FOR more than 35 years, Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy and their fun-loving friends have been firmly engrained in our rose-tinted childhood memories with their slapstick routines and song and dance numbers.

The popularity of Jim Henson's creations has never waned thanks to endless repeats of the award-winning television series The Muppet Show, which ended in 1981, and subsequent film adventures including madcap re-imaginings of A Christmas Carol, Treasure Island and The Wizard Of Oz.

Director James Bobin expertly taps into that nostalgia with The Muppets, a glorious throwback to the days of yore that sees the critters facing an uncertainty in a world of technological advances and fleeting celebrity.

The script, co-written by leading man Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, strikes the perfect balance between affection and irreverence, knowingly tipping the wink to leaps in plot logic.

So when one character reveals that the only way to save the iconic Muppet Theatre from demolition is to raise 10 million dollars in two weeks, Waldorf turns to the camera and quips: "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were reciting an important plot point!"

The film opens in Smalltown where a muppet called Walter lives with his human brother Gary. The pair visit Los Angeles they find that scheming Tex Richman plans to bulldoze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil beneath.

The only way to thwart Richman is to rally the troops. So Walter galvanises Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the gang into organising a televised appeal with celebrity guests including Whoopi Goldberg.

Segel and Adams embrace the ridiculousness of the premise with gusto. And director Bobin milks laughter and tears, leaving us hankering for more.

A delightful new Toy Story short called Small Fry, in which Buzz Lightyear is locked inside a fast food restaurant, plays before the main feature.

It's the icing on an already delicious cake.

Damon Smith