In the 1990s, the Muppets began a trend that, sadly, was interrupted. In 1992, the troupe of puppets starred in "The Muppet Christmas Carol," which cast Muppet players as characters in Charles Dickens' immortal Christmas story. The Muppets followed that with the excellent "Muppet Treasure Island" in 1996, which took a similar tack; the Muppets were mere actors putting on their own modern production of a literary classic. This was a clever use of the Muppets, and there was every reason to believe they would continue with high-end literary adaptations.

Sadly, the trend ended in 1999 with the release of the lackluster "Muppets from Space," the troupe's last theatrical feature film for 12 years.

In the intervening span, though, there was one additional visit to the world of literature. In 2005, ABC aired the TV movie "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," starring Ashanti as Dorothy Gale. Kermit the Frog played the Scarecrow, Gonzo played the Tin Woodman,...