The Muppet Movie ambition of finding success in professional show business—while being pursued by Doc Hopper, an evil restaurateur with intentions of employing Kermit as a spokesperson for his frog legs business. In addition to the Muppet performers, the film stars Charles Durning and Austin Pendleton, and features cameo appearances by Dom DeLuise, James Coburn, Edgar Bergen, Steve Martin, and Mel Brooks, among others. Notable for its surreal humour, meta-references and prolific use of cameos, "The Muppet Movie" was released in the United Kingdom on May 31, 1979, and in the United States on June 22, 1979, and received critical praise; including two
The Muppet Movie the Rockies reported for pit duty." The film is dedicated to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen who appears in the movie in a cameo role and died during production in September 1978. "The Muppet Movie" uses meta-references as a source of humor, as characters occasionally break the fourth wall to address the audience or comment on their real-life circumstances. In one scene, Kermit and Fozzie encounter Big Bird on the road, offering him a lift to Hollywood, but he declines, heading to New York City to break into public television, referencing the character's role in "Sesame Street". In a particularly meta-fictional plot