The Muppets head for Oz

[Luke]

It would seem Disney has good plans after that, but the way I understood it all it will depend on the ratings of the Muppets appearance on the Simpson/Lachey special.

Nah, thats just what Jim Hill's supposed Disney executive says, hand on my heart Kev, in my *counts on fingers* seven years of TV none of my bosses have ever talked like he quotes. I would guess what is really meant is that they will use the ratings for the TV Movie to judge how quickly they will move forward with the further projects. So say it does badly, they might really up the Muppets guest appearances on things and do some more one-off projects. Lets say it does well - they go forward faster with sinking money into a new TV series and another movie. I don't think after a $60-$100 million purchase they have much choice whether to actually use the Muppets or not. I doubt very much it depends on anything to do with Jessica Simpson, for one you can't work out the percentage of people who will actually watch that for the Muppets. I think its just cross promotion and from the xmas movie and the superbowl ad's they have come to the conclusion that mixing the Muppets with celebrities popular with people of an MTV-ish target age group will hopefully they will watch for the celebs and some of the Muppets will rub off on them.

To me that does spell out cheap remake pretty clearly, i think with the right promotion and money invested in them they should be able to manouvere the Muppets into a position where they are the main draw without the need of anyone else to support them but obviously thats gonna take time and until then there does seem to be this view within the media that the Muppets have been away and have 'career sickness', plus the team at Henson who have taken them on this pop culture direction through VMX, Mastercard, Superbowl etc are still in place. If anything this tells me Dizzy/ABC are taking a lot of advice from them, whether its the right advice i have mixed feelings about. Jessica Simpson is kinda cute though - she's got that little lost puppy dog face.

 

[Erine81981]

I would have to go w/ Luke on this one. I think even if it does go down then they can start over and try it again w/ something else they had in mind. So I hope that the Muppets do rub off on some people who have watched the muppets but have outgrown them. I can't wait to see what happens and just hope for the best.

 

[duderguy]

From what i rememebr in muppets go to the movies the wizard of Oz sketch fit in well with the muppets style, of course that was based on the movie. But still its nice to know that Jim 's mind was already thinking about the muppets doing this type of scenario. Anyhoo something else to note, its kind of almost humbling that Jim's favorite, or one of his favorite movies ever was wizard of Oz. Maybe this is somethign truly meant to be? I'm anxious to see how this turns out.

 

[The Narrator]

As much as I enjoyed the last two book-adapted movies (with the exception of the kid in Muppet Treasure Island) I thought Muppets from Space was a better movie for the muppets. Even A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, still felt like an original muppet movie, borrowing but not actually being the Capra classic Christmas movie just redone with Muppets. Now the Muppets are going back down the path of classic story retelling and they've chosen a book which I don't think needs to be retold. Again. (Unlike, say A Christmas Carol which seems to be much more adaptable to multiple retellings.) Didn't we learn from Return to Oz (the cartoon or the Fairuza Balk version, take your pick) that the Baum books don't often translate well?

 

[FragglettesMom]

Are you telling me that Nick/Jessica are going to be involved with the Muppet OZ movie ? This can not be good!! The Pizza Hut commercial was not bad, but I don't think I could handle an entire movie with the two of them involved !

 

[Beebers]

I cannot stomach Lachey OR Simpson, two of the most grossly overpaid, undertalented, vacuous people around, made for each other, and I agree with The Narrator's observation that the Baum books do not translate well at all to film. I will avoid seeing this project when it it is run; in fact, I will run screaming into the hills to live with coyotes rather than watch it. Glad I've made my plans for THAT particular evening.

 

[Super Scooter]

...the worst one in that movie that won't ever be remembered is Kojak.

... Who?

 

[Rowlf's Roadie]

Then again, The Wiz was based on the book...

 

[The Narrator]

I will run screaming into the hills to live with coyotes rather than watch it. Glad I've made my plans for THAT particular evening.

Living with coyotes is fun and all, but I'll still go to the theater to see the film. I'll support the Muppets in this endeavor, so that the head honchos as Disney will hopefully produce another. And soon.

Then again, The Wiz was based on the book...

Wait, I'm confused--are you arguing for or against the case of this next Muppet movie?

 

[Luke]

Living with coyotes is fun and all, but I'll still go to the theater to see the film.

Why go there when you have a perfectly good TV set at home? It's a television movie for ABC.