The Muppets the Muppets film and television library. Exceptions included the "Sesame Street" characters, which were previously sold to Sesame Workshop; the "Fraggle Rock" characters, which were retained by Henson; and the distribution rights to "The Muppets Take Manhattan", "Muppets from Space", and "Kermit's Swamp Years," which were retained by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Following the acquisition, Disney formed The Muppets Holding Company (later known as The Muppets Studio), a wholly owned subsidiary responsible for managing the characters and franchise. As a result, the term "Muppet" became a legal trademark of Disney; under license from Disney, Sesame Workshop continues to use the term
The Muppets (film) the first film in the series to gross over $100 million worldwide (unadjusted for inflation). On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 95% based on 216 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Clever, charming, and heartfelt, "The Muppets" is a welcome big screen return for Jim Henson's lovable creations that will both win new fans and delight longtime devotees." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." CinemaScore audiences gave "The Muppets" an "A" grade rating on an A+ to