| Muppets from Space | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Tim Hill |
| Produced by | Brian Henson Martin G. Baker |
| Written by | Jerry Juhl Joey Mazzarino Ken Kaufman |
| Starring | Dave Goelz Steve Whitmire Bill Barretta Frank Oz Jeffrey Tambor F. Murray Abraham David Arquette Josh Charles Kathy Griffin Hollywood Hogan Pat Hingle Ray Liotta Andie McDowell |
| Music by | Jamshied Sharifi |
| Cinematography | Alan Caso |
| Editing by | Rick Pearson Michael A. Stevenson |
| Studio | Jim Henson Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 14, 1999 |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $24 million |
| Box office | $16,625,807 |
Muppets from Space is a 1999 science fiction comedy film and the sixth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppet-focused plot. The film was directed by Tim Hill, produced by Jim Henson Pictures, and released to theaters on July 14, 1999 by Columbia Pictures.
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Gonzo has always been classified as a "whatever," but after he begins to have disturbing dreams of abandonment, he begins to realize just how alone he is in the world. One of his dreams involved him being denied entry onto Noah's Ark by Noah (F. Murray Abraham). The next morning, Gonzo tells Kermit the Frog that he is getting tired of being called a "whatever." After an alien race appears to be trying to send him a message through bowls of cereal, Gonzo realizes that he may not be so alone after all and climbs to the rooftop to start watching the sky. His dreams are realized when he's hit by a bolt of lightning that serves as a conduit that allows him to communicate with a pair of cosmic fish, revealing to him that he is, in fact, an alien from outer space.
When Kermit and his friends refuse to believe his wild raving however, Gonzo is lured into the clutches of K. Edgar Singer (Jeffrey Tambor) of C.O.V.N.E.T. (a government organization disguised as a cement factory) who has also taken note of the aliens' attempts at communication and believes that Gonzo is his key to convincing his superiors that aliens do in fact exist. Gonzo, along with Rizzo the Rat, are arrested by the army. Rizzo annoys Singer causing him to be flushed down a tube by Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Kermit and the gang spring into action to rescue Gonzo, with the help of some handy inventions (door in a jar, a rubber duck that sprays gas that makes you invisible when you squeeze it, and mind control spray) courtesy of Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.
A talking sandwich asks Gonzo where the alien ship can land, and Gonzo suggests Cape Doom. At the military base, the gang arrive to rescue Gonzo and Rizzo. While on their rescue, every one uses invisible spray, but they are eventually exposed. When Singer hears of this, he has Agent Rentro (Bobo the Bear) prepare the Subatomic Neutro-Destabilizer to use on the aliens and heads to his car. When Agent Rentro tells him that the car is impounded due to the parking tickets, Singer and Agent Rentro end up taking the company car - a cement truck.
The Muppets go to Cape Doom after rescuing Gonzo and, along with a crowd of alien-happy spectators, await their arrival. The ship comes to Earth and the aliens, who all resemble Gonzo, explain that many years ago they lost him but welcome him back into the fold. Singer turns up and tries to kill the Aliens, but thanks to Agent Rentro, who has disabled his Subatomic Neutro-Destabilizer by taking the part that fires the weapon, he cannot and is laughed at. Gonzo considers going into space with the Gonzo-like aliens, but he realizes his true home is on Earth with his surrogate family and friends, and Singer goes with the aliens as Earth's ambassador due to being so amusing.
The film ends with the Muppets watching the stars on the roof. Gonzo tells Kermit he wonders why his family asked him to build a Jacuzzi. Pepe chuckles because he and Rizzo had pretended to be them and asked him to do it.
An earlier draft of the story was written by Kirk Thatcher called "Muppets In Space." In the screenplay, aliens abducted Kermit because they believed him to be their leader, leading the other Muppets to attempt to save him. A set of Welch's Jelly Glasses were produced based around this theme.
This was the first Muppet film to not be a traditional musical film with original music, opting instead for a soundtrack primarily of classic soul and funk tracks. Some tracks were remade by contemporary artists, such as "Shining Star" by the Dust Brothers featuring Jeymes, and "Dazz" by G. Love and Special Sauce. Parliament's "Flash Light" was updated by George Clinton as a duet with Pepe the King Prawn named "Starlight". The film's score was composed by Jamshied Sharifi, and released by Varèse Sarabande.
Earlier drafts of the film had more original music, including the song "Eye 2 the Sky", written and recorded by Ween, which was not included on the soundtrack. This song was intended to be sung by Gonzo. Dave Goelz had also recorded a new rendition of "I'm Going to Go Back There Some Day" for this film, a song which had originally appeared in The Muppet Movie. This song was also dropped, but was included on the Muppets from Space soundtrack, also sung by Gonzo.
Muppets From Space was first released on VHS and DVD on October 26, 1999. A Blu-Ray version was released on August 16, 2011 and contains the same bonus features as the DVD.[1]
Overall, the film was considered a flop theatrically, grossing only $16,625,807 against its $24 million budget.[2] However, reviews were mixed, with a 63% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 52 reviews (though this is lower than any of the previous Muppet films, all of which have reached at least 68% favorability on that site). Its consensus stated "Charming and light-hearted, this feature captures the early magic of the Muppets".[3] According to Brian Henson, the film was planned by the Henson company to be released in the off season, like other Muppet films, but Columbia wanted Muppets from Space to be their big summer movie, rushing production and causing there to be less advertising for the film. The film had also suffered coming out the same summer as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and having to face fierce competition against South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Wild Wild West, Inspector Gadget and Runaway Bride.
In a 2000 interview, Frank Oz described the film as not "up to what it should have been," and "not the movie that we wanted it to be."[4]
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