I know, another kid's film. Don't worry, there's only one more in the list. And both are films I saw when I was a kid. The Muppet Movie is one of those films you're supposed to outgrow, but I never did. The motives are so pure and the story is so meaningful... there is a timeless quality to the Muppets. Even if a lot of their humor (especially recent) is hit-and-miss. Add a bunch of goofy cameos and a great soundtrack and it's just impossible to overlook, at least for me.
The Muppets had already been on television for a few years before this. So the voices and personalities were already set. On their variety show, they are businesslike, trying to keep everything running in the midst of chaos. Before they were famous, they were hopeless dreamers. In this film, each intentionally abandons his livelihood for a chance at the Hollywood lifestyle. Success is not the point. Simply believing is enough.
Kermit starts out the movie singing to no one in one of the most memorable scenes in movie history. Jim Henson nearly died to get this right. He buys a slick agent's talk, not really believing him but willing to take a chance. He soon meets Fozzie the Bear, an untalented but boundlessly optimistic stand-up comic (plus he can drive... sort of) and they head off to Hollywood. Wherever that is. Hey, they'll get there eventually... they're in a movie after all.
The movie-within-a-movie humor admits the story isn't entirely genuine. Now that may seem affected, but it was hilarious at the time. Fourth-wall breaks were not common to those (like me) who hadn't yet seen Annie Hall. There just wasn't a lot of cynicism. Kermit and Fozzie are being chased by Doc Hopper who wants Kermit to be his spokesman for a chain of frog-leg restaurants. Laugh if you want, but I have never in my life eaten a frog-leg. Doc represent corporate interest while our heros represent individuality. Doc may be more realistic about the future, but that doesn't matter much. No one wants him to prevail.
The guys eventually meet up with Miss Piggy, voiced by Frank Oz. The antagonistic relationship between her and Kermit is established with the ridiculous "Never Before", which sounds like a conventional love song on the radio but looks absurd on the screen. She saves Kermit's life, then bails, then shows up again without explanation. One of the funniest moments is when the guys (now joined by Gonzo and Ralph) debate helping her with her luggage before deciding not to. It's not like she's much of a lady.
More characters pop up at different times and soon there is an entire caravan of Muppets wanting to become famous. And there is the desert, so at least they've found the right direction? When the car breaks down, it leads Kermit to an existential crisis and Gonzo into the second-best known song in the film. Of course they will be rescued, but for the moment they are truly despondent about what could have been. That makes it more cheerful when the inevitable help arrives.
After the Muppets shake off Doc Hopper and blow past a secretary, they sweet-talk Orson Welles (no, really) and are on their way to making a movie. The final part of the film "The Magic Store" just has to be seen. It's fitting for all the hard work. Of course it's just as ridiculous as the rest of the the movie, but that doesn't make it any less poignant.
One of my joys in life is to introduce new people to The Muppet Movie. Mostly childrem, but occasionally adults and usually from another culture. It never fails to get a few smiles. That is my defintion of timeless.