The Muppetless Movie

As seen on the Washington Post. You can download the original soundtrack here! 10,000+ views & a recent trip to the Gangrene Comedy Film Festival.

Director’s Statement from 2011

When I came home from school as a kid in the 80s, I watched “The Muppet Show.” These characters resonated with me and I wanted to own everything Muppet. In the third grade, my mom had bought me a bunch of Muppet folders. However when I pulled them out in class, the other kids made fun of me and suddenly I was embarrassed by them. It wasn’t cool to like the Muppets. I resorted to learning everything about Jim Henson & his work in private.

Luckily sometime in the last 10 years, the Muppets made a pop culture comeback. Finally I felt like I could let my Muppet freak flag fly. However, when I heard they were making a new movie to revitalize the brand, I was scared. The Muppet franchise itself had been sucking hard the last 10 years. It just wasn’t the same and Steve Whitmire’s weaselly-sounding Kermit did not sit well with me. I always thought I could do a better voice and knew the characters better than they did. Thus, the Muppetless Movie was born.

I’d never be able to get the puppets so using actor look-a-likes was a necessity. Over 25 Muppet characters are represented here from the big ones to smaller ones (just for the fans). I play Kermit and the voice of Rowfl, Janice, the announcer, & some lettuce. As filming went, I truly felt like the frustrated frog as he dealt with all these bizarro characters (all of whom wanted more screentime.) The faux-trailer format was decided so I would be able to have lots of little Muppet soundbites without having to get into a real plot. Of course, people now think a real Muppetless Movie is forthcoming. My response is always “if enough people want it, I will make it.”

I may never get the work with the actual Muppets so I did what an any eccentric filmmaker fan would do – rent a bar and have a bunch of local actors dress up like freaks. Enjoy the “Muppetless Movie”

– Vincent Gargiulo
Producer/Director/Kermit