The First Snow of Fraggle Rock (2025)

The caves are decorated with lights, and the Fraggles of Fraggle Rock await the first blanket of winter, but when only a single snowflake materializes, Gobo doesn't have enough inspiration to write the annual holiday song. So he must travel to "Outer Space" (the human world) for further motivation. The Fraggles's best attribute has always been the music, and there are four new songs here, although only one of them is an earworm ("Can You Feel It?"). It's a pretty tame and tepid holiday special designed for the kiddies, and nothing I would ever be interested in revisiting. Worth it only for the nostalgic factor.

2 rock blocks out of 5

Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

A retrospective on the life of Jim Henson, chronicling his rise as a filmmaker and puppeteer to the creation of his Muppets and Sesame Street all the way to The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. A lot of focus is spent on his wife, Jane, who helped to support him throughout. I found it enjoyable, but as an overview, it merely scratches the surface and doesn't quite capture the full spectrum of Henson's life and career. It focuses a lot on the early years and glosses over the latter period. I would have liked to see it go even deeper, but it functions well as a primer to the man and his legendary career. In particular, all of the behind-the-scenes footage of Jim and Frank Oz ad-libbing is gold. (That was always one of my favorite special features on The Muppet Movie DVD.)

3 ping pong balls out of 5

Muppets from Space (1999)

Gonzo, the lonely, misunderstood, self-described "weirdo," contemplates his place in the world and where he belongs. Continuing off of a seed planted in The Muppet Movie ("I'm Going to Go Back There Someday"), we finally get our Gonzo-centric movie. While logic would dictate that this movie takes place in space, the majority of it is actually set at a top secret government facility, which captures Gonzo, prompting the rest of the Muppets to break him out.

While technically a well-made Muppet movie, the poor reception of this film led to the brand scaling back and being relegated to TV and direct-to-video productions for awhile, and it wasn't until 2011 that the Muppets were given another chance at their next big theatrical outing.

2½ whatevers out of 5

Note: If you get ahold of the DVD, it contains the most fun audio commentary I've ever heard with the Muppets themselves in a special MST3K silhouette style. It actually ends up being more entertaining than the movie itself.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Riding high on the sails of Muppet Christmas Carol, Brian Henson sets out to adapt the next great literary classic. Full of swashbuckling adventure at sea, old treasure maps, chests full of pirate's gold and a legendary over-the-top performance by Tim Curry as Long John Silver, it's fun for all ages. Sadly, the material does not totally mesh well with the Muppets' sense of humor, and while it's full of colorful characters, skillful puppeteering and a memorable seafaring backdrop, it lacks both the humor and heart which made past Henson productions successful. My biggest issue is that it kid-ifies the source material too much. The Muppets shouldn't have their edges sanded off and it shows. 

3 black spots out of 5

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

The last of the Jim Henson Muppet movies before he passed (though he also directed Labyrinth and produced A Muppet Family Christmas for TV). This time, Frank Oz takes the reins in his solo directorial debut (having previously co-directed on The Dark Crystal). This one is full of so much heart and soul, you don't mind that it's of inferior quality to the first two. As always, the songs remain top notch. I think the key to the Muppets' longevity has always been the music. This film also provides our first look at the Muppet Babies, which became an animated hit on TV that same year. It's light-hearted fun for all.

3½ inter-species weddings out of 5

The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

While not quite as memorable as the original, Jim Henson's directorial debut is full of so many fun bits, one-liners and irreverent humor that you don't really mind. Taking the shape of an old fashioned movie musical with giant setpieces and film stars of old to complete the effect, the chemistry between this cast is like capturing lightning in a bottle. While the rest of the Muppet movies would vary in quality, these first two films remain the funniest and most quotable, and the songs are some of the best. Fun for kids and kid-shaped adults alike.

4 "we're making a movie!" out of 5

The Muppet Movie (1979)

Made at the height of their television domination, the Muppets' first foray onto the silver screen is all at once funny, heartwarming, weird and magical. This "origin story" of sorts is a musical road trip buddy comedy adventure where Kermit the Frog must make his way from the swamps of Florida to Hollywood, while he meets the rest of the Muppet crew along the way. Having recently experienced it in a movie theater, I can attest it still delights audiences five decades later. This movie persists because of the partnership and endless chemistry between Jim Henson and Frank Oz, who inhabit their felt characters with humanity and wit. Full of fun cameos from movie stars of old, this film still feels timeless 50 years later. While it may not be "perfect," it's still a joy to behold from beginning to end. For the lovers, dreamers, and like-minded.

5 rainbow connections out of 5

I AM BIG BIRD: THE CAROLL SPINNEY STORY [2014]

I Am Big Bird tells the loving life-story of a man whose work people of all ages have enjoyed over the past six decades but few know his name or would even recognize him on the street.
Caroll Spinney, the man who gave life to Sesame Street's Big Bird & Oscar the Grouch, as shown in this film, was quite clearly the most thoughtful and sensitive of the original core group of Muppeteers.  Through animations, archived footage and multiple interviews with Spinney and the many people that surrounded him, we're given a surprisingly deeply heartfelt look into the man's life.  With documentaries I come to expect that they almost always have a huge effect on me but this one took me for an emotional spin and more.  Like many others, The Muppets have had a profound effect on their lives, so hearing about Big Bird contemplating suicide was worse than discovering Santa wasn't real.  What's probably most endearing about the man and the film about him is it's will to smile and continue to do so as long as it generates the same reaction from it's audience.

4 tearful reunions out of 5

INSIDE OUT [2015]

Disney/Pixar collaborations have always been good at making great films for both children & adults but never have they ever been as successful as they are with directors Pete Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen's Inside Out.
It's set inside the mind of a young maturing girl where her leading emotions are personified into five colorful characters who work overtime to ease her into living in a new city.  The film works as a vibrantly enthusiastic children's film, filled with all sorts of wacky hijinks and instantly likeable characters that are sure to sell all sorts of plushies.  As for the adults, it's a brilliantly imaginative and deeply emotional study of the brain and how it all works, as it travels through the motions, thoughts, feelings, memories and just about anything you can hide up there.  As complicated as it is, it balances out the story to never feel like it's talking down to the children or dumbing it down for the adults and to say the least, how they went about it left me completely dumbfounded.  This instant classic had me laughing, crying and feeling everything in between.  

5 pizza delivery bears out of 5

A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)

This is probably the best Muppet special ever made. It marks one of those rare occasions where the Muppet universe has crossed over with Sesame Street (lending to an awkward moment where the Swedish Chef tries to cook Big Bird), as well as cameos from Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock. I forgot how truly funny these guys could be and the wonderful chemistry that Jim Henson and Frank Oz shared on camera. Features a delightful cameo near the end from Henson himself which just makes me feel even more warm and gooey inside.

5 icy patches out of 5