Something magical happened when Jim Henson and felt got together in the 70s. The man turned hand puppets into an industry of sweet n’ cynical humor that has somehow managed to last for 40 years. When Disney picked up the rights to the Muppets in the 2000s, there was legitimate cause for concern given that the spate of 90s Muppets movies weren’t exactly the crowning achievement in the franchise. But, the studio made the surprisingly smart decision of hiring Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller to write the movie based on a single joke in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, who then brought in Flight Of The Conchords director James Bobin and songwriter Bret McKenzie. Together, the foursome managed to recapture the whimsy and the silly of The Muppet Movie for a new generation. Now the team is back (minus Segel) for an inevitable sequel that cuts back on the heartstring pulling for a poppy puppet romp along the lines of The Great Muppet Caper. It’s not quite as strong or heartfelt as the last movie, but it is more consistently entertaining. I’ll take that, especially given the big stupid smile it slapped on my face.
Nekki has announced that the forthcoming gun fu game, SPINE, will receive a movie adaptation to expand the franchise.
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