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DISNEY

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Jim Henson
Cast:
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
Writing Credits:
Jerry Juhl, Tom Patchett, Jack Rose, Jay Tarses

Synopsis:
Kermit the Frog, The Great Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear are reporters who travel to Britain to interview a rich victim of jewel thieves and help her along with her secretary, Miss Piggy.

MPAA:
Rated G.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
French Dolby 2.0
Spanish Dolby 2.0
German Dolby 2.0
Subtitles:
English
French
Spanish
German
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 98 min.
Price: $26.50
Release Date: 12/10/2013
Available as 2-Pack with Muppet Treasure Island

Bonus:
• 2 “Frog-E-Oke” Tracks
• Sneak Peeks
• DVD Copy

PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

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-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


The Great Muppet Caper [Blu-Ray] (1981)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (August 12, 2021)

After the success of The Muppet Movie, a sequel seemed inevitable, and one appeared barely 18 months after the original’s Christmas 1979 release. In the summer of 1981, we got The Great Muppet Caper, another fun and frisky adventure starring our favorite goofy puppets.

Most Muppet fans prefer the first film to the sequels, which include 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan, 1992’s , 1996’s Muppet Treasure Island and 1999’s Muppets From Space.

Although I haven’t seen the Muppets’ take on Treasure Island yet, I like Carol. I have to agree with the negative assessment of Muppets From Space, as that movie had some potential but it lacked spark or excitement.

However, I can’t concur with the vaguely negative feelings toward the two Muppet flicks from the 1980s. In many ways, I thought Manhattan was superior to the first film, as it focused more on the characters themselves and less on gimmicks.

The Great Muppet Caper follows in the same vein. While I can’t clearly say I prefer it to the original flick, it succeeds in some ways that the 1979 piece doesn’t.

I was somewhat surprised to feel this way. As I noted in my review of Manhattan, Caper was the last Muppet film I saw theatrically.

I’d loved Movie but I felt moderately disappointed by the sequel. At least that’s the memory I retain, as this was 40 years ago, so I can’t say I’m positive that I wasn’t wild about Caper.

Nonetheless, I now find the 1981 film to be generally fun and entertaining in its own right. As with most of the Muppet flicks, the story feels somewhat superfluous, but I’ll cover it anyway.

Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson) and Fozzie Bear (Frank Oz) are twins who come to New York with their photographer friend Gonzo (Dave Goelz). They get a job as newspaper reporters because the editor (Jack Warden) was friends with their father.

However, when they fail to pick up a huge story that develops right under their noses, they get in trouble and are almost fired. They attempt to redeem themselves as they pursue the facts of a big jewel heist.

Although the robbery took place in New York, the principals all live in England, so the twins and Gonzo head to the UK to get the scoop. There they plan to chat with Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg), the wealthy fashion designer whose jewelry was stolen. Along the way they meet the usual crew of nutty Muppets such as Animal (Oz), Dr. Teeth (Henson), and a slew of others.

Of course, Kermit also encounters and falls for Miss Piggy (Oz again), and she becomes a plot snag. Piggy wants to model for Lady Holiday, but instead she just gets a gig as a receptionist.

However, Kermit mistakenly thinks that Piggy is Holiday, and since she wants to spend time with him, Piggy encourages the ruse. Matters complicate when Holiday’s ne’er-do-well brother Nicky (Charles Grodin) tries to frame Piggy for the crime, and Kermit - swept up by the blindness of true love - has to sort out the truth.

It should come as no surprise that all will end happily, and all will conclude entertainingly as well. Of the first three Muppet films, I probably prefer Manhattan just because it seemed to be the loosest of the bunch. Nonetheless, all of them are a lot of fun, and Caper certainly has its moments.

Caper becomes possibly the most tongue in cheek of the three, and its sly attitude carries the day throughout the film. The gag about how Fozzie and Kermit are twins is played for all it’s worth, and probably more.

The bit wears thin at times, but it seems worth it if just to see the picture of Warden with their father. That mutant combination of Frog and Bear makes the movie worthwhile on its own.

In addition, Caper likes to break down walls and acknowledge that it’s a movie. From the very start, Kermit tells us how they’re playing reporters in the film, and there’s very little pretense of reality. Again, this can get a little old on occasion, but it allows the proceedings to loosen up and become delightfully frisky at times.

Of course, the plot is paper-thin, and it’s even weaker than the stories behind The Muppet Movie and Manhattan. Nonetheless, this kind of piece doesn’t need a taut narrative to work, and the framework seems to be rich enough to keep the piece moving at an appropriate pace.

Although Caper includes some cameos from actors like John Cleese and Peter Falk, these seem to be much less intrusive than the “star a minute” technique displayed in Movie. For everything else that film did well, the ridiculous number of cameos really harmed it, since almost all of them were absurdly gratuitous and pointless.

Those in Caper feel more fun and intrude less. Look for an especially witty appearance by Peter Ustinov.

Ultimately, The Great Muppet Caper delivers an erratic piece, but it definitely provides a lot of fun. Aficionados will continue to debate the merits of the different Muppet flicks.

While I don’t think Caper becomes the best of the bunch, it holds up well when compared to the others. It provides a light and entertaining experience.

Footnote: a tag scene appears after the end credits.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B/ Bonus D

The Great Muppet Caper appears in both an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a more than acceptable presentation given the nature of the source.

Sharpness usually looked good. Some interiors felt a little soft, but most the movie felt fairly accurate and well-defined.

I saw no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects, and the image lacked edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to create concerns, but some may feel disenchanted with the heavy grain found here. This didn’t bother me, as it seemed to accurately represent the source, but be warned that this turned into an awfully grainy flick.

Caper came with some variation in quality for the colors, but they usually seemed strong, as we got a natural palette that kicked to life well. All that grain could impact the breadth of the tones, but they mostly worked well.

Black levels generally seemed positive, with dark tones that appeared acceptably deep and rich. In addition, shadow detail looked fine.

I noticed no problems with low-light scenes, as they were adequately well-developed. The movie seemed like a product of its era but it still became an appealing image.

Remixed from the original Dolby Surround track, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio presented a fairly decent soundfield for its age. The forward channels showed reasonably positive localization and spread, as a variety of elements blended across speakers and moved together neatly.

Panning was acceptably smooth and accurate, and most auditory elements appeared to be appropriately placed. Music showed the strongest separation, but a decent number of effects also cropped up on the sides, and these were fairly convincing.

Surround usage seemed minor but acceptable. The back speakers added some mild information that fit the film but never impressed.

Audio quality appeared to be decent for the era. Speech sounded somewhat thick and flat, but I heard no signs of edginess and the dialogue always remained intelligible.

Effects also sounded moderately reedy and stiff at times, but they didn’t appear to be out of character for the time period. I don’t expect phenomenal dynamics from a 40-year-old film, and the effects of Caper held up reasonably well over the years.

Music presented pretty good quality, as both score and songs appeared fairly lively and full. Nothing here dazzled, but the mix worked for an early 1980s movie.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD from 2006? Audio seemed more robust and full, while visuals became tighter, cleaner and more vivid. The Blu-ray offered a clear upgrade over the DVD.

Oddly, the 2006 DVD, the 2001 original DVD and this Blu-ray all include different – but equally insubstantial – extras. Here we find two Frog-E-Oke segments: “Steppin’ Out With a Star” (1:25) and “Happiness Hotel” (2:17).

As expected, these play the songs and run the lyrics onscreen so you can croon along as well. Shouldn’t Karaoke lack the original vocals? Yes, but given that “Frog-E-Oke” is a waste of time anyway, I don’t care.

The disc opens with ads for The Jungle Book, Muppets Most Wanted and Mary Poppins. Sneak Peeks adds promos for Planes: Fire and Rescue and Gravity Falls. No trailer for Caper appears here.

A second disc provides a DVD copy of Caper. I hoped it might include some of the bonus features found on earlier releases, but instead, it presents a barebones affair with no extras at all beyond previews.

As good as the first film, The Great Muppet Caper turns into a lot of fun. It neatly encapsulates the spunky and witty charm of the Muppets. The Blu-ray brings pretty good picture and audio but it skimps on bonus materials. I wish the disc came with more supplements, but at least it offers a quality reproduction of the film itself.

Note that Great Muppet Caper comes packaged with Muppet Treasure Island. As of 2021, neither can be purchased individually – indeed, they come on the same Blu-ray Disc.

To rate this film visit the DVD review of GREAT MUPPET CAPER

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