Much like Seth Rogen’s and Evan Goldberg’s Sausage Party, The Happytime Murders might look like a children’s film, but it’s definitely not family friendly viewing. I can’t stress enough how unsuitable for children the trailer above is, consider yourself officially warned.

Set in a world where puppets co-exist with humans, a down on his luck puppet private investigator and his former Detective partner (Melissa McCarthy) are hot on the heels of a vicious serial killer. Targeting the cast of the hit 80s TV show The Happytime Gang, the duo will have to overcome their differences to catch a killer.

Directed by Brian Henson (son of the legendary Jim Henson), The Happytime Murders has been in development for more than a decade. Movement on the project finally ramped up again back in 2016 with Jamie Foxx attached to star, while that didn’t version didn’t transpire, it did revive interest in the movie and McCarthy signed on early last year.

As a lifelong fan of The Muppets, I didn’t think I would ever see a Muppets doing drugs, having sex, expelling silly string jizz, and an endless stream of filth. It might be crass, but it has a Who Framed Roger Rabbitt vibe mixed with a foul mouth R-rated comedy, and I laughed out loud a good few times during the trailer.

Hopefully, the finished movie will be as funny as the trailer suggests and this turns into the summer’s comedy blockbuster. I’m a big fan of McCarthy, and I’ve been waiting for her to do something on par with Spy or The Heat. Tammy, The Boss, Ghostbusters, and her latest offering Life of the Party might raise the odd laugh, but they’ve not matched the comedic heights of Spy, The Heat, or her Oscar-nominated performance in Bridesmaids.

Also starring Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, and Elizabeth Banks, The Happytime Murders arrives in the UK on August 24.

No Sesame. All Street. The Happytime Murders is a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.