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Kermit's Swamp Years

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Kermit's Swamp Years
DVD cover
Directed byDavid Gumpel
Screenplay byJim Lewis
Joseph Mazzarino
Story byJim Lewis
Based onKermit the Frog
by Jim Henson
Produced byRitamarie Peruggi
StarringJohn Hostetter
Kelly Collins Lintz
William Bookston
Steve Whitmire
Bill Barretta
Joseph Mazzarino
John Kennedy
CinematographyRufus Standefer
Edited byKatina Zinner
Music byJoe Carroll
Peter Thom
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia TriStar Home Entertainment
Release date
  • August 18, 2002 (2002-08-18)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Kermit's Swamp Years is a 2002 American direct-to-video comedy film directed by David Gumpel. It is the second direct-to-video feature film in The Muppets franchise. The film follows a young Kermit the Frog and his best friends, Goggles and Croaker, who travel outside their homes in the swamps of the Deep South to go on an adventure. The film features an ensemble cast headlined by John Hostetter as Dr. Krassman (the movie's main antagonist), with William Bookston and Kelly Collins Lintz in supporting roles, Steve Whitmire, Bill Barretta, Joseph Mazzarino, John Kennedy, and Alice Dinnean providing the Muppets, and featuring the voice of Cree Summer.

The film was released on VHS, DVD and on the Starz network on August 18, 2002.[1] Although the film’s distribution rights are still owned by Sony Pictures rather than The Walt Disney Company, Kermit's Swamp Years was filmed at the Disney-MGM Studios, which is now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios, and in Naples, Florida. It received generally negative reviews, with criticism for its story, writing, humor, and acting, but praise for its puppetry.

Plot

Kermit the Frog rides a scooter down a dirt road on his way to visit the swamp where he grew up and reminisces about his first big adventure. A 12-year-old Kermit lives in the swamps of the Deep South with his cool and smooth-talking best friend, Croaker, who is the best hopper in the swamp, Goggles the Toad, a shy and awkward friend of his, Blotch the massive Bullfrog, who constantly bullies the trio, and Arnie the Alligator, who protects Kermit and his friends from the dangers lurking outside the swamp, especially humans, and warns them about a scary, strange, and dangerous place outside the swamp, which the frogs call "The Outside World". Kermit wonders what lies beyond the swamp and dreams of visiting "The Outside World", but Goggles and Croaker are content where they are.

One day, the three friends run into an evil and selfish biology teacher named Dr. Hugo Krassman (John Hostetter) and his comical assistant Mary (Kelly Collins Lintz), intent on capturing frogs. Arnie saves them and warns them about the two humans and not to go in "The Outside World", to which Kermit, Croaker and Goggles seriously think about his words, with Kermit wishing for an adventure in "The Outside World". The next day, the trio runs into Blotch, who attacks them. The fight takes them to "The Outside World" and spills onto a road, where the pair are taken by a kindly pet store owner named Wilson (William Bookston), prompting Kermit and Croaker to venture forth on a quest in "The Outside World" to save their friends. Meanwhile, Goggles and Blotch are taken into Wilson's pet store. Blotch's bullying causes the pair to be put in a cage with Vicki the Snake, who intends to eat Blotch. Goggles saves him by goading Vicki to kill him and then using his poison gland, which makes Blotch forget about bullying other frogs. The other animals at the store manage to convince Goggles and Blotch in a lively musical number that being sold to someone as a pet in "The Outside World" leads to a safe and luxurious lifestyle.

After getting run over by Wilson's truck and having tire tracks on his chest, Croaker is no longer able to hop and starts to lose his confidence. Kermit and Croaker get saved from Krassman and Mary by a stray dog named Pilgrim (voiced by Cree Summer), who knows a lot about "The Outside World". Pilgrim decides to help them find their friends. Kermit is able to find Wilson's truck by using helium balloons, but discovers they are no longer in the vehicle. Kermit regroups with Pilgrim and Croaker again, and together they find Wilson's Pet Store. Croaker, filled with motivation, finally manages to hop again by hopping through the window and helps Kermit up the window while Pilgrim stays outside, but they find out from Vicki that their friends have gone to Krassman's school George Washington High School, where animals never come back from, by Wilson, who is revealed to be Krassman's henchman, who is providing him with all the frogs he has. Kermit speaks to a star he often looked up at in the swamp, who gives him advice that he shouldn't give up hope, which reaffirms Kermit's determination to find Goggles and Blotch and he comes up with a clever plan for him and Croaker to break into George Washington High School, save Goggles and Blotch, and defeat Krassman for good.

The next day, Kermit and Croaker deliberately get caught by Wilson to get taken to the high school and escape upon arrival as the first step of Kermit's plan. They meet Pilgrim again, who followed them in order to save Goggles and Blotch as well. Pilgrim and Croaker, under Kermit's instructions, distract Wilson by asking them to capture them while Kermit sneaks into the classroom. Krassman intends to dissect Goggles, but Blotch goes in his place to repay Goggles for rescuing him from Vicki. Krassman decides to dissect Croaker instead when Wilson brings him into the class. Mary refuses to show the class how the dissection is done and leaves the classroom. Kermit manages to free Croaker from the dissection table and fight with Dr. Krassman using some swashbuckling techniques he picked up earlier at a movie theater, but Krassman is able to overpower Kermit, Croaker, and Blotch. Goggles finds the knife that Kermit dropped, but after he picks it up, Krassman sees him.

Despite the warnings that Kermit should never talk to humans and visit "The Outside World", Kermit stops Krassman from attacking Goggles by talking and asks him to please release the frogs as the final phase of his plan. This action leads Krassman to reveal that as a child, he was about to dissect his first frog when the frog begged him to stop, but the frog refused to say anything to everyone else in Krassman's classroom, which caused him to be humiliated. Krassman, having been exposed by Kermit via his speech, frees all the frogs, enables Kermit and his friends to return home, and dismisses the class. With the truth revealed that frogs can talk and Kermit's rescue plan as a success, Kermit, Crocker, Goggles, and Blotch head back home after a ride back to the swamp's border in Wilson's truck and a redeemed Wilson adopts Pilgrim. Back at the swamp, Kermit is hailed a hero for saving Goggles and Blotch, confessing the truth about humans and "The Outside World", and defeating Krassman, promising he will visit "The Outside World" again someday. Back in the present, Kermit thinks about how all of them have remained friends over the years before finally arriving at the border and reunites with his friends and family.

Cast

Live-action cast

  • John Hostetter as Dr. Hugo Krassman
  • Kelly Collins Lintz as Mary
  • William Bookston as Wilson
  • Christian Kebbel as Young Jim Henson
  • Drew Haggard as Joey
  • Cree Summer as Pilgrim (voice) / Kermit the Frog's Mom (voice)
  • Lauren Leech as Ms. Segland, Student #1
  • Hampton Dixon as Young Hugo Krassman
  • Joe Schofield as Dog Catcher (uncredited)

Muppet performers and voice cast

Production notes

Goggles and Croaker were performed by Joseph Mazzarino and Bill Barretta, respectively. Mazzarino was a writer, lyricist, and puppeteer for Sesame Street at the time of the film's production. Mazzarino also co-wrote the teleplay for the film. Blotch was performed by John Kennedy.

Originally, Barretta was going to play Goggles and Mazzarino was going to play Croaker, but they traded roles after they tried out the characters.[2]

The opening and closing sequences also introduce Horace D'Fly (voiced by Barretta), one of the few computer-generated (CG) Muppets (in the outtakes reel at the end of the film, Horace complains about having to be inside Kermit's mouth and asks, "Can't we use CG or something?").

The character Pilgrim was depicted in some scenes using a real dog, and other scenes as a puppet that was identical to the live dog.

The film's outtakes reel includes an alternate version of the song "The Rainbow Connection" performed by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

The behind-the-scenes featurette on the DVD is hosted by a Muppet named Joe the Armadillo (performed by Mazzarino) interviewing various members of the production staff and crew.

References

  1. ^ "Kermit the Frog stars in his own movie prequel". old.post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  2. ^ "The Muppet Mindset: Interview with Muppeteer Bill Barretta - Part 2". 2 February 2010.
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