Story Synopsis:
Yep, Jim Henson’s Muppets have hit the big time in The Muppet Movie! Small swamp frog Kermit gets an exciting opportunity to audition in Hollywood, and with Dom Deluises’s urging, he hits the open road. Starting out on his bike, Kermit frequently changes vehicles when he makes more and more friends-Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and many more. Eventually, Kermit and his pals make their way to Tinsel Town while Kermit continues to avoid Frog Leg Restaurateur, Doc Hopper (Durning)...who wants him for his TV ads. Includes the Oscar®-nominated song “The Rainbow Connection.” (Laurie Sevano)

DVD Picture:
Compared to the previously released DVD (reviewed in Issue 52), this new anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 DVD has been cleaned up a bit, with fewer distracting source element artifacts. Still, the picture is dated and slightly dark. Colors are nicely rendered, with rich hues, although blacks seem a bit weak. Images are generally sharp, with generally good detail, but minor smearing and lack of definition is occasional. Minor pixelization is noticed. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack is a remastering effort from Chace Productions, for which the original audio has been dimensionally processed, and original music and effects elements incorporated. The music numbers are fully stereophonic, and are re-purposed in 5.1. The result is a fairly palatable listening experience with respectable immersion. Some .1 LFE has been incorporated as part of augmenting the low-end. There are certainly signs of age in the original recording, but background noise is reasonably low. (Gary Reber)