Forty years ago this summer, a frog with a dream to make millions of people happy hopped out of the swamp, onto a bicycle and into cinema history in The Muppet Movie For two days only this July, the original classic is back in movie theaters nationwide from Fathom Events, The Jim Henson Company and Universal Pictures.

The Muppet Movie will play in more than 700 movie theaters on Thursday, July 25, and Tuesday, July 30, at 12:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time each day through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Following massive global success with the television hit The Muppet Show, which at its height aired in more than 100 countries around the world, Muppets creator Jim Henson took a huge creative risk to have the characters star in their first motion picture. The result, The Muppet Movie, directed by James Frawley, proved to be an enormous box-office hit. The film also charmed critics and received an Academy Award nomination for "The Rainbow Connection," the film's iconic theme song with music and lyrics by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher.

The film stars Kermit (performed by Henson), Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear (performed by Frank Oz), Gonzo (performed by Dave Goelz) and his chicken Camilla (performed by Jerry Nelson), Scooter (performed by Richard Hunt), and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as they embark on a road trip to Hollywood where fame and fortune beckons, driven only by hope, dreams and a wisecracking bear.

In addition to the Muppet performers, The Muppet Show is a veritable who's-who of 1970s pop culture, with a cast that includes Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton and cameo roles by Dom DeLuise, James Coburn, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Telly Savalas, Milton Berle, Elliott Gould, Edgar Bergen, Bob Hope, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman and Orson Welles. Said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations.

The Muppet Movie is a cinematic treasure, a delightful film that may have been made 40 years ago but is truly timeless, thanks both to its iconic characters and to its always-stirring theme of following your dreams and believing in your own abilities,""This film's return to the big screen is very well deserved and we are happy to work with The Jim Henson Company and Universal Pictures to give it a proper nationwide re-release."

Tickets are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. We also have the new 40th anniversary poster for The Muppet Movie as well.

The Muppet Movie 40th Anniversary poster