MOVIES · STORY NOTES

The Muppets (2011)

The Muppets is a 2011 American musical comedy film directed by James Bobin and written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. Produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, it is the seventh theatrical film featuring the Muppets.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Muppets (2011 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

Walter, born a Muppet and a resident of Smalltown, is a lifelong fan of The Muppet Show. His human brother Gary intends to take his long-term girlfriend Mary on a vacation to Los Angeles. Mary wants Gary to propose to her, but feels his devotion to Walter distracts from their relationship.
The trio tour the rundown Muppet Studios, where Walter sneaks into Kermit the Frog's office. There, he overhears oil magnate Tex Richman and his henchmen, Uncle Deadly and Bobo the Bear, intending to buy the Muppet Theatre from Statler and Waldorf, who acknowledge that the Muppets could repurchase the theatre if they raised ten million dollars before their original contract expires. However, in private, Tex reveals his intent to drill for oil on the theatre's former site.
Walter informs Gary and Mary and they visit Kermit in his mansion, who realizes the Muppets would have to reunite and throw a telethon to raise the money. Though the Muppets have gone their separate ways, Kermit is convinced to reunite them. He convinces Fozzie Bear to join in, having been performing in Reno with the Moopets, a tribute band of uncouth Muppet impersonators. Gonzo, working as a plumbing magnate, at first refuses to join, but changes his mind. Animal attends a celebrity anger management clinic sponsored by Jack Black, who refuses to let him play the drums or even hear the mere mention of the instrument. The other various Muppets are recruited via "map montage".
The group travels to Paris to recruit Miss Piggy, who is an editor for Vogue Paris. She refuses to return, resulting in her Moopet equivalent, Miss Poogy, being hired. The Muppets pitch their telethon to several networks and CDE network executive Veronica Martin agrees to air their show if they gain a celebrity host and the Muppets rebuild the theatre; Piggy comes around afterwards and drives off Poogy. Needing enough acts to fill the telethon's two-hour timeslot, Kermit encourages Walter to find a talent. With Gary helping Walter, Mary goes sightseeing alone and eventually returns to Smalltown.
With time running out, a desperate Kermit tries to implore Tex to return the studio, but he refuses and then reveals that the Muppets' trademarks will be given to the Moopets. Kermit gives up, prompting Piggy to rally the other Muppets to kidnap Jack to be the host. Gary discovers Mary has left and returns to Smalltown.
The Muppets convince Kermit to participate in the telethon, which slowly gains both an audience and rising funds, thanks to telephone pledges from celebrity callers. Tex repeatedly attempts to sabotage the show, cutting the theatre's power, but the now-reconciled Gary and Mary arrive to restore it. A guilt-stricken Deadly betrays Tex and stops his second attempt at sabotage. Kermit and Piggy reconcile, leading the Muppets to perform a rendition of "Rainbow Connection". During this, Animal regains his love for drumming. Walter, with encouragement from Gary, performs a whistling act to pad the finale and earns a standing ovation.
Tex, refusing to accept defeat, deliberately crashes Kermit's car backwards into a telephone pole, cutting off the phone lines just a penny short of the quota—soon revealed that it was actually a large amount of money off due to faulty displaying—and evicts the Muppets from the theatre. Kermit resolves to "work [their] way up again" even though they no longer have the Muppets trademark or the theater. However, the group are met by adoring fans outside on Hollywood Boulevard, with Walter invited to join the Muppets as a regular, while Gary proposes to Mary. In a mid-credits scene, Tex, after being inadvertently struck in the head by Gonzo, willingly returns the theatre and trademark to the Muppets.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Muppets (2011 film). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license