Finally, after three fantastic spoof trailers goofing on current Hollywood blockbusters, the Muppets are out with a full trailer all their own. And thankfully, the smart meta-nod to show business seems here to stay.
The Muppets have always been self-aware and referential; their premier TV show, "The Muppet Show," was about a show within a show, with the characters understanding their bizarre place in Hollywood. It was largely similar for their short-lived 90's reboot, "Muppets Tonight." And, of course, "The Muppets Take Manhattan," had them producing a Broadway show.
With the franchise getting a semi-reboot with this Jason Segel-centric film, the marketing campaign has sought to touch on the Muppets' history in Hollywood, as well as find their place in today's show business. By the midway point of their third spoof trailer, a play on this weekend's "Green Lantern," Segel asks why they just don't get their own trailer. And here, they do.
This newly released promo shows that the main thrust of the film is that the Muppets are working to get the gang back together after years apart, which is what the actual Disney studio is looking to do with this film, too. The question the trailer presents is whether they can survive in this new entertainment world, something the studio is wondering, too, as it places a big money bet on the timelessness of Kermit and crew. The trailer even teases that the film will hit different popular genres, from romance (check out their first romance spoof) to action to comedy (their "Hangover" spoof is here).
The interesting part now is whether the story itself will hold up; whether the beloved characters can survive in this new world is something that the movie's action will decide not only within the tidy confines of the screen, but in pop culture at large.
Early indication, from this new trailer, is that they've adapted just fine. Check the official synopsis beneath the trailer.
Here's the official synopsis:
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, "The Muppets" hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.