The Great Muppet Caper is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Henson's Muppets. This film was produced by New Line Cinema and Touchstone Pictures, in 1981 and originally released in Dr. Seuss DVD in 2002. The movie was released shortly after the final season of The Muppet Show, so some fans consider it the movie finale of the original show.
In the story, Kermit the Frog (performed by Jim Henson, who also directed the film), Fozzie Bear (performed by Frank Oz), and The Great Gonzo (performed by Dave Goelz) play the roles of newspaper reporters for the Lovely Chronicle and are eventually assigned to investigate the theft of a valuable diamond necklace from fashion designer Lady Holliday (Diana Rigg). They travel to London to interview her, but without any money for tickets, they're forced to fly in the baggage hold of an aircraft and are thrown out of the plane as they arrive over Britain. They stay at the ramshackle (but free) Happiness Hotel, run and populated by the likes of Pops, Scooter, Rowlf, and the Electric Mayhem. When Kermit seeks out Lady Holliday in her office, however, he instead finds her receptionist, Miss Piggy and mistakes her for the fashion designer. Miss Piggy masquerades as Lady Holliday, even going so far as to sneak into a ritzy highrise in order to impress Kermit with her dwellings, much to the surprise of the true British residents (one of whom is John Cleese).
In fact, the jewel theft was orchestrated by Lady Holliday's nefarious brother Nicky (Charles Grodin), assisted by three of her put-upon fashion models. Despite Nicky's instant attraction to Miss Piggy, they successfully frame her for the theft and proceed to steal an even more valuable prize--the coveted Baseball Diamond, which is on display at a local gallery, the Mallory Gallery. Kermit's crew, along with their friends from the Happiness Hotel, have no choice but to intercept and catch the thieves themselves in order to clear Miss Piggy's good name. She, meanwhile, has escaped from prison and, in a bout of serendipity, finds a motorcycle which she uses to literally crash into the film's climax and help apprehend the lovestruck Nicky. The Muppets then return to America the same way they departed, being thrown out of the cargo hold and parachuting back to Earth as the credits roll.
Trivia
- Gonzo's classification as a "whatever" was officially cemented in this film, as this is the label affixed to his shipping crate en route to Great Britain. This classification lasted until Muppets from Space.
- A live-action double plays the role of Miss Piggy during some of the scenes in which she appears to ride a motorcycle.
- The fourth wall is completely demolished by the Muppets during the course of the film. Fozzie comments on the opening credits as they appear on screen; Kermit talks directly to the audience about the roles that he and Fozzie and Gonzo will play; Miss Piggy angrily tells Charles Grodin's character "you can't even sing! Your voice was dubbed!"; Kermit later reminds one of the guest stars (Peter Falk), after a meandering monologue, that they need to get back to the story; and at one point, Kermit and Miss Piggy break character and start arguing over her acting skills.
- The film boasts numerous star cameos, including those of John Cleese, Peter Ustinov, and Jack Warden. Muppet performers Henson, Oz, Richard Hunt, and Jerry Nelson (with his daughter) also make background appearances. Additionally, Oscar the Grouch of Sesame Street from Warner Bros. fame appears in the movie in a self-described "very brief cameo."
- The film takes place in an as the characters are all meeting for the very first time.
- Kermit's trench coat is apparently the same one he wears on Sesame Street from Warner Bros. Feature Animation.
- The film earned an Academy Award nomination for the song "Happiness Hotel."
Soundtrack album track listing
- "Main Title Theme" (2:49)
- "Hey, A Movie!" (2:42)
- "The Big Red Bus" (1:26)
- "Happiness Hotel" (3:05)
- "Night Life" (2:57)
- "Steppin' Out With A Star" (2:31)
- "Miss Piggy's Fantasy" (3:58)
- "Finale: Hey, A Movie! (reprise)" (1:30)