Meet the Feebles was released in 1989. It is a New Zealand adult puppet musical black comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson, made years before he became internationally famous for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
The film follows a troupe of anthropomorphic animals performing in a theatrical variety show, but its world is deliberately far removed from the wholesome tone associated with The Muppets. The Feebles combines grotesque puppetry, criminal plots, sexual satire, backstage rivalries, and extremely dark comedy. Its deliberately shocking style helped establish Jackson’s reputation for inventive low-budget filmmaking.
Meet the Feebles was produced on a budget of about $750,000 and filmed in Wellington, largely in an abandoned railway shed. It began as a proposed television series before being expanded into a feature film. The project also marked important creative partnerships: Fran Walsh co-wrote it with Jackson, while Richard Taylor and Wētā Workshop contributed to the puppets and effects.
The film premiered publicly at a fantasy film festival in Hamburg in April 1990, which explains why some references list later release dates. Those are festival or country-specific releases; the film itself is identified as a 1989 production and release.