The Great Muppet Caper

The Great Muppet Caper
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed byJim Henson
Written by
Based onThe Muppet Show
by Jim Henson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyOswald Morris
Edited byRalph Kemplen
Music byJoe Raposo
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Associated Film Distribution[a]
Release dates
  • 26 June 1981 (1981-06-26) (United States)
  • 30 July 1981 (1981-07-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
97 minutes[3]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14 million[4][5]
Box office$31.2 million (United States)[6]

The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 musical heist comedy film directed by Jim Henson (in his feature directorial debut) and the second theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Steve Whitmire, as well as Charles Grodin and Diana Rigg with special cameo appearances by John Cleese, Robert Morley, Peter Ustinov, and Jack Warden. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company and distributed by Universal Pictures. In the plot, the Muppets are caught up in a jewel heist while investigating a robbery in London.

The film was released by Universal Pictures and Associated Film Distribution on 26 June 1981 in the United States and on 30 July 1981 in the United Kingdom. It is the only Muppets feature film directed by Henson. Shot in the United Kingdom and London in 1980, the film was released shortly after the final season of The Muppet Show.

  1. ^ Jones 2013, p. 374–375.
  2. ^ Thompson, Simon (25 July 2019). "Remembering 'The Muppet Movie' At 40 With Gonzo". Forbes. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  3. ^ "THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER (U)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 June 1981. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  4. ^ Jones 2013, p. 307.
  5. ^ Moses, Antoinette (Fall 1982). "British Production 1981". Sight & Sound. Vol. 51, no. 4. p. 258.
  6. ^ "The Great Muppet Caper (1981)". Box Office Mojo.


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