Jim Henson’s 1981 film The Great Muppet Caper gets a rave evaluation from VFX artists. This musical heist comedy, which serves as Henson’s function directorial debut, follows Kermit the Frog, The Great Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear, 3 Muppet reporters who journey to London to investigate the disappearance of a missing, high-priced jewel. Henson himself, Frank Oz, and Dave Goelz play the 3 Muppet characters respectively, and are joined by other names like Richard Hunt, Louise Gold, and Jerry Nelson.

Now, the VFX at Corridor Crew breaks down the visual effects of The Great Muppet Caper decades following its release.

The trio analyzes a scene exactly where Miss Piggy and Kermit are each riding a bike, and it seems seamless without having a noticeable hand or particular person directing the bikes. They go in-depth into how this feat could have accomplished this, calling it “such a flex” and incredibly clever. Read their comments under:

“This is difficult to figure out simply because there are no images of it, all
I
can inform is from a shadow in the behind the scenes.”

“Yeah, you can see him.”

“They’re probably just rotating it or sometimes its not way high up in the air but it’s way closer to the ground and it’s basically like a crane arm coming off a car or a truck and they’re just driving along.”

“Like these are such a flex.”

“It’s incredible and at the very end you can see that they almost lose it because they have to keep the bike in contact with the ground so the wheel spins, but the bike doesn’t need to be in contact with the ground, the bike is actually hanging, so they’re just barely trying to keep it touching the ground, so they get the wheel spinning but not so much into the ground that it falls over.”

How Was The Great Muppet Caper Received Upon Release?

The Great Muppet Caper Had To Live Up To Big Expectations

Unlike the glowing evaluation that the above visual effects artists gave this musical heist comedy, The Great Muppet Caper upon release in 1981, was usually met with pretty mixed evaluations. The film came following the commercially prosperous and critically acclaimed The Muppet Movie, the initial film to function the well-known ensemble of characters, and it was anticipated to obtain comparable achievement and acclaim. This was, on the other hand, not the case.

Commercially, The Great Muppet Caper did not do as nicely as its predecessor, grossing only about $31 million domestically in the US, and at present sitting as the fifth highest-grossing film in the beloved Muppet franchise. Critically, The Great Muppet Caper was also a mixed bag. Critics praised the film for its slapstick humor and good one particular-liner set-ups, but it also received criticism for its especially imbalanced plot.

Related

How The Muppet Movie Makes Kermit Ride A Bicycle

The original Muppet Movie incorporated an impressive shot of a complete-bodied Kermit the Frog riding a bicycle. How was this impact pulled off?

See also  Edward Berger gives license to kill rumors he's directing next Bond

On the evaluation aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, The Great Muppet Caper holds a 78% approval rating. Regardless, even even though The Great Muppet Caper could not rank so higher in Henson’s substantial Muppet franchise, it has gained a lot more acclaim more than the years, partially due to its clever use of VFX.

The Great Muppet Caper is accessible to stream on Disney+.

Source: Corridor Crew /YouTube