List of The Muppets productions

Last updated

This is a list of productions based on The Muppets characters and franchise, including films, television series and specials, and other media. The franchise's main work is The Muppet Show , a syndicated television series which ran from 1976 to 1981. The franchise includes eight feature films, and other television series.

Contents

Films

Role The Muppet Movie
(1979)
The Great Muppet Caper
(1981)
The Muppets Take Manhattan
(1984)
The Muppet Christmas Carol
(1992)
Muppet Treasure Island
(1996)
Muppets from Space
(1999)
The Muppets
(2011)
Muppets Most Wanted
(2014)
Director James Frawley Jim Henson Frank Oz Brian Henson Tim Hill James Bobin
Producer(s) Jim Henson David Lazer and Frank Oz David Lazer Brian Henson and Martin G. Baker David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman
Writer(s) Jerry Juhl & Jack Burns Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses and Jerry Juhl & Jack Rose Frank Oz and Tom Patchett & Jay TarsesJerry JuhlJerry Juhl & Kirk R. Thatcher and James V. Hart Jerry Juhl and Joseph Mazzarino and Ken Kaufman Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller James Bobin & Nicholas Stoller
Composer(s) Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher Joe Raposo Ralph Burns Miles Goodman Hans Zimmer Jamshied Sharifi Christophe Beck
Production companies ITC Films
Henson Associates
Henson Associates Walt Disney Pictures
Jim Henson Productions
Columbia Pictures
Jim Henson Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Mandeville Films
Distribution Associated Film Distribution 1 Universal Pictures 1
Associated Film Distribution 1
TriStar Pictures Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Sony Pictures Releasing Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Running time95 minutes97 minutes94 minutes86 minutes99 minutes87 minutes103 minutes107 minutes
Release dateJune 22, 1979June 26, 1981July 13, 1984December 11, 1992February 16, 1996July 14, 1999November 23, 2011March 21, 2014
Box office
$452,100,030
$65,810,475 [1] $31,206,251 [2] $25,534,703 [3] $27,330,071 [4] $34,327,391 [5] $22,323,612 [6] $165,184,237 [7] $80,383,290 [8]
Rotten Tomatoes 88% [9] 75% [10] 84% [11] 75% [12] 71% [13] 63% [14] 95% [15] 80% [16]

Television

Series

TitlePremiere dateEnd dateNetwork
Sam and Friends May 9, 1955December 15, 1961 NBC (WRC-TV)
The Muppet Show September 5, 1976May 23, 1981 Syndication
Muppet Babies September 15, 1984December 29, 1990 CBS
Little Muppet Monsters September 14, 1985September 28, 1985
The Jim Henson Hour April 14, 1989July 30, 1989NBC
Dog City September 26, 1992November 26, 1994 Fox Kids
Jim Henson's Animal Show

October 3, 1994

June 28, 1998

Animal Planet/Fox Kids
Muppets Tonight March 8, 1996February 8, 1998 ABC / Disney Channel
Muppets TV October 29, 2006December 31, 2006 TF1 [17]
Muppet Moments [18] April 3, 2015November 28, 2015 Disney Junior / Disney Channel
The Muppets [19] September 22, 2015March 1, 2016 [20] ABC
Muppet Babies [21] March 23, 2018February 18, 2022Disney Junior
Muppets Now [22] [23] July 31, 2020September 4, 2020 Disney+
The Muppets Mayhem [24] May 10, 2023

Television films

TitleRelease dateDirectorProducer(s)Distributor
Kermit's Swamp Years August 18, 2002David GumpelJim Lewis and Joseph Mazzarino Sony Pictures Television
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie November 29, 2002 Kirk R. Thatcher Martin G. Baker and Warren Carr NBCUniversal Television Distribution
MGM Worldwide Television Group and Digital Distribution
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz May 20, 2005 Bill Barretta Buena Vista Television

Television specials

TitleRelease dateNetwork
Hey, Cinderella! March 16, 1969 ABC, CBC
The Muppets on Puppets January 5, 1970 WNET
The Great Santa Claus Switch December 20, 1970 CBS
The Frog Prince May 12, 1971 Syndicated
The Muppet Musicians of Bremen April 26, 1972Syndicated
The Muppets Valentine Show January 30, 1974ABC
The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence March 19, 1975ABC
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas December 4, 1977CBC
The Muppets Go Hollywood May 16, 1979CBS
John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together December 5, 1979ABC
The Muppets Go to the Movies May 20, 1981ABC
Of Muppets and MenOctober 31, 1981CBS
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show September 17, 1982ABC
Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets May 12, 1983ABC
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years January 21, 1986CBS
The Tale of the Bunny Picnic March 26, 1986 HBO
The Christmas Toy December 6, 1986ABC
A Muppet Family Christmas December 16, 1987ABC
Disneyland's 35th AnniversaryFebruary 6, 1990 NBC
The Muppets at Walt Disney World May 6, 1990NBC
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson November 21, 1990CBS
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree December 6, 1995CBS
Studio DC: Almost Live hosted by Dylan and Cole Sprouse August 3, 2008 Disney Channel
Studio DC: Almost Live hosted by Selena Gomez October 5, 2008Disney Channel
A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa December 17, 2008NBC
Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular [25] November 28, 2013ABC
Muppets Haunted Mansion [26] October 8, 2021 [27] Disney+

Other appearances

Direct to Video releases

TitleRelease dateDirectorDistributor
Muppet Sing Alongs: Billy Bunny's Animal Songs May 21, 1993David Gumpel Buena Vista Home Video
Muppet Sing Alongs: It's Not Easy Being GreenFebruary 18, 1994
Muppet Classic Theater September 27, 1994 David Grossman
Muppets On WheelsJune 16, 1995David Gumpel
Yes, I Can Learn featuring the Muppet BabiesJune 16, 1995
Yes, I Can Help featuring the Muppet BabiesJune 16, 1995
Yes, I Can Be a Friend featuring the Muppet BabiesAugust 11, 1995
Muppet Sing Alongs: Muppet Treasure IslandFebruary 14, 1996
Muppet Sing Alongs: Things That Fly
Kermit's Swamp Years September 3, 2002 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment

Web series

TitlePremiere dateEnd date
Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony June 26, 2005September 20, 2006
The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora September 13, 2010December 17, 2010

Video games

A number of video games featuring the Muppets have been produced since the 1990s.

Notes

  1. ^ Distribution rights were purchased by The Jim Henson Company from ITC Entertainment in August 1984. [29] The rights were then acquired by Walt Disney Studios upon their parent company's acquisition of the Muppets franchise in 2004. The films have since been reissued under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.

See also

Related Research Articles

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James Maury Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kermit the Frog</span> Muppet character

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Piggy</span> Muppet character

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fozzie Bear</span> Muppet character

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The Muppets Take Manhattan is a 1984 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Frank Oz and the third theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Jim Henson, Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, as well as special appearances by Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin and Joan Rivers. Filmed in New York City during the prior summer, it was released theatrically on July 13, 1984, by TriStar Pictures. A fantasy sequence in the film introduced the Muppet Babies, toddler versions of the lead Muppet characters.

<i>The Muppet Christmas Carol</i> 1992 film directed by Brian Henson

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<i>The Great Muppet Caper</i> 1981 film directed by Jim Henson

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Muppets Studio</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

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The Muppets is a 2011 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by James Bobin, produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, and written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. It is the seventh theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones, as well as Muppet performers Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Peter Linz. Bret McKenzie served as music supervisor, writing four of the film's five original songs, while Christophe Beck composed the score. In the film, devoted Muppet fan Walter, his human brother Gary and Gary's girlfriend Mary help Kermit the Frog reunite the disbanded Muppets, as they must raise $10 million to save the Muppet Theater from Tex Richman, a greedy businessman who plans to demolish the theater to drill for oil.

<i>Muppets Most Wanted</i> 2014 American comedy film by James Bobin

Muppets Most Wanted is a 2014 American musical heist comedy film directed by James Bobin, produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films, it is the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets, and serves as a sequel to The Muppets (2011). The film stars Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey, alongside Muppet performers Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel and Peter Linz. It was also Tony Bennett's final film before his retirement in 2021 and death two years later. The story tells how Muppets become involved in an international crime caper While on a world tour in Europe.

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