The whole repackaging of the Muppets was indeed memorable, and every element of the Muppet universe was present, all the past glories which left an indelible mark on kids growing up in the 70's and 80's.
Here's a rundown of the five...
· The story which delightfully amazed the contemporary audience, as the simple humour, the childlike fantasy and the occasional song and dance sequences, sharply contrasted against contemporary movie themes, and was accepted by the majority of the audience as a breath of fresh air from the flowery valleys of Sesame Street.
· The characters of Gary (Jason Segel), his fiancee Mary (Amy Adams), the rogue tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) and of course, the cameo of comedian Jack Black as himself.
They gave the much needed "Star Power", as Miss Piggy often used to brag of.
What's more, some more power was added during the Muppets live performance by Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez and the inimitable Zach Galifianakis as Hobo Joe.
· The Muppet characters obviously, every one of them.
Fozzie Bear with his flat jokes like "I went to this bad sea food place the other day.
Yeah, it was so bad, the catch of the day was salmon-ella! " .
Gonzo, the daredevil; Animal "In cooontroooool", the grumpy old men Statler and Waldorf; Statler: I always dreamed we'd be back here.
Waldorf: Dreams? Those were nightmares!; Sam the eagle; Beaker; the new brood of hedonist punk Moopets trained by Tex Richman: Miss Poogy "What are you looking at!", Foozie Bear "Waka Waka", and Kermoot.
Last but not the least -- Kermit the frog.
The list of the rollicking characters from the Muppets is never ending.
· The side story of Gary, Mary and Walter and how the new characters built the platform on which the half forgotten famous puppet characters of yore, could weave their magic spell on the audience once more.
The new Muppet character of Walter was actually the protagonist and not Kermit the frog, believe it or not.
Walter's bubbly, coy, innocent young teenage character was wonderfully crafted by the Sesame Street storyboard.
His mannerisms were more of a geeky and squeamish kid, who absolutely raves in the company of the Muppet Show playing on TV.
It's Walter who brings the Muppet Show team after much convincing>> "Gary: So you guys aren't getting back together? Kermit the Frog: [sadly] No.
Mary: This is going to be a really short movie"...
A period where Walter gasps for breath in his stint of identity crisis: Walter: "Am I a Muppet, or am I a man? If I'm a man, which makes me a Muppet of a man".
Finally, he finds himself cozy among the Muppet family, as one of them - as a Muppet.
The movie has been a spectacular achievement as it reignites the Muppet show craze in a teenage world replete with gory video games, titillating music videos and secret lives which the parents will be shocked to know.
Welcome back the Muppets, Jim Henson would be proud.
Mahna Mahna!!!