Muppets: Around the World

Muppets: Around the World
Directed by	Frank Oz
Produced by	Lisa Henson Kristen Burr David Hobberman Todd Lieberman
Executive producer(s)	Brigham Taylor Don Hahn John G. Scotti Martin G. Baker
Screenplay by	Frank Oz Pete Docter
Based on	Characters by Jim Henson
Starring	Julianne Buescher Matt Vogel Eric Jacobson Dave Goelz Bill Barreta David Rudman Peter Linz
Score by	Randy Newman
Songs by	Randy Newman Richard M. Sherman Lin-Manuel Miranda
Edited by	James Thomas
Production company	Walt Disney Pictures The Muppets Studio Mandeville Films The Jim Henson Comppany
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	July 26, 2026
Country	United States

Muppets: Around the World would be a 2026 puppet road musical comedy film directed by Frank Oz, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures, The Muppets Studio, Mandeville Films, and The Jim Henson Company. The ninth film based on the Muppets, the film would be written by Oz and Pete Docter, and would star newcomer official Muppet performer Julianne Buescher, alongside Muppet performers Matt Vogel, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barreta, David Rudman, and Peter Linz. the film's score would be composed by Randy Newman, who would also co-write the songs alongside Richard M. Sherman and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Development on a new Muppet film would begin in early 2023, with Oz being set to write and direct the film, while Docter would join as co-screenwriter later that year. Additional crew member would join during the following year, with production starting on early 2025. The film would mark Oz's first time working on a Muppet film since 1999's Muppets from Space, as well as his second time directing a Muppet film, after 1984's The Muppets Take Manhattan. Being the first Muppet film to feature openly LGBTQ+ characters and due to the film's plot, the filmmakers would consult with GLAAD in order to feature appropiate LGBTQ+ representation.

Muppets: Around the World would be released on July 26, 2026, and would become a critical and financial hit, with critics praising the film's direction, screenplay, performances, humor, and musical numbers. The film would earn 234 million dollars at the box-office over a budget of 55 millions, becoming the hightest-grossing Muppet film of all time.

Synopsis

Muppet newcomer Karen initially enjoys her life-long dream of working with the Muppets, but she starts to miss her family, even throught they let her go to fullfill her dream. Watching the depression their newest member is in, Kermit and his friends choose to help her by taking her home. However, her home is in Australia, and the airport was temporaly closed due to an accident, forcing them to execute Plan P: Built a plane and take her home personally. As they fly to Australia, Karen fights off nature, meets a girl who caughts her attention, and develops a deep bond with the gang, causing her to discover what a true family is.

Cast

• Julianne Buescher as:
  • Karen, a wolf girl and the newest Muppet member, who travels back to her home in Australia to reunite with her family.
  • Ellen, a green lioness who becomes Karen's love interest.
  • Summer Penguin, a small pink-colored penguin who serves as the Muppets' lead artist and personal motivator. The character previously appeared as a baby in Muppet Babies (2018).
• Matt Vogel as:
  • Kermit the Frog, the leader of the Muppets.
  • Floyd Pepper, Electric Mayhem's bass player.
  • Uncle Deadly, a reptilian-looking Muppet.
  • Sweetums, a Muppet ogre
• Eric Jacobson as:
  • Miss Piggy, a pig and the Muppets' diva, who is Kermit's girlfriend.
  • Fozzie Bear, the Muppets' personal comedian and Kermit's best friend.
  • Animal, Electric Mayhem's baterist.
• Dave Goelz as:
  • The Great Gonzo, the Muppets' blue weirdo and daredevil.
  • Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, the Muppets' personal scientist.
  • Waldorf, an old man and Staler's friend, who usually criticizes the Muppets' antics.
  • Randy Pig, Andy's brother and Piggy's dim-witted nephew.
• Bill Barreta as:
  • Rowlf the Dog, the Muppets' calm and wisecracking pianist.
  • Dr. Teeth, Electric Mayhem's lead artist and pianist.
  • Pepe the King Prawn, the Muppets' own ladies man.
  • Bobo the Bear, a bumbling Muppet bear.
  • Andy Pig, Randy's brother and Piggy's dim-witted nephew.
• David Rudman as:
  • Scooter, the Muppets' stage manager.
  • Janice, Electric Mayhem's lead guitarrist.
  • Beaker, Bunsen's personal assistant, who is often injured by his experiments and inventions.
  • Clifford, a purple Muppet with a laid-back personality.
• Peter Linz as:
  • Walter, the Muppets' fan-turned-member.
  • Statler, an old man and Waldorf's friend, who usually criticizes the Muppets' antics.
  • Robin the Frog, Kermit's nephew.
  • Seymour, a Muppet elephant and a friend of Pepe's.
• Pete Docter as Nicky Napoleon, the penguin's emperor.

Music

Randy Newman would compose the film's score. Newman would describe his score as "a combo" between his works in Pixar's Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. franchises, and that "goest straight to the madness and heart of The Muppets". Newman would compose a theme for Karen that he would call "sad and lonely, but ultimately joyful" to reflect her arc in the film. Instead of creating themes for the returning Muppet characters, Newman would use the music from their most iconic solos as themes.

Newman would also write the film's songs alongside Richard M. Sherman and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda would compare the songwriters' roles in the overall soundtrack to the soundtrack of Disney's Moana (2016), in which he also worked, stating that "[their] jobs keep changing from song to song, and even during the song. Sometimes one of [them] only takes care of the lyrics, sometimes of the music, and sometimes of both". According to executive music producer Tom MacDougall, this would be done due to the three composers being familiars with writing both the music and lyrics for songs. Miranda, Newman, and Sherman would also perform a song for the film's end-credits.

Additionally, an album series titled Muppets: Covers of a Friend's Works would be released. Each album would feature covers performed by the Muppets of one of the film's songwriters' previus works.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film would have an approval rating of 90%, with an average ratng of 8/10, based on 210 reviews. The website's critical consensus would read: "Another big win for Jim Henson's lovable creatures, Muppets: Around the World has all that it needs to leave fans of the franchise pleased: A heartwarming tale, wondeful musical numbers, more funny moments than what can be counted, and an overall feeling of Muppet magic". On Metacritc, the film would have a weighted ratng of 78 out of 100, based on 43 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews".

Trivia

• This would be the first Muppet film to not to feature a human main character.
• The filmmakers would draw inspirations from the train sets from Muppets Most Wanted (2014), for the scenes set inside the Muppet plane.
• The film would mark the first time a Muppet character from an animated series appears in a film.
• This would be the first Muppet film to have its songs written by three composers.
• The film would mark Seymour's first appearance since Muppets Tonight (1996).
  • It would also mark Clifford's first appearance since The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005).
• According to director Frank Oz, the production team would do "a lot of research" on how families behavee after learning one of them has fallen in love, in order to incorporate a romantic subplot without "affecting the film's heart".
• Similar to the 2011 film The Muppets and the 2016 non-Muppet film The Jungle Book, the production team would work with Pixar's creative heads (aside from Pete Docter, who would serve as the film's co-screenwriter) on the film's story development.