The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
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The Muppets Take Manhattan is the third Muppet film and although not the strongest, it's sure to entertain the entire family. The story follows the Muppets on their quest to get their show, "Manhattan Melodies", produced on Broadway. It's a terrific story that hits at the core of what the Muppets are all about, namely putting on a show. Sure the music isn't as memorable as that in the first muppet movie (except "I'm Gonna Always Love You"), but you can't help appreciating the lengths to which the Muppets will go to entertain you. Singing chickens? Got 'em! Frogs with hair? Check! Unbelieveable action sequence? Of course, and it's unbelieveable in more ways than one! A Muppet staple is the cameo and they abound in this film. Everyone from Liza Minelli to Art Carney sets some screen time. Joan Rivers is particularly funny in her over the top make-up scene with Miss Piggy. For all you Trekkers, Gates McFadden even appears as a secretary to a con man!

The film is great entertainment, but this DVD has problems. First of all the digital tranfer isn't that good. Plenty of older films like Fantasia look stunning on DVD, but not this film. There is a graininess to the picture that can be discracting and artifacts abound. Sound is presented in only a mono format. Was the original film released this way? I don't know, but if so some mention should be made on the packaging, otherwise it feels like we're getting ripped off. On a positive note the film is presented in both a formatted and widescreen version. As for the other bonuses, there is a strange feature called "Muppetisms" that I can't really figure out. They are minute, minute and a half long segments featuring one or two muppets just goofing off and benign wacky. Not too sure what it's all about, but it was fun to watch - once. By far the best bonus feature is the interview with Jim Henson. He talks a bit about the making of the film, how decisions are made and such. It's an incredible peek into the creation of a Muppet film. There is one glarig problem though - the chapter stops are just little minute or so long bits of the interview. To see the whole thing you have to continually stop and start up again. It's a big mistake and makes watching the entire thing quite a chore.

My final word on this edition is buy it for the widescreen version of the movie only. The transfer isn't that good, the bonuses aren't that great, but the film itself is a real treat. Not the strongest Muppet film, but not the weakest either. If you have the video and don't care about widescreen, you can easily (and sadly) pass on this DVD. If not, pick this up for a fun romp around Manhattan that you and your family are sure to enjoy again and again.