For more than 35 years, Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy and their fun-loving friends have been cherished, rose-tinted childhood memories. The popularity of Jim Henson's creations has hardly waned, thanks to endless repeats of the award-winning TV show and its many movie spin-offs.

Director James Bobin expertly taps into that nostalgia with The Muppets, a glorious throwback to those disco era Sunday evenings that sees the colourful critters facing an uncertain future in a world of technological advances and fleeting celebrity.

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

So when one character reveals the only way to save the 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, population 102, where muppet Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) lives with his human brother Gary (Segel), who is about to celebrate 10 years with his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams).

The trio visit Los Angeles where Walter discovers that scheming oil man Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to bulldoze the Muppet Theater and drill for the black gold beneath.

The only way to thwart Richman is to rally the troops.

So Walter galvanises Kermit (Steve Whitmire), Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson), Fozzie Bear (Jacobson again), Gonzo (Dave Goelz) and the gang into organising a televised appeal in the company of celebrity guests including Whoopi Goldberg and Selena Gomez.

The addition, Kermit's mechanised manservant 80s Robot sparks another moment of genius, when the little helper wonders "Mr Kermit, may I suggest we save time and pick up the rest of the Muppets using a montage?"

The Muppets is a perfect family film with broad humour to appeal to all ages.

A delightful new Toy Story short called Small Fry is the icing on an already delicious cake.