Rainbow Connection " Rainbow Connection " is a song written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher for " The Muppet Movie " and originally performed by Kermit the Frog . The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1979 . It is sung by Kermit as the movie ' s opening number and reprised by the whole cast of Muppets at the end of the movie ; it since has been featured and reprised in other Muppet productions , including 2011 ' s " The Muppets " . The single of this song reached # 25 on " Billboard " ' s " Hot 100 Singles " chart in 1979 and the American Film Institute named " Rainbow Connection " the 74th greatest movie song of all time in " " . Behind the scenes . When Williams and Ascher started work on the songs for " The Muppet Movie " , they had a discussion about a film they both loved , Walt Disney ' s adaptation of " Pinocchio " . At the beginning of " Pinocchio " , Jiminy Cricket sings " When You Wish Upon a Star , " which the pair felt set the mood for the whole picture . This was the inspiration to write something very special for Kermit as well . Although they had nearly completed the song , they had difficulty coming up with a title until a friend of Williams asked them " What ' s the problem ? You having difficulty finding that rainbow connection between people and their dreams ? " They knew at once that they had their title . In the " Music , Mayhem and More ! " CD booklet , Williams briefly shared the creative process that surrounds " Rainbow Connection " and the movie ' s finale , as follows : Williams later recalled " The amazing thing about the song is that it ' s a song about questions instead of answers . . . We start out with Kermit sitting in the swamp . . . We looked at it and said , well what has he got ? He ' s got water , he ' s got air , he ' s got light . You have refraction , you have rainbows . So the first line came immediately . " " The Muppet Movie " opening . The opening of " The Muppet Movie " features Kermit the Frog singing the song while sitting on a log in his swamp , completely surrounded by water . It was one of those " how ' d they do that ? " moments that Jim Henson loved to create . Rather than use a radio - control rig , like had been used to make Emmet and his ma sing while rowing a boat down the river in " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " , Henson wanted a more precise way to operate the character for the poignant , subtle and emotional performance required and opted to perform Kermit by hand from under the water . A large swamp set was created in a watertank on the studio backlot ( the same tank that was used as the lagoon on " Gilligan ' s Island " ) , complete with real trees that were shipped in from the Georgia bayous . A diving bell equipped with a rubber sleeve was submerged into the tank so that Henson could perform Kermit from inside . Even though oxygen was being pumped in to Henson , and he was in continual contact with the surface via his headset , biographer said it was " like being buried alive " . Henson later referred to the set - up as " no place for someone with claustrophobia . " There were rescue divers nearby in case of trouble . At one point during the five days it took to film the sequence , Henson spent nearly three straight hours sealed underwater in the cramped diving bell . Steve Whitmire and Kathryn Mullen used a remote - control device to operate Kermit ' s hand while he played the banjo in the long shots and manipulated his arms via arm - rods in close - ups . According to Paul Williams , originally Kermit was going to be seen in the swamp sitting on a lily pad , however it turned into a log because it was easier to position Kermit and hide Henson . A 1979 Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter answered the question of " How does Kermit sit on a log in the middle of a swamp ? " : " The Muppet Movie " finale . The closing reprise of " Rainbow Connection " in " The Muppet Movie " featured a crowd of more than 250 Muppet characters — virtually every Muppet that had been created up to that point in time . According to Henson Archivist Karen Falk : " 137 puppeteers were enlisted from the Puppeteers of America ( along with the regular Muppet performers ) to perform every Muppet extant . Prior to the day - long filming of the shot , Jim Henson gave the enthusiastic participants a lesson in the art of cinematic puppetry . Amazingly , it did take just one day . " The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter answered the question of " How did they do it ? " : References . " Rainbow Connection " has been referenced many times , both by Muppets and others : Muppet references : Outside references : Sources . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _