Would the Muppets be better off owned by Warner Bros.?

[GroovyMuppet6]

I found this image posted on the Muppets Reddit, and it's also on Twitter.

Does anyone agree or oppose this idea?

 

[LittleJerry92]

I would say yes, though they also haven’t been as promising with DVD releases with TV shows (but I guess that really doesn’t matter anymore anyway).

 

[Duke Remington]

Oppose for sure!

 

[D'Snowth]

The chances for home entertainment releases are not greater, because Warner is one of the most notorious studios for bad releases . . . you think it's bad that Disney has yet release Seasons 4 and 5 of TMS on DVD? Warner hasn't released Seasons 3-6 or the movie finale of ED, EDD N EDDY since 2007, not to mention there haven't been any further releases of some of their other Cartoon Network shows beyond their first-season releases (it's surprising that all four seasons of COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG have been released). And that's just some examples.

On the other hand, isn't Lisa Henson still working for Warner Bros? That would be interesting.

 

[datman24]

I don’t think it would make a difference either way. The only way the Muppets will ever be successful again is if they can find a way to make audiences laugh as they did four decades ago. They still have the ability to do that, regardless of any corporation or entity they are under.

 

[D'Snowth]

Not really. The corporate influence is what's killing them. Disney/ABC tried too hard to make THE MUPPETS (2015) seem like every other popular mainstream sitcom of the time (namely, THE OFFICE, THE BIG DANG THEORY, and MODERN FAMILY), that it basically robbed the Muppets of what make them unique and appealing to a broad spectrum, and desperately tried to give them mainstream appeal for mainstream audiences . . . and it didn't work.

Back when Jim was doing TMS and other things, he was given the freedom to do what he and his team wanted to do . . . that's not what's happening right now, and in fact, Frank has spoken about this quite a bit on Twitter: Disney may really like the Muppets, but that doesn't mean they know how to execute them or utilize them to the best of their potential; at the same time, the performers and others who have actually been a part of the Muppets for decades aren't really being given the creative freedom they need to make these characters the best they can be. One side of the argument is that this is what Steve was fighting for in regards to the Muppets, and one of the reasons why Disney supposedly fired him: being too nitpicky and complainy . . . that'll get you a swift kick out the door in the entertainment industry - go with the flow, or go.

 

[gravy]

Not really. The corporate influence is what's killing them. Disney/ABC tried too hard to make THE MUPPETS (2015) seem like every other popular mainstream sitcom of the time (namely, THE OFFICE, THE BIG DANG THEORY, and MODERN FAMILY), that it basically robbed the Muppets of what make them unique and appealing to a broad spectrum, and desperately tried to give them mainstream appeal for mainstream audiences . . . and it didn't work.

Back when Jim was doing TMS and other things, he was given the freedom to do what he and his team wanted to do . . . that's not what's happening right now, and in fact, Frank has spoken about this quite a bit on Twitter: Disney may really like the Muppets, but that doesn't mean they know how to execute them or utilize them to the best of their potential; at the same time, the performers and others who have actually been a part of the Muppets for decades aren't really being given the creative freedom they need to make these characters the best they can be. One side of the argument is that this is what Steve was fighting for in regards to the Muppets, and one of the reasons why Disney supposedly fired him: being too nitpicky and complainy . . . that'll get you a swift kick out the door in the entertainment industry - go with the flow, or go.

 

[datman24]

Not really. The corporate influence is what's killing them. Disney/ABC tried too hard to make THE MUPPETS (2015) seem like every other popular mainstream sitcom of the time (namely, THE OFFICE, THE BIG DANG THEORY, and MODERN FAMILY), that it basically robbed the Muppets of what make them unique and appealing to a broad spectrum, and desperately tried to give them mainstream appeal for mainstream audiences . . . and it didn't work.

Back when Jim was doing TMS and other things, he was given the freedom to do what he and his team wanted to do . . . that's not what's happening right now, and in fact, Frank has spoken about this quite a bit on Twitter: Disney may really like the Muppets, but that doesn't mean they know how to execute them or utilize them to the best of their potential; at the same time, the performers and others who have actually been a part of the Muppets for decades aren't really being given the creative freedom they need to make these characters the best they can be. One side of the argument is that this is what Steve was fighting for in regards to the Muppets, and one of the reasons why Disney supposedly fired him: being too nitpicky and complainy . . . that'll get you a swift kick out the door in the entertainment industry - go with the flow, or go.

I get where you're coming from, and I agree that corporate influence is part of the problem, but even during its final years under the Jim Henson Company, a lot of what they were coming out with did not deliver the same laughs that they delivered during its heyday. I'm not sure how much that would change under a new corporate leadership. I'm willing to give Disney the benefit of the doubt that they will have learned from their mistakes during the 2015 series and will hopefully give us a much better product with whatever they are coming out with on Disney+. Of course, they will have to convince everyone else that the Muppets are still worth their time.

 

[D'Snowth]

That's still a poor move though: in order to actually see the new show, you have to shell out for Disney's own personal streaming service, when there's already other streaming services they could have dumped it on that more people already have such as Netflix or something . . . but even so, not everybody has streaming services, let alone a stable or reliable internet connection, so this will only reach a small percentage of the public, which, in turn, will only garner it a small audience. It seems to me it's less about learning from a mistake, or more like just trying to downplay or play it safe this time around so if it fails, it won't be as spectacular.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

I don't think they'd really be better off with anyone. puppets in general just arent popular to the general public, and we'd probably have the same problems no matter who owned them.