History Trivia / TheMuppetMovie

** The film was produced by Creator/ITCEntertainment, and went through its' then-new American distribution firm, Associated Film Distribution. Its original home video release came from Creator/MagneticVideo in 1980. Due to Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox buying MVC and the reorganization of that unit, the next home release was from [[Creator/TheCBSFoxCompany CBS/Fox Video]]. Then, in 1993, it was released by Jim Henson Video through [[Creator/WaltDisneyHomeVideo Disney]], then in 1999 by [[Creator/RCAColumbiaPicturesHomeVideo Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Video]], who also handled the first DVD of the film in 2001, and finally, back to Disney in 2005, this time through their own label.

* [[ChannelHop Studio Hop]]: The film was produced by Creator/ITCEntertainment, and went through its' then-new American distribution firm, Associated Film Distribution. Its original home video release came from Creator/MagneticVideo in 1980. Due to Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox buying MVC and the reorganization of that unit, the next home release was from [[Creator/TheCBSFoxCompany CBS/Fox Video]]. Then, in 1993, it was released by Jim Henson Video through [[Creator/WaltDisneyHomeVideo Disney]], then in 1999 by [[Creator/RCAColumbiaPicturesHomeVideo Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Video]], who also handled the first DVD of the film in 2001, and finally, back to Disney in 2005, this time through their own label.
** Creator/{{Universal}}, who owns the theatrical rights to AFD's library, partnered up with The Jim Henson Company for the film's 40th anniversary for a limited re-release that July.

** Despite the phenomenal success of ''The Muppet Show'', it was not easy to get financing for a movie that was to feature puppet characters as the leads, especially in a decade when most A-list films were aimed strictly at adult audiences, leaving Disney and independent outfits to pick up the slack of films appropriate for children/families with modest-to-low-budget, mostly critically-disregarded productions. In the end U.K. company ITC Entertainment, which backed ''The Muppet Show'' in the first place, bankrolled the film, which was released through Associated Film Distribution, which was formed to release ITC and EMI's movies State-side (see CreatorKiller for what happened to them).

* [[ChannelHop Studio Hop]]: The film was produced by ITC Entertainment, and went through its' then-new American distribution firm, Associated Film Distribution. Its original home video release came from Creator/MagneticVideo in 1980. Due to Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox buying MVC and the reorganization of that unit, the next home release was from [[Creator/TheCBSFoxCompany CBS/Fox Video]]. Then, in 1993, it was released by Jim Henson Video through [[Creator/WaltDisneyHomeVideo Disney]], then in 1999 by [[Creator/RCAColumbiaPicturesHomeVideo Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Video]], who also handled the first DVD of the film in 2001, and finally, back to Disney in 2005, this time through their own label.

* OlderThanTheyThink: The use of famous actors in small roles here is quite reminiscent of the 1965 BlackComedy ''Film/TheLovedOne''. In fact, Creator/JamesCoburn, Creator/MiltonBerle and Music/PaulWilliams appear in both films.
* RealitySubtext: Creator/EdgarBergen and Charlie [=McCarthy=] made their last appearance in the film -- Henson was inspired to make the Muppets because of him. Bergen died not long after his scene was shot, and the film is dedicated to him.

* YouLookFamiliar: Creator/CharlesDurning would appear in a later Muppet work ''Film/ElmoSavesChristmas'', playing the role of Santa. In a case of WhatCouldHaveBeen, he was also considered for the role of Mike Tarkanian in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' before they settled with Jack Warden.

* LoopingLines: Sam's line to Kermit at the beginning of the film asking if it had any "Socially redeeming values" which was already pre-rerecorded due to Frank Oz being busy performing Piggy for the screening room scene, had to be redone after the scene was filmed due to an unplanned blooper of Sam getting a paper plane stuck in his wing, to which the post-production version added him reacting to it with a gasp.

** Universal, who owns the theatrical rights to AFD's library, partnered up with The Jim Henson Company for the film's 40th anniversary for a limited re-release that July.

* YouLookFamiliar: Charles Durning would appear in a later Muppet work ''Film/ElmoSavesChristmas'', playing the role of Santa. In a case of WhatCouldHaveBeen, he was also considered for the role of Mike Tarkanian in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' before they settled with Jack Warden.

* CreatorCameo:
** Creator/JimHenson plays one of Hopper's men, the one in the overalls and the flannel shirt.
** Creator/FrankOz appears as the biker at the El Sleezo Café who throws Fozzie behind the bar. He can be heard growling "Wocka wocka" mockingly.
** Creator/SteveWhitmire is one of the patrons at the Bogen County Fair. A good photo of him is in the novelization.

* [[ChannelHop Studio Hop]]: The film was produced by ITC Entertainment, and went through its' then-new American distribution firm, Associated Film Distribution. Its original home video release came from Creator/MagneticVideoCorporation in 1980. Due to Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox buying MVC and the reorganization of that unit, the next home release was from [[Creator/TheCBSFoxCompany CBS/Fox Video]]. Then, in 1993, it was released by Jim Henson Video through [[Creator/WaltDisneyHomeVideo Disney]], then in 1999 by [[Creator/RCAColumbiaPicturesHomeVideo Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Video]], who also handled the first DVD of the film in 2001, and finally, back to Disney in 2005, this time through their own label.

* [[ChannelHop Studio Hop]]: The film was produced by ITC Entertainment. Its original home video release came from Magnetic Video 1980. Due to Fox's reorganization of that unit, the next home release was from CBS/Fox Video. Then, in 1993, it was released by Jim Henson Video through Disney, then in 1999 by Columbia Tristar Home Video, who also handled the first DVD of the film in 2001, and finally, back to Disney in 2005, this time through their own label.

** An entire day of filming was devoted to just the finale shot. Among the issues that arose during this included: *** The scene being filmed first with a scrim effect that was ultimately removed resulting in it needing to be filmed again.

* AccidentallyAccurate: Gonzo wants to go to Bombay (now Mumbai), India to become a movie star. As is noted on the main page, Bombay was then and is now the center of the Bollywood film industry, which produces more movies per year than Hollywood...meaning that Gonzo was completely reasonable to pin his hopes there. However, Henson and crew chose Bombay as what (they thought) was [[RuleOfFunny the most far-flung, unlikely place]] to become an actor, not realizing how huge Bollywood really was until ''after'' the movie came out.

* AFIS100Years100Songs:
** #74, "Rainbow Connection"
* AllStarCast: Between the Muppets themselves and all the cameos...
** Including, behind the scenes, Creator/TimBurton and Creator/JohnLandis, who were amongst the numerous people called in to operate the Muppets for the final number.

* [[DeletedScene Deleted Scenes]]:

** Director James Frawley had no prior Muppet experience; Henson and co. hired him because he ''did'' have feature film experience and they were new to that particular medium, but it did mean that he was an outsider to the tight-knit group and this led to on-set disagreements and tension. Austin Pendleton, who as Max was one of only two actors around for a significant chunk of the shoot (the other being Charles Durning as Doc Hopper), [[http://www.avclub.com/article/austin-pendleton-31009 didn't find it a happy experience]] as a result (save for working with Durning, a case of RealLife/MeanCharacterNiceActor).

** "Never Before, Never Again" was originally supposed to have been sung by Johnny Mathis. After Mathis recorded the song, Jim Henson figured it would be much funnier if Miss Piggy sang it. But Mathis' version of the song wouldn't go to waste -- it was featured in the television special ''The Muppets Go Hollywood''.