If trailers are to be trusted, then the basic plot structure of Muppets Most Wanted (out tomorrow, March 21st) falls somewhere along these lines: good-natured, often naïve everyman whose doppelganger happens to be a criminal mastermind has the old switcheroo pulled on him and must persevere (with the help of an unlikely friend or two) in order to foil his adversary’s diabolical scheme, right the injustices done to him, and save his friends (and perhaps even the world) just in the nick of time. As storylines go, it’s about as thin as Fozzie Bear’s skin (or fur) when Statler and Waldorf’s heckles really start zinging, and bears an unfortunate resemblance to the plot of Ernest Goes to Jail. KnowhutImean?
Luckily, the Muppets’ formula for cinematic success has never relied upon remarkably original or complex plotlines. Basically, the trick is to let the frog, pig, bear, and whatever do their thing, throw in some celebrity cameos, go as meta as puppetly possible, and tie it all together with songs capable of eliciting tears as well as guffaws — which is where we decided to chime in. In anticipation of the one or more new songs from Muppets Most Wanted that we’ll inevitably be humming in the weeks to come, we compiled a list of our favorite tunes from the Muppets’ theatrical films.
In other words, once again it’s time to play the music…
Matt Melis
–Senior Editor
