‘The Muppet Movie’ is returning to theaters for its 40th anniversary

Make way for the muppets…again! The first muppet movie to grace the silver screen 40 years ago is returning to movie theaters across the country this July.

“The Muppet Movie” will have showings at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 25 and Tuesday, July 30 at 700 movie theaters in the U.S. The special event showing is a partnership between The Jim Henson Company, Fathom Events and Universal Pictures.

“‘The Muppet Movie’ is a cinematic treasure, a delightful film that may have been made 40 years ago but is truly timeless, thanks both to its iconic characters and to its always-stirring theme of following your dreams and believing in your own abilities,” said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events vice president of studio relations, in a press release.

“The Muppet Movie” first hit theaters in 1979, three years after the “The Muppet Show” started airing regularly on television. The TV show proved so popular and award-winning that a big screen version seemed only logical.

As an origin story of sorts — or as Kermit puts it in the film, “Well, it’s sort of approximately how it happened” — “The Muppet Movie” starred Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Gonzo, Scooter, the Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, along with many more muppets, as they made their way to Hollywood on a cross-country trip. At some point in the film, a no-good businessman tries to con Kermit into being his fast food franchise spokesperson.

Here’s a trailer for the original movie, posted to YouTube by user Xander Lars Knight:

“The Muppet Movie” was a blockbuster hit when it came out and earned Best Original Song and Best Adaptation Score Oscar nominations for “The Rainbow Connection,” sung by Kermit the Frog, and its movie score.

The film also had notable cameos from the likes of James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Madeleine Kahn, Steve Martin, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Elliot Gould and Orson Welles.

Check the Fathom Events site to see where “The Muppet Movie” is airing near you.