The Most Magical Place on Earth becomes the most Muppetational.
The Muppets at Walt Disney World is a special that aired on NBC and CBC as part of The Magical World of Disney on May 6, 1990. The special was intended as a quasi-announcement of a then-impending merger between The Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company.
Kermit takes his friends to the swamp where he grew up for a surprise - the annual frog festival and bug fry! The others, uninterested, find out the swamp is right outside of Walt Disney World and head there instead. When they don't have money for tickets, the Muppets break in and bring about tons of chaotic antics. Now Kermit must find the entire gang before Quentin Fitzwaller (Charles Grodin), a security guard looking for a shot at redemption, captures them all.
This is notably one of the last Muppet productions to feature the involvement of Jim Henson and the last he would live to see, as he would sadly pass away only ten days after the special's airing. These events also derailed the merger the special was meant to promote, and Disney would not acquire the Muppets until 2004note .
This special includes examples of
- Accidental Misnaming: Quentin Fitzwaller refers to the Muppets, led by Kermit, as "The Kismet Gang".
- Artistic License – Geography: The Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, and Epcot are all separate parks within Walt Disney World, with different entrances, but the park is presented as if all three are connected together, with the Muppets only entering through MGM Studios.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- In the opening, Miss Piggy demands Kermit to say why he's brought them to the swamp, Kermit says it's a surprise but gives the hint that they were soon be in paradise, which might have been to trick the audience into thinking Walt Disney World was the surprise, but the scene then dissolves to a sign referring to Paradise Swamps.
- At one point, Bunsen tries to help Beaker see while having a bucket stuck on his head. It seems like his method is to cut holes for eyes, but then Beaker turns around, and Bunsen merely drew eyes on the bucket.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Quentin Fitzwaller is afraid of what Mickey Mouse will do to him if he messes up one more time. The same Mickey Mouse who is generally nice.
- Butt-Monkey:
- Beaker, who gets a bucket stuck on his head for almost the whole special, causing him to not see much at the park.
- Before the bucket falls on his head, Beaker suffers from the effects of a Muppet Labs invention that supposedly prevents poison ivy but still causes all the symptoms associated with it.
- Miss Piggy gets worn out from Beauregard dragging her onto many thrill rides.
- Canines Gambling in a Card Game: Happens during Rowlf's "Dogging It" number, though it's unclear if they're actually gambling or just playing for fun.
- Exact Words: At the beginning, Kermit gives Miss Piggy a hint to his surprise, saying that they'll be in paradise. Paradise Swamps is the name of the location.
- Help, I'm Stuck!: After everyone returns to the swamp, they notice that Miss Piggy is missing. One of the Muppets says the last time he saw her was in front of the Chinese Theater signing autographs. Cut to Miss Piggy in front of the Chinese Theater standing with her hoofs in the now dry cement. She continuously cries for help as the credits roll.
- Hilarious Outtakes: There is a gag reel, presumably made for some sort of conference judging by the "We're so glad you're here." message that flashes in the end, that was thankfully made public and contains plenty of hilarious screw ups.
- Karma Houdini: The Muppets break into the park without paying, and after the guard, Quentin Fitzwaller, captures them all, they end up not getting in trouble (which helps due to the fact that Kermit just happens to be pals with Mickey Mouse), while Quentin (who did catch all of them for breaking in) apparently gets punished by having to scrape gum off the benches.
- Random Events Plot: The Muppets go into Walt Disney World, and for the most part, a variety of different things happen. Kermit and Robin try to get everyone back together before they get in trouble, the gate guard tries to capture them (and Rizzo betrays his friends for food), Fozzie does comedy to make money for himself and his Ma to buy food, Gonzo and Camilla explore more unusual aspects of the park, Beaker gets a bucket stuck on his head, Statler and Waldorf visit the park (separately from the main gang), and Rowlf gets captured and sent to the pet care center.
- Remember the New Guy?: Of the newly-introduced cast of The Jim Henson Hour, only Bean Bunny and Clifford appear. Bean Bunny is properly introduced to Kermit's family early on, with Scooter saying his name and explaining that he was hired to be cute, but Clifford is just shown hanging out with The Electric Mayhem.
- Roger Rabbit Effect: When Kermit takes the gang to meet Mickey Mouse, Mickey is presented in animated form. This is in contrast to the other Disney characters who appear, who appear in the walk-around costumes seen at the park.
- Special Guest: A young Raven-Symoné appears as a parkgoer who sings "Rainbow Connection" with Kermit.
- Tempting Fate: After failing to entertain guests in hopes of obtaining money, Fozzie tells his ma that at least Statler and Waldorf aren't there to heckle him, right before they show up and ask to hear the bad jokes.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Played with in regards to the bucket stuck on Beaker's head. Only Bunsen seems to notice or care about it. However, Fitzwaller does get a report about a park guest with a bucket on his head.
- Weird Trade Union: Kermit and Mickey are both members of the Fictional Animal Stars of America.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Rowlf, a human-like dog, gets captured by a dog catcher for not having an owner and sent to the park's pet care center. However, Rowlf does enjoy his time there.
