Depending more on plot and less on star cameos, this takes the muppets across the Atlantic Pond to that pip, pip cherrio-o of London society. This time, the muppets get involved with an attempted jewel heist involving Miss Piggy's sophisticated boss (the gorgeous Diana Rigg) and her neer-do-well brother (the very American Charles Grodin, apparently content in villain roles after "Heaven Can Wait"), and romance erupts once again between frog and hog. It isn't a sequel to "The Muppet Movie", but is still equally as entertaining, filled with some delicious sight gags including the turning of Miss Piggy into an Ann Miller type tap dancer.
Certainly more elaborate looking, it is a throwback to the type of 30's musicals that starred Fred and Ginger, and Miss Piggy's big production number ("The First Time You See Her") is truly a marvel to look at. In fact, it came out the same year as another throwback to the old 30's musicals ("Pennies From Heaven") even though it isn't nearly as dark. The few cameos that do occur are by British theater legends Robert Morley and Peter Ustinov, as well as "Monty Python" favorite John Cleese.
Follow-ups to successful films are rarely worthy of their predecessors, but in the case of this one, the second time around really was worth while. They would have one more entry (the entertaining but seemingly desperate "The Muppets Take Manhattan") and a long break before coming back (the pathetic "Follow that Bird!" not counting) to entertain a new generation that had not had the privilege of being around when they first got their start on T.V. variety shows and finally their own shows and movies.
Certainly more elaborate looking, it is a throwback to the type of 30's musicals that starred Fred and Ginger, and Miss Piggy's big production number ("The First Time You See Her") is truly a marvel to look at. In fact, it came out the same year as another throwback to the old 30's musicals ("Pennies From Heaven") even though it isn't nearly as dark. The few cameos that do occur are by British theater legends Robert Morley and Peter Ustinov, as well as "Monty Python" favorite John Cleese.
Follow-ups to successful films are rarely worthy of their predecessors, but in the case of this one, the second time around really was worth while. They would have one more entry (the entertaining but seemingly desperate "The Muppets Take Manhattan") and a long break before coming back (the pathetic "Follow that Bird!" not counting) to entertain a new generation that had not had the privilege of being around when they first got their start on T.V. variety shows and finally their own shows and movies.