So there I was at the screening of The Muppets, as happy as Gonzo in a henhouse, but I couldn't stop staring at Fozzie Bear's eyebrows.

Fozzie was still the same old bear with the crumpled hat, the weakness for bad puns -- but his fuzzy furry eyebrows had gone grey. (And no it wasn't my imagination.)

This is what is feels like to see a Muppet movie as a grown-up. We're watching characters we've lived with for over a quarter of a century and even though they're little more than felt-covered sock puppets, we can't help but take them seriously.

Essentially, that realness is the magic of the Muppets. In a world of silicon characters, 2D and 3D entertainments, the Muppets share the same space we do. If you have the chance to meet Kermit as I did, you can shake his floppy felt hand. As soon as he starts speaking, you forget all about the bearded puppeteer lying behind him on the floor.

But time has not been kind to Kermie and friends. Since the forgettable Muppets from Space of 1999, fans have been forced to sustain themselves with viral videos and the odd commercial.

Now low and behold, there is a Muppet movie in 2011. The most amazing feat of the new movie, simply called The Muppets, is how is addresses their absence while placing them in the here and now.

The story starts in a suburban Shangri-La. Gary (actor and co-writer Jason Segel) and his brother Walter live in Smalltown USA, but Walter was different than other boys growing up because Walter is a Muppet. Looking like Scooter's distant cousin, Walter always felt out of place, until he discovered....The Muppet Show. Watching Kermit, Rolf and the rest of the gang, the floppy fella finally felt like he belonged. And so, when Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) embark on a long-planned trip to L.A., they take Walter along for a puppet pilgrimage to Muppet Studios.

Miss Piggy and Kermit have an emotional reunion. (Scott Garfield/Disney/Associated Press)

They discover the studios are a ghost town and even worse, there's an evil oil baron (is there any other kind?) planning on tearing down the theatre.

Gary and Mary's story is shoved to the background and it's up to Kermit to gather the gang (road trip!) and mount a telethon to save the theatre. The one problem, the world's forgotten the Muppets.

Does the new Muppet movie work? Yes. Is it as good as the originals? No, but it's pretty darn close and more importantly, it FEELS like the old Muppet movies. The reason why? The three S's: silly, smart and serious.

Silly. Well let me just say the Muppet Telethon contains a barber shop quartet covering Nirvana and chickens bawk bawking their way through a Cee Lo Green song.

Smart. The Muppets never lowball their audience. The movie is as packed with throwaway jokes as the margins of Mad Magazine. Scooter works at Google and goes to the TED conference. Miss Piggy is the editor of Vogue Plus. Kermit's butler is an '80s Robot who serves Tab.

Serious. They may be foam and felt, but the Muppets never treated each other like jokes. That sense of tenderness is part of the Jim Henson legacy. Many of these puppeteers have lived with their Muppet friends for decades. You can feel the affection they have for the characters. Just wait until you see the surprisingly emotional reunion in Paris between a jilted Miss Piggy and the heart-wounded Kermit the Frog.

So for fans of the franchise, The Muppets is puppet paradise. And what of the younger generation, the kids who will be wondering what a Gonzo is and why the Pig's in a dress? Well, they'll be the toughest crowd in the room. The movie is so drenched with nostalgia, newcomers are at a definite disadvantage. Still there's enough fur flying to keep the little ones amused. This could be the first kids' movie where the parents drag their children to the theatre.

RATING: 4/5