The Muppets Take Manhattan [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Frank Oz

Cast: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz

Release Date: October 24, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Broadway bound, the Muppets take Manhattan by storm in this magical musical about breaking into show business! Fresh out of college, Kermit, Fozzie and the entire cast of Kermit’s musical “Manhattan Melodies” head for the Big Apple with plans to turn their small play into a big hit! All they need now is someone to produce their show! But when no one in town will even meet with them, it’s up to Kermit to believe hard enough for all of his friends that the show WILL go on! Family entertainment has never been more fun than this comedy marking Frank Oz’s solo directorial debut.

Please Note: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

The beloved family classic ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ joins Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal, along with various other favorites as they make their way into the heart of the entertainment industry in an attempt to get their new musical ‘Manhattan Melodies’ developed into a Broadway play. Unfortunately, the group quickly realizes that making that a reality is far more difficult than they anticipated. Believing he’s holding back his friends Kermit sends the rest of the band packing as he remains while working to get by at a local café and trying to sell the play on his free time in the hope of bringing back the gang to join him. So gather up the entire family and get ready to revisit this funny and touching family classic.

‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ was originally released theatrically in the Summer of 1984 and it still manages to deliver a fun, notably funny and kindhearted good time for the entire family nearly four decades later; having lost very little of its charm over the many years since its debut. Smoothly guided along by director Frank Oz and marking his solo directorial debut, it features plenty of memorable songs and grin-inducing sequences, and certainly no shortage of beloved characters including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal just to name a few who all join in on the fun.

Starring the Muppet Performers Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson, along with a handful of amusing cameos sprinkled throughout such as Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin and Joan Rivers who each contribute splendidly to the fun in their own right throughout. If one thing is for certain after all of these years, it’s that ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ is a perfect recipe for fun that appeals to audiences of all ages, not to mention one that’s stood the test of time for nearly forty years and is ready to be introduced to and beloved by a new generation of Muppet fans.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ back home, now available for the first time ever in 4K Ultra HD. The new release features a gorgeous new Ultra High Definition video presentation remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative and featuring Dolby Vision and HDR-10 that looks truly spectacular and is only wonderfully complemented by an immersive new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack, both of which have been approved by director Frank Oz. In addition to the marvelous new video and audio presentations, this new 4K UHD release of ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ also features a brand new Audio Commentary with director Frank Oz, along with some other previously released extras and the end result should have fans absolutely ecstatic! If you’re a fully 4K capable fan of ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ and already considering a purchase, then this one is definitely worth picking up and I can’t recommend this new 4K UHD release highly enough!

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition video presentation, remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio and approved by director Frank Oz. The video presentation looks absolutely marvelous across the board and delivers a clean, sharp, richly detailed and rewardingly filmic presentation from start to finish that breathes some beautiful new life into the beloved classic while still retaining a delightful grain structure and never suffering from any issues throughout. It shows impressive detail and clarity every step of the way with all of the Muppet and human character specifics and clothing looking nearly pinpoint perfect, while backgrounds and cityscapes look sharper and better than ever before. The Dolby Vision addition also contributes nicely to the overall appearance by providing clean, full-bodied and more accurate colors noticeable throughout which are perfectly boosted by deep, problem-free black levels. Overall, this is a phenomenal new Ultra High Definition video presentation that should absolutely thrill fans.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack approved by director Frank Oz. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack sounds great in its own right and provides a crisp, clean, well-balanced and at times immersive audio presentation throughout. It may not ever reach the level of extravagance that many modern films do (nor should it) but the new presentation certainly opens things up somewhat and takes advantage of all seven available channels consistently throughout in order to send the songs throughout the various speakers, along with city noise, crowd chatter and other tidbits, while always making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible at all times. Overall, this is a very nice new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that holds up nicely throughout and does its job well without ever getting unnecessarily carried away.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ includes one noteworthy new extra and a few previously released extras which are spread between the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs included in the release. I’ve broken down the extras by disc below for easier navigation.

The 4K UHD disc includes a new ‘Audio Commentary with Director Frank Oz’, along with the film’s original ‘Teaser Trailer’ (running approximately 1 minute) and ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (approximately 90 seconds).

The Blu-ray disc (which appears to be identical to a previously released disc of the film to the best of my knowledge) includes a ‘Jim Henson Interview’ (running approximately 14 minutes in length) and a few short ‘Muppetisims’ (running approximately 30-60 seconds each) featuring ‘Fozzie Bear’, ‘Miss Piggy & Kermit the Frog’ and ‘Pepe’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

–

Disc Rating: 7/10

–

‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

–

*Screen-Connections.com is an Amazon Associate that earns from qualifying purchases