The Muppets Movie will be making their debut at the beginning of the holiday season rather than the end.  While the film was originally slated for Christmas 2011, Walt Disney Studios has announced that the movie will open on November 23, 2011.  This new date will put The Muppets against Aardman's animated film Arthur Christmas and Todd Phillips' comedy Project X.

Hit the jump for the official announcement from Disney.  The Muppets Movie stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones.

Here's the official announcement from Disney:

The Walt Disney Studios announced today that it has moved the release date for its upcoming The Muppets Movie to November 23, 2011. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear, Gonzo, Animal and the rest of the gang will reunite in theaters just in time for the 2011 Thanksgiving holiday weekend. "Disney has had incredible success opening films over the Thanksgiving weekend, and thanks to Tangled, we have the top three Thanksgiving openers of all time,” said Chuck Viane, president of global distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. “I have spoken with The Muppets, and we all agreed this comedy is a great fit for the holiday 2011 time frame.”

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