In particular, there was nothing funnier to me than the rousing, closing minutes of the "Muppet Caper." As our furry misfits raced to prevent a crew of professional criminals from stealing the glorious Baseball Diamond, they find themselves staring at a locked iron gate. Kermit is mystified, and he turns to his ragtag crew for thoughts on how to penetrate these defenses. One Muppet thinks mustard - spicy mustard, mind you - will eat through the metal bars. Another offers up his secret weapon: paper towels.

And then Kermit calls over Animal - that red-faced, maniacal band drummer - and challenges him to seize the day. "Eat Through BARS," Animal responds, and then starts chewing through the metal.

Yes, I recite this all from memory - and yes, I have longed to revive the iconic days of "The Muppet Movie" and "The Muppet Show" for quite some time. The last few Muppet movies to show in theaters - 1996’s "Muppet Treasure Island" and 1999’s "Muppets from Space" - were pale imitators, and so I was thrilled when Disney bought the characters all the way back in 2004 with plans to relaunch the franchise. It didn’t take long for talk of a new movie - which was originally supposed to hit theaters in 2010.

But all that is about to change. Disney has already invested considerable funds into the Muppet world - from new TV specials to specialized web channels - and three years ago they first teamed up with big-screen comedian Jason Segel to set about the work of recreating the classic characters for a whole new generation. Not only did Segel write the script for "The Muppets," opening in theaters Wednesday, but he agreed to star in the film - opposite no less than Amy Adams.

In a synchronized marketing push typically reserved for the likes of Harry Potter, we now find ourselves on the brink of Muppet-mania. Kermit graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly last week, the Muppets were the celebrity guest-stars during a prime-time episode of WWE wrestling the week prior, and an array of Muppet merchandise has already flooded toy stores coast to coast.

In movie theaters, meanwhile, previews of the new "Muppets" have been showing for more than year, as Disney banks big bucks - and a prime date on the calendar - that what was cool for kids more than 30 years ago can once again be the talk of the town.

Will the great 2011 Muppet experiment work? We should know by next weekend, when audiences flock out - or shy away - from the latest "Muppets" comedy. I, for one, am very much in the mood for a little retro puppet fun, and while we’ll be reviewing "The Muppets" next week in these pages, here’s betting that I drag Mom and Dad out for another dose of Kermie and Piggy.

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