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In 1979’s The Muppet Movie, the first official cinematic adventure of Jim Henson‘s band of timeless puppets, it doesn’t take long to break the fourth wall. Inside an old church, Fozzie and Kermit meet Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem — the Muppets’ resident psychedelic band. When he tries to catch them up on the story thus far, however, Kermit stops him. Immediately, Fozzie peers into the camera, apologetic. Kermit suggests, as an alternative, that the band should read the movie’s screenplay — a thick stack of paper bound in green. Dr. Teeth begins to read off what we already know, finally arriving at “Exterior church, day.” In a sign of the zaniness to come, he then repeats Fozzie’s line, complete with a gruff impression of the bear’s voice. The audience-film barrier has been broken with ease. “This is a narrative of very heavy-duty proportions,” Dr. Teeth declares. If we don’t realize it already, it’s obvious now: The Muppet Movie is playing around with the very idea of making a film, poking fun at both Hollywood tropes and the tenants of storytelling. But is The Muppet Movie a satire? Though the movie includes many of the genre’s hallmarks, it’s harder to define than that. Just like the Muppets themselves, this film is almost genre-less. That’s precisely what makes it so enduring.
What Is Satire?
Though you likely already know what satire is, many people confuse it with another similar genre: Parody. Though they share many of the same elements, the two are not the same. While parody usually embodies something in order to poke fun at it (think Weird Al Yankovic and his changed lyrics), satire aims to show the absurdity of its source material, offering commentary about it that’s often social or political. (Think Triangle of Sadness, and how it uses exaggeration to take down the ultrarich.) Interestingly, there are even different legal standards when it comes to satire and parody, proving that the concepts are more brothers than twins.
While there are elements of satire in The Muppet Movie, the film’s genre is hard to label as a whole. Moments of romance and pure, deep emotion are some of its most memorable, such as Gonzo’s heartbreaking ballad in the desert. The song is not attempting to make a point — it’s just a moment of honesty that gets even adults crying in their living rooms. Like its stars, the movie defies categorization. It isn’t a true satire — but that doesn’t mean The Muppet Movie is without its hallmarks. In fact, they make up some of its most iconic scenes.
‘The Muppet Movie’ Has Satirical Elements
From the very top, it’s clear to us that The Muppet Movie is playing fast and loose with the rules of reality. The extended Muppet family is gathering for a private screening of their own film, a road-tripping adventure in which we see the origins of the puppets as we love them. We follow Kermit, a Hollywood hopeful, as he traverses the country and joins up with several favorites — including Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, and Rowlf the Dog. (Parents were likely excited to see some of the celebrity cameos, including Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and Carol Kane.) From seeing a literal fork in the road to the mad German scientist (Mel Brooks) who attempts to brainwash Kermit, there are constant winks to the audience. (When the gang breaks down, they’re rescued by The Electric Mayhem, who’ve thankfully read ahead in the script.)
But perhaps the sequence that’s most obviously meant to be satirical is toward the end. When Kermit and friends finally make it to Hollywood, they’re immediately granted a “standard rich and famous contract” thanks to god-like executive Lew Lord (Orson Welles). After Kermit nervously explains how far they’ve traveled, the Muppets wait with bated breath. And then, as Lew puffs on a cigar, he gives them the news: They’re in. (It’s very different from The Muppets Take Manhattan, in which Kermit struggles to break into the entertainment industry. This movie itself has some very interesting moments of societal critique.)
The thing that really cements The Muppet Movie as one-of-a-kind is its ending. As the final song is being sung, the Muppets’ elaborate movie set (For this movie, we think? It’s circular.) begins to fall apart — everything we think they’ve worked for crumbling to bits. But this is Kermit we’re talking about, an optimist at heart. A rainbow breaks through the newly-formed hole in the roof, replacing a cardboard model — honest emotion breaking through the artifice of imitation. This refusal to adhere to one genre or style is what keeps the movie fresh, even after forty years. The Muppets broke the mold.
Muppets, Satire, and Beyond
Film-to-film, the world of the Muppets exists in various genres. They’ve done out-and-out satire before, such as in 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper, a glittering takedown of heist movies that includes a fabulous Miss Piggy-centric synchronized swimming number. Muppets Most Wanted, the follow-up to 2011’s The Muppets (itself very similar in tone to the 1979 original), could also be viewed as a satirical take on crime thrillers: Ricky Gervais plays a bad guy named, yes, Dominic Badguy. Henson’s creations have been around so long that they’ve had the opportunity to dabble in all kinds of stories, from adaptations (The Muppet Christmas Carol) to parodies (The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz). Their versatility is what makes them so timeless. (As well as so funny.)
We’ve long looked to the Muppets as both steadfast and adaptive, nostalgic and flexible with the times. You may not be able to easily label The Muppet Movie as a satire, but that’s probably a good thing. The Muppets are both actors and living things, existing inside and outside of their own films. One could even argue that the Muppets themselves are the satirical element in common across their filmography — almost always self-aware and conscious of their roles, they play into the genre of each movie separately. Like any good actor, Kermit can be one thing on screen and another in our reality. The real satire is that we believe it.
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