Worst Muppet Movie?

Link Hogthrob never got so much as a line in film. Sure, he was in the film audience at the end of The Muppet Movie, he banged a gong in MTI, and he was in line to use the bathroom next to Kermit in MFS. The Muppets? He was in the immediate background of almost every shot and was in a major musical number singing lines. Wayne and Wanda were onscreen quite a bit. They haven't been seen since The Muppet Show. Even some of the more obscure monsters were there. It's a shame that there was too much plot to fit into a 90 minute movie and more of the regular characters didn't get screen time as a result. But, other than the completely obscure making of Weezer video, this was the most we saw of Rowlf since, maybe MTM.

As for the Kalidahs... here's why Statler and Waldorf work. They kinda have a point, and their heckling isn't meant to be soul crushing hateful. They're the ones that get the most laughs in a Fozzie Bear sketch. Fozzie's the only person that takes their heckling seriously because he lets it get to him on occasion. Their role in MWO was meant to be hurtful, discouraging, and it was accompanied by a depressing Leitmotif and a dark scene in a completely dismal movie to begin with. While it isn't too out of character, it's using the characters out of context.

Well, by the time that they actually get to the 'show' in TM, I was so bored and angry that I forgot about Link's star turn, so thanks for pointing that out. And you made a good point about the Kalidahs; I'm sure it was a good idea on paper but it turned out to be a poor attempt to try and shoehorn S&W into the movie (though you have to admit, it was a better attempt than MTI or MFS).

You keep using the word 'dismal' to describe MWO. I'm curious to hear your opinion on VMX. I watch it every Christmas but my full heart isn't in it like with all the other Muppet Christmas specials (Christmas Toy is a rather dark special when you think about it, but I laugh and have fun when I watch it more than feel sad), but for a Christmas movie, VMX is so darn glum! The one thing that puts VMX above TM for me is that it gives a satisfying closure to an otherwise cruel and unpleasant film (and you don't have to stay after the credits to find out the whole ending). And Heralde brought up a great point earlier about earning the money not being the point. That's true, but if VMX can have a happy ending while still being an unenjoyable and depressing film, what does that say about TM?

If anything, I was being too generous to IAVMMCM.

That too.

It's the difference between a well balanced script and one that's...yeah not so much, lol.

VMX just managed to save itself with its slightly less dreary ending. Whereas with TM the message of what winning really means just flowed better.

In it's defense, it's the only movie where Robin actually got a major role.

In MFS, Gonzo is the central character, and it seems to feature a number of Muppets from Muppets Tonight, such as Johnny Fiama, Sal Minella, Clifford, Dr. Phil van Neuter, Carter (Howard Tubman's elderly butler), Chip (Gorilla TV / JH Hour), while Pepe and Bobo starred in supporting roles.

It seems like this film was in need of a musical number from the Electric Mayhem...

Meanwhile, KSY is more of a prequel, featuring Kermit and his amphibian friends before he set out for Hollywood and became famous, as Kermit and company battled for survival outside of the swamp....

Yeah i know thats the only good part and steve as kermit and the characters statler waldorf gonzo rizzo and piggy

The Gonzo aspect aside, that's pretty much how most of the more modern Muppet movies have been, though most except for Johnny and Sal have been kind of retired. Prior to that, background characters seen in MCC and MTI were recycled from FR and JHH, and likewise, background characters seen in IVAMMCM and MWoO were recycled from MCC and MTI.

As for the Electric Mayhem, I think that was during the time that Dr. Teeth was still semi-retired due to Jim's death (even though I know he had one line in MFS).

I would have to say Oz and Swamp Years and Letters To Santa are pretty bad. If I had to pick one, it'd probably be the shoddily made, toilet joke ridden Swamp Years. Treasure Island has its hilarious moments but i never watch it all the way through. Muppets From Space is in my opinion, a fun movie. It's one I have cherished since childhood as it was my first muppet movie in theaters (I was 3). As I said earlier it is a genuinely sweet and funny movie that I will love for as long as I live. I never really did get all the hate for it.

Don't forget Janice because of Richard Hunt's death. She really had no line in the past few movies (MCC, MTI, MFS). Janice never really spoke again until IAVMMC. (When Brian Henson briefly took over).

I put it here multiple times. VMX suffers being a parody film throughout (yet being better than actual parody movies), and the depressing portions are all based on the fact that the movie it was parodying the most was depressing itself. I find it fun, yet dated, but the refreshing part was seeing Kermit have actual emotions through the film. They didn't treat the character with kid gloves like in MTI or MFS (where he's just there) and he freaked out multiple times. Don't make me post the "Wonderful World of T-Shirts" again. We love our Kermit freak outs. He had moments like that on, of all things, Sesame Street when he actually appeared that period. So for that alone, I give VMX pretty good marks. If it wasn't for TM, that would be my favorite modern Muppet film.

But with MWOz, there's no excuse. Oz can be a much darker universe than that 1930's movie (and by extension all media that's copying it... the Disney effect not occurring in a Disney movie) let it become. They even got rid of a depressing scene (the dark reprise of Over the Rainbow) because it was too depressing. The books are genuinely darker than anything in that film. But that doesn't mean I want to see the Muppets do that. Plus, Piggy is just... over the top evil in that one. It's interesting to see how her character could get an alternate dark interpretation. She works on that level, but listen to the lyrics to "The Witch is in the House" and tell me it isn't torture porn set to lyrics. And that was the GOOD song in the movie.

LTS was a rush job. I think it was a very good project and a better direction for the Muppets than MOz, but it needed a better middle that didn't make it feel like your watching the beginning and end of a movie. There could have been great improvement with a stronger ending and at least some scene with the other Muppets feeling terrible for refusing to go to the North Pole.

Either Muppets Wizard of Oz or Muppets Take Manhattan, but they both are really great movies.