Back To Square One?(The Muppets' 60th Anniversary)

[dwayne1115]

Disney is far from done with the Muppets. They just finished a web siries,and in 2015 they will be doinn inserts for Disney Junoir. There is also a new video game for the Ps Via called Muppet Movie Adventures. So even though it's not a lot they are doing things with the Muppets.

 

[minor muppetz]

One thing I'd like to see for the 60th anniversary is a special web series focusing on minor/supporting characters. Maybe call it "Meet the Minor Muppets". It could be like a cross between Pepe's Profiles and Disney Drive On, have Walter hang out with the more obscure characters (since Peter Linz doesn't have any other major Muppet characters, then Walter can interract with anyone and they wouldn't have to worry about whether the character has the same performer). Maybe he could interview them, or maybe just interact with them.

Or maybe to make it more of a celebration, a webseries focusing on secondary and lesser characters, and also provide clips from past appearances of these characters (that would have made a good companion piece for The Muppets Character Encyclopedia). There's plenty of recently-rebuilt characters who could be used.

Or there could be a comic book mini-series like this. Maybe make it more like the recent Fraggle Rock comics than Muppet comics and have each issue feature three stories each, focusing on different characters. With it as a comic book, they wouldn't have to discriminate against characters in need of being rebuilt or in need of a suitable performer.

 

[dwayne1115]

I hate to dissagree but even still Disney is still trying to find a right place for the Muppets and they are still trying to reintroduce character s llike Rowlf and Scoote.So they really don't havve time to focus on minor Muppets.

 

[beaker]

Sometimes it feels like, besides the (still) underground Muppet online fanbase(us, tough pigs, etc) that Disney are the only other Muppet diehard obsessive fans. It just feels like the public by and large doesn't seem as into them as Disney higher ups and us.

Yeah please do not get me wrong. Disney is the largest entertainment company on the planet. They, for better or worse OWN all the major franchises on the planet(Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney animation, etc) and have to allocate spotlight and time for those. I'm guessing Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar will take up 100% of their attention and time in 2015. BUT...BUT I say this. It's proven time and time again people within Disney in the last few years have the obsessive fan drive we do for the Muppets. I mean we have gotten two major theatrical films that both had the full unwielding Disney might behind them.
It's been light to non existent on merchandise, but even I was taken aback by how far the Diz is willing to go to promote Muppet films.

My question is "what now?" Are they looking toward finally doing a new TV show? TV Specials? Etc?

I LOVED Muppets Drive, despite it being only six episodes. I thought it was a more nuanced Walter driven fun little show. I'd like to see more of those as I feel Muppets always work in episodic online form(quite the opposite, I think the Muppets are VERY ILL SUITED and terrible on Disney Channel teen shows)

I have faith for 2015 and beyond. Just, I am left with this existential question of where do they go from here?

 

[dwayne1115]

I kind of agree with that, and kind of don't. Sure the general public may not "like" the Muppets,but I think the main reason for that is they are not out and about like with Star Wars and others. Putting a movie out every three yearsor so with very little merchidse will not keep the Muppets popular.

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah please do not get me wrong. Disney is the largest entertainment company on the planet. They, for better or worse OWN all the major franchises on the planet(Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney animation, etc) and have to allocate spotlight and time for those. I'm guessing Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar will take up 100% of their attention and time in 2015. BUT...BUT I say this. It's proven time and time again people within Disney in the last few years have the obsessive fan drive we do for the Muppets. I mean we have gotten two major theatrical films that both had the full unwielding Disney might behind them.
It's been light to non existent on merchandise, but even I was taken aback by how far the Diz is willing to go to promote Muppet films.

Like I always say. Disney doesn't just release big name films every year. There's always a quiet family film or two somewhere in the shuffle that costs little, makes little, and doesn't interfere with Pixar or Marvel films. The Muppets would be a great spot for that. It shouldn't be treated as a Lone Ranger/John Carter level of loss since even MMW made 20 mil back internationally and just almost back its budget domestic. Bad timing screwed the movie, sure, but Disney has lost larger amounts of money before. Even some of those got second chances on DVD.

I'll admit I'm very disappointed in the merchandising, but we actually got some. I still fail to see why they didn't make smaller, cheaper bean bags of characters instead of large dolls, but that seems to be everything they're doing now. Not even with big Hero 6. You'd think small Baymax plushes would be obvious, but... Meanwhile, let's look at it this way. Considering how FR is marketed under Henson we'd probably only see high scale merchandise no one could afford that never comes out. Sucks we're not in the 2002 merchandising blitz where we were actually complaining about how much stuff was coming out and how cheap everything that wasn't Palisades was. Now if we see a crappy dollar magnet set at target, it's huge news.

 

[muppetlover123]

Im wondering the exact same thing which is what is next for them

 

[Muppet Master]

The muppets need to get back to TV. That is really the only way to get them popular, put TMS reruns on TV and all that to get them popular, and put TMS on Netflix since that is all anyone ever watches anymore. Better yet, make a new muppet series, probably on ABC, make it a family show, and a sitcom, put it on Tuesdays or Wednesdays if a spot clears up for it, see how big the muppets are when you do not have to pay for them, the ratings would be large.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Disney is far from done with the Muppets. They just finished a web siries,and in 2015 they will be doinn inserts for Disney Junoir. There is also a new video game for the Ps Via called Muppet Movie Adventures. So even though it's not a lot they are doing things with the Muppets.

Yeah, I find it hard to believe that the Muppets aren't doing anything much lately. Especially if anyone here has posted on the "Sesame Street" or "Henson People" threads we know that Steve isn't performing Ernie this season and the most likely reason for that is because he's busy working for Disney, so based on the information that you just gave we have other Muppet projects coming and hopefully will be seeing more in the future.

I have faith for 2015 and beyond. Just, I am left with this existential question of where do they go from here?

Right. After two successful movies Disney may just be figuring out how to top that. We just need to give them time.

The muppets need to get back to TV. That is really the only way to get them popular, put TMS reruns on TV and all that to get them popular, and put TMS on Netflix since that is all anyone ever watches anymore. Better yet, make a new muppet series, probably on ABC, make it a family show, and a sitcom, put it on Tuesdays or Wednesdays if a spot clears up for it, see how big the muppets are when you do not have to pay for them, the ratings would be large.

Well, they tried that with MT! only they aired that on Fridays and later on Saturdays, but that didn't go over to well. I sort of wish we had a Clifford smilie so I can illustrate my point.

 

[Mr Sweetums]

I think the best thing the Muppets could do at the moment is take over the internet with viral videos, lots and lots of viral videos. Pigs in Space, Swedish Chef Kitchen, Muppet Labs, Fozzie's jokes, Gonzo's stunts, vet's hospital, Electric Mayhem songs basically they need to bring TMS online. Also and this is probably the fan in me talking but a Muppet 60 Year Celebration TV special would be incredible, along the same lines as the TV special celebrating 30 years... actually I'm going to watch this now, it's been a very long time since I have.

Hopefully then they can have their own TV show once they've built up a bigger fanbase with their viral videos and figure out what works and what doesn't. Once they have a tv show then you give them another movie with a lot of merchandise, i want to walk into the Disney Store and purchase Sam the Eagle, Sweetums and Lew Zealand merchandise.