough clever gags, catchy songs, and celebrity cameos to satisfy fans of all ages."[78][79]Metacritic gave the film a score of 61/100 based on 37 reviews indicating "generally favorable reviews".[80]CinemaScore audiences gaveMuppets Most Wanted a "B+" grade rating on an A+ to F scale.[81]
Alonso Duralde ofThe Wrap compared the film favorably to the 2011 predecessor, elaborating, "Muppets Most Wanted remains sensational and celebrational, proving beyond a doubt that these beloved characters will continue to lead a plush life on the big screen for years to come."[82] Despite reservations over the previous installment,Brian Henson calledMost Wanted a great Muppets film, saying, "I thinkmy dad would be thrilled the Muppets are continuing. That's a big deal."[3] Peter Hartlaub of theSan Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of four stars, saying "It just feels like something the original Muppet creators might have done."[83] John Hartl ofThe Seattle Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Most of the laughs come courtesy of Tina Fey, in the role of a Siberian prison guard who can't/won't stop dancing."[84]Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter had a mixed reaction; praisingBret McKenzie's songs and the film's humor, but labeling the film overall as "an oddly off-key follow-up".[85] Justin Chang ofVariety gave a negative review, stating that the film "looks and sounds eager to please but immediately feels like a more slapdash, aimless affair, trying—and mostly failing—to turn its stalled creativity into some sort of self-referential joke."[86] Anna Smith ofTime Out gave the film three out of five stars, saying "'Everybody knows that the sequel's never quite as good,' sing our fluffy friends during the opening number of a film with much to live up to after 2011's terrific reboot,The Muppets. The joke proves self-fulfilling."[87] Bill Goodykoontz ofThe Arizona Republic gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Although this movie has lots of laughs and a willingness to poke fun at itself, it doesn't quite recapture the magic of the last movie. Close, but not quite."[88]
Jake Coyle of theAssociated Press gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Muppets Most Wanted fails to whip up the kind of furry frenzy that makes the Muppets special."[89]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone gave the film two and a half stars out of three, saying "The breaking point of stretching this one joke is reached early. Luckily, Muppet good will helps get you through the rest."[90] Joe Neumaier of theNew YorkDaily News gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The film's slightly overplotted feel is offset by the zippiest musical numbers since the Muppets' deservedly beloved 1979 film."[91] J. R. Jones of theChicago Reader gave the film a negative review, saying "The verbal wit is fairly weak this time around, though as in the previous film there's an endless succession of three-second star cameos."[92] Tom Russo ofThe Boston Globe gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The well-worn plot basics are dressed up nicely by the film's consistently clever humor, as well as a celebrity cameo roster that's stacked even by Muppet standards."[93] Bill Zwecker of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The pacing is spot-on, and Fey's Russian guard and Ty Burrell's Interpol agent are wonderful human additions to this comedic romp."[94] Neil Genzlinger ofThe New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying "It all adds up to an eventful entry in the Muppet film library but not a classic one."[95] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today gave the film three out of four stars, calling the film "A breezy, mirthful caper enlivened by the comic talents of Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey."[96]
Frank Lovece ofNewsday gave the film three out of four stars, saying "While it may not be sensational, it's still an inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational Muppet show."[97] Peter Howell of theToronto Star gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "You don't go to a Muppet movie looking for anything other than a few laughs with beloved puppet pals. Mission accomplished—ka-ching!—on that front."[98] David Hiltbrand ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Sunny and cheerful,Muppets Most Wanted is a cascade of epic silliness, good for a few fleeting and familiar chuckles."[99] Chris Nashawaty ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a B, saying "The songs are infectious, but the rest (despite turns by Tina Fey and Ty Burrell) lacks some of the gang's usual feel-good joy."[100] Christopher Orr ofThe Atlantic gave the film a positive review, saying "Kids will enjoy it, and there are more than enough clever gags to keep parents amused. But the film lacks the tenderness and rich nostalgia that madeThe Muppets such an improbable delight."[101] Erik Adams ofThe A.V. Club gave the film a B−, saying "The Muppets are creatures of indulgence, and their sense of humor is one of excess.Muppets Most Wanted is a mess of a movie, but anything tidier would be a poor fit."[102] Betsy Sharkey of theLos Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, saying "Though there are many delicious little moments tucked inside, the action heads in so many directions it can be dizzying to keep up."[103] Steve Persall of theTampa Bay Times gave the film a B, saying "Muppets Most Wanted is pleasant enough to recommend as family entertainment. But the movie falls short of what immediately preceded it, musically and emotionally."[104]
Dana Stevens ofSlate gave the film a negative review, saying "There's something sour and strained about this movie that's at odds with the usual Muppet ethos of game, let's-put-on-a-show cheer. Maybe that's because of the inordinate amount of screen time spent on the rivalry between two villains who are as uninteresting as they are unpleasant."[105] Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Part of the problem here is one of proportion: The movie throws a misjudged majority of the material to the villains and lets the unfashionably sincere and sweet-natured Muppets fend for themselves."[106] Robbie Collin ofThe Daily Telegraph gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Muppet film number eight is a resounding disappointment: it's uneven and often grating, with only a few moments of authentic delight, and almost none of the sticky-sweet, toast-and-honey crunch of its vastly enjoyable 2011 forerunner."[107]James Berardinelli ofReelViews gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The inevitable sequel, arriving three years later, isn't as giddily entertaining as its predecessor but much of the charm remains, making this an ideal destination for a family excursion."[108] Eric Henderson ofSlant Magazine gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Freed from the burden of starting anew, the film restores the Muppets' rightful place as stars of their own show."[109] Steve Davis ofThe Austin Chronicle gave the film three out of five stars, saying "This re-energized franchise has found its second wind, bursting with a creative vitality and boisterous humor that makes everything seem new again."[110]
| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Academy Children's Awards[111] | BAFTA Kid's Vote - Film in 2014 | Nominated | |
| Golden Tomato Awards[112] | Best Reviewed Kids/Family Film | Won | |
| 19th Satellite Awards[113] | Best Original Song | "I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)" -Bret McKenzie | Nominated |
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