The Muppets From Space 1999

Gonzo is contacted by his alien family through his breakfast cereal. But when the men in black kidnap him, it's up to Kermit and the gang to rescue Gonzo and help him reunite with his long-lost family.

The Cast

Dave Goelz-Gonzo
Steve Whitmire-Kermit the Frog
Bill Barretta-Pepe the Prawn
Jerry Nelson-Robin
Brian Henson-Dr. Phil Van Neuter
Kevin Clash-Clifford
Frank Oz-Miss Piggy
Jeffrey Tambor-K. Edgar Singer

The Director: Tim Hill
The Writers: WGA, Jerry Juhl, Joey Mazzarino, Ken Kaufman
Music by: Jamshied Sharifi
Certificate : U

Film Trivia

In the DVD commentary, which includes a handful of The Muppets in character, Kermit the Frog says he's walking away to go to the snack bar and doesn't come back until just as the movie is ending. He claims that he was delayed by walking back into the wrong DVD commentary, that of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). That movie and this both feature the voice-over of Frank Oz. Furthermore, the Walt Disney Company has since bought both the Muppets and Star Wars franchises.
Baab the Sheep was voiced by 11-year-old Kristina Donnelly, who got the opportunity through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Given a choice between acting in a Muppet film and voicing a puppet of her own, she chose the puppet. Near the end of her time filming, Steve Whitmire and Dave Goelz presented her with a special edition of the Hensonville News Observer and a bag full of The Muppets merchandise. She also kept the puppet she voiced.
This was the first Muppet film not to be a traditional musical film with original music. Instead, the soundtrack is primarily classic soul and funk tracks.
This is last The Muppets movie to have Frank Oz's involvement. Oz was not available for most of production, so substitute puppeteers performed his characters, and Oz dubbed the voices during post-production.
The basic premise of this film is that Gonzo is an extraterrestrial alien. Twenty years earlier, in a "Veterinarian's Hospital" sketch on The Muppet Show: Raquel Welch (1978), Rowlf suggested that Gonzo should "leave his body to science fiction".
An earlier draft of the story was written by Kirk R. Thatcher called "Muppets in Space." In the screenplay, aliens abducted Kermit because they believed him to be their leader, leading the other Muppets to attempt to save him. A set of Welch's Jelly Glasses were produced based around this theme.
According to Brian Henson, The Jim Henson Company originally planned to release the film around February 2000. Columbia wanted it to be one of their big summer movies, rushing production and causing less time for advertising. It also competed with Inspector Gadget (1999).
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson had cameos because Dawson's Creek (1998) was being filmed on a neighboring soundstage.
The original concept was based upon the song "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" which Gonzo sings in The Muppet Movie (1979). Muppeteer Dave Goelz recorded a new version of the song, in 4/4 time. It wasn't used in the film, but it was included on the soundtrack album.
This in the first The Muppets film since the deaths of Jim Henson and Richard Hunt in which Rowlf, Scooter, and Dr. Teeth talk. Rowlf's only line is "Awwww!" at the breakfast table, when he finds out they're having bologna. Dr. Teeth's only line is "Shalom!", on the way to a bar mitzvah. Scooter was voiced by Richard's brother Adam Hunt, and his line is "Get your Gonzo T-shirts. Only ten bucks!"
In a February 2000 interview, Frank Oz described the film as not "up to what it should have been," and "not the movie that we wanted it to be."
While promoting The Muppets (2011) in Germany, Kermit told ENERGY Berlin 103,4 that "with all due respect to Muppets from Space, um, you don't want that to be the last movie you ever do. You want to do a better one."
The trailer features a few scenes that are not in the finished film. They include a scene during the breakfast sequence where Pepe says "The kitchen is closed!" (which appears in the outtake reel on the DVD) and a scene with Rizzo talking to Gonzo on the roof. The trailer also briefly includes the song "Rescue Me", which doesn't appear in the movie.
Statler and Waldorf's 'life on other planets' exchange was originally done on The Muppet Show (1976).
Kermit the Frog is seen reading the "Hensonville News Observer", a reference to Jim Henson.
Ween was asked to provide a song for the scene in which Gonzo was sitting on the roof dreaming of where he might have come from. After the song was recorded, the producers decided that all of the music in the movie should be funk/soul. They asked Ween to record a remake of "Brick House." They declined.
This film marks the first major role for Pepe the King Prawn in a Muppet movie, as well as the first time that he appears without his Muppets Tonight (1996) cohort, Seymour.
This film was shot at Screen Gem Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, along with The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999).
The last Muppets film to be rated G by the MPAA.
This film would mark the first appearance of Scooter since The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990). He was performed by Adam Hunt, brother of Scooter's initial performer Richard Hunt.
Features the appearances of two former WCW (World Championship Wrestling) heavyweight champions. Hulk Hogan and David Arquette. The wrestling company folded less than two years after this movie's release.
Randal Kleiser was to direct the film. He was dropped before production began.
Released 20 years after the Muppet movie(1979).
This was the last muppet film to be released on laserdisc.
Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of K. Edgar "Ed" Singer.
Burt Reynolds were considered for the role of General Luft.
John Lithgow were considered for the role of K. Edgar "Ed" Singer.
Peter Boyle were considered for the role of General Luft.
Christopher Plummer were considered for the role of K. Edgar "Ed" Singer.
Albert Finney were considered for the role of K. Edgar "Ed" Singer.
Jonathan Harris were considered for the role of General Luft.
The mash potato sculpture during the lawn gathering scene is a reference to the Devil's Tower mashed potato from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977).
The hole made by Rizzo in the lab cage scene and covered by a poster is a reference from "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994).
The sequence where Dr. Van Neuter slams against the glass window while being wrapped in electricity wire tubing is a reference from "Independence Day" (1997).
This film, It's a Very Muppet Christmas Movie, and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz were each released the same year as the Star Wars Prequels.
Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson: among the crowd awaiting the spaceship landing on the beach. In this movie they go by their character names from Dawson's Creek (1998).
F. Murray Abraham: as Noah in Gonzo's dream. In the same year, Abraham was in Noah's Ark (1999) as a different character.
Steve Whitmire: the Hippie giving Bunsen and Beaker a ride.
Hulk Hogan: "Hollywood" Hogan, who brags about turning heel. Hogan was best known for playing a kid-friendly good guy (face/babyface in TV wrestling terminology), but at the time Hogan was actually wrestling as a heel (TV wrestling term for "bad guy") for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he often performed as the villainous New World Order (nWo) leader "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan.
Originally the idea for the film was that aliens had seen Gonzo on The Muppet Show (1976) and came to visit him on Earth. Gonzo would believe he was one of them until he discovered the truth at the movie's conclusion.