La La Land is easily the most-parodied Oscar-nominee of the year, even before whatever pastiches will almost certainly occur at this Sunday’s Oscars. But while as a rule we here at The A.V. Club enjoy originality, we’ll make an exception for the Muppets’ take on La La Land because, frankly, you can never have too many Muppets. This new sketch from Funny Or Die casts Kermit The Frog as the struggling but passionate jazz aficionado originally played by Ryan Gosling. And intercutting La La Land scenes with Muppet ones results in a video that’s kind of funny, kind of bittersweet, and unexpectedly poignant.
Though La La Land sold itself on big dance numbers and bright jewel-toned costumes, Muppet Muppet Land highlights the more somber elements of the film. Underscored by Kermit’s rendition of “City Of Stars,” he and Emma Stone’s Mia engage in a relationship that’s less about joy and more about forlorn looks. But while La La Land starts at its most sunshiny and gets more serious as it goes along, Muppet Muppet Land takes the opposite approach. By the end of the video things are looking up for Mia, who lands a callback and the enthusiastic support of Kermit. To be honest, it’s a little unclear whether Kermit and Mia’s relationship is supposed to be a platonic or romantic one. Either way, it’s still better than whatever he had going on with Denise in ABC’s The Muppets.