Muppets From Space was the 95th-highest grossing movie of 1999, opening in 4th place behind juggernauts American Pie, Wild Wild West, and The Phantom Menace.

Directed by Tim Hill, the co-developer and longtime director of Spongebob Squarepants (which debuted 3 days later!) and written by longtime Muppet writer Jerry Juhl alongside Joey Mazzarino and Ken Kaufman, Muppets From Space was the third of the 1990s cinematic Muppet revival (following Christmas Carol and Treasure Island)

Unlike the two other films released that year, Muppets From Space was an attempt to get back to basics - less music and more mayhem, and not an adaptation of a classic literary work.

The results, however, fell flat, and the Muppets would not get another theatrical release for more than a decade.

This week, John and Julia talk to author and Muppet fan Ethan Warren about what went wrong and what the future of the Muppets might be.