First THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS Red Band Trailer Enjoy the first THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS red band trailer! The film, directed by Brian Henson (Muppet Treasure Island, The Muppet Christmas Carol), stars Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, Jimmy O. Yang, Leslie David Baker, and Joel McHale. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS will be released in theaters on August 17. A murder mystery set in a world where humans and puppets co-exist, but puppets are viewed as second-class citizens. When the puppet cast of an ’80s children’s TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a former cop, who has since become a private eye, takes on the case.