D23 Expo: The Muppets Presentation

There was a star that was late for their big D23 appearance. When Disney’s head of production Sean Bailey introduced Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and Jason Segel to talk about The Muppets at D23 this Saturday, the curtain pulled back and revealed Kermit and Segel sitting in director’s chairs – but Miss Piggy was nowhere to be seen.

“You’ve worked on a movie with her,” said Kermit when Segel pointed this out, “was she ever on time?”

“I love you, Kermit!” shouted an audience member. “I love you too!” replied Kermit.

Kermit went on to thank his fellow cast members. “Our movie stars the beautiful and talented Amy Adams! … And the equally talented but less beautiful Jason Segel-no offense.”

“I love you, Jason!” shouted another audience member. “I love you too and look forward to meeting you in person someday!” responded Segel.

Segel turned his attention to the clips of the movie they brought, saying there was a problem as they did not include Miss Piggy.

“She’ll tear this whole arena apart if she finds out!” said Kermit.

“But she’s not here,” said Segel.

“Good point,” replied Kermit as a motorcycle revved it’s engine from backstage. The curtain parted again to reveal a motorcycle with none other than Miss Piggy in the sidecar.

Kermit nervously explained that the second clip would feature “…almost all the Muppets.” Miss Piggy saw through this, and had her driver take her off stage.

In the first clip Segel, Adams and Segel’s best friend Walter (a Muppet) drive around Bel-Air, looking for Kermit the Frog’s house. Unable to find a doorbell, Walter tells Segel to pick him up and throw him over the fence despite Adams’ protestations about it being electrified. Sure enough, Walter is electrocuted. Just as he tries to convince Segel to throw him over again, the silhouette of Kermit appears to the sound of a heavenly choir (which is actually a bus with a touring church choir inside). Walter passes out from the shock.

Walter wakes up inside Kermit’s home with Segel and Adams watching over him. Kermit asks what he can do for them as his butler 80s Robot appears with a silver platter of Tab Cola and New Coke. Kermit insists they don’t need anything, and 80s Robot rolls away, bumping into walls and furniture while muttering catchphrases like “gag me with a spoon.”

The second clip began with Rolf cutting the chain to the old Muppet Theater. Kermit looks nostalgic as he walks in, clips of him introducing Bob Hope playing in his mind. But the theater is in shambles, and Fozzie Bear insists that there’s no way to rehearse with the theater in that condition. When their first attempt to do so proves incredibly lackluster, Dr. Teeth busts out a boom box and plays Jefferson Starship’s “We Built This City.”

A cleaning montage ensues: rats skate across wood floors on sudsy toothbrushes, the Swedish Chef incinerates a moldy fridge of sentient vegetables and Skeeter discovers that Beauregard (the theater’s janitor) has been squatting in a closet. “Where’s everybody been?” he asks.

The clip ends with Dr. Teeth stopping the tape as the gang surveys the now spotless theater.

The Muppets is slated to hit theaters on November 23rd.

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