My Thoughts: Disney's Muppets

[Drtooth]

I agree with you on those old (Marvel?) comics of the 80s. They weren't drawn all that well. I like the Gilchrest ones, but also think it's time for something less stylized. I do like the Disney Adventures cancelled Roger Langridge style, but I think this is an opportunity for Muppets to look their best. To me that means the Muppets should be drawn closer to their Muppety selves rather than some stylistic interloping of an artist trying to make a name for himself by drawing the characters in a funky way.

Which kinda sucks, since I think the very same artist brought a fun stylization to the ALF comics that came out at the same time. But I will say this. I loved Marie Severin's artwork in the Muppet babies comics, and whoever drew the Fraggle ones did a pretty good job there as well. But then again, I tend to think comic book movie adaptions are dreadful and redundant anyway (thouh the Mirage published TMNT comic from 1989 was really something sepcial, holding to the style of the original comics, and adding in what I can only assume were scenes deleted from the final script).

I wonder if it will be anything like The Comic Muppet Book.

But again, it seems like a great idea, and a nice easy way to set a foot down, but I think a television or DTV project would really hammer down a place for them.

 

[frogboy4]

I wonder if it will be anything like The Comic Muppet Book.

But again, it seems like a great idea, and a nice easy way to set a foot down, but I think a television or DTV project would really hammer down a place for them.

I still have a copy of that somewhere. The drawings weren't perfect but it was very interesting and it showed the outside of the theater before the NBC Christmas movie. I hope it's closer to that. I remember the ALF comics you're talking about and agree. I liked those too.

 

[dwayne1115]

Well i really think that the comics would really be a good way to bring back some of the older Muppets we havnt seen in some time, like Rolf Dr. Theeth Janice Sweetums all the full body Muppets really. so i think it will be a good place to start.

 

[PrawnCocktail]

i just say people are to negitive on disney. they are a good famliy movie compony that at least trys. They have control over the muppets now, so like it or not your going to have to deal with Disney. I truly beleve that if eoungh people on here want somthing from Disney then do somthing about it. Insteed of complaining on here start a pation or a letter that everyone sends from there e mail address or somthing. In bussnes if you want somthing done do it yourslfe , stop whinning to us other fans get off you lazy tails and do somthing about it! If you want help in doing do just ask ill do what i can but please if you don't want to put some legs behind your words dont say anything at all.

Well I think a lot of people have tried that and miserably failed! So the only option is to complain in the hope that someone will seduce the entire Disney marketing management team and will show them all of the complaints on muppecentral. And then we will see a muppet revolution thats never been seen before! And I will be in the new movie and you won't bee lol

 

[dwayne1115]

Well I think a lot of people have tried that and miserably failed! So the only option is to complain in the hope that someone will seduce the entire Disney marketing management team and will show them all of the complaints on muppecentral. And then we will see a muppet revolution thats never been seen before! And I will be in the new movie and you won't bee lol

ok well just check out the brand new Muppet web site and then tell me that Disney is not tring to Re-launch the Muppets. Complaining just leads to people geting mad and people geting mad leads to fights and I for one do not want to fight about something that i know im right about. I know im right because i have proff that disney wants the Muppets to do well, if they didn't they would not have taken the time money and space to make such a cool new site for the Muppets.

 

[Luke]

ok well just check out the brand new Muppet web site and then tell me that Disney is not tring to Re-launch the Muppets. Complaining just leads to people geting mad and people geting mad leads to fights and I for one do not want to fight about something that i know im right about. I know im right because i have proff that disney wants the Muppets to do well, if they didn't they would not have taken the time money and space to make such a cool new site for the Muppets.

Of course Disney wants the Muppets to do well. They paid gazillions of dollars for them. Who wouldn't? It's more of whether they CAN do well, and how far Diz are prepared to go to make that happen (especially when they have other, much more in fashion brands and Pixar movies). The Muppets are evergreen, they will always plod along somewhat and we will hopefully always have some great stuff (like this) to enjoy - as to if anyone can make them a hit again, they are making a good start, but waaaayyy more of an uphill battle.

 

[Drtooth]

Of course Disney wants the Muppets to do well. They paid gazillions of dollars for them. Who wouldn't? It's more of whether they CAN do well, and how far Diz are prepared to go to make that happen (especially when they have other, much more in fashion brands and Pixar movies).

I completely agree with that statement right there. Disney would want them to do well, but they just don't know how. The DVD sets seem to have sold really well (especially the first one, dispite the cuts). But other than that, they're expecting whatever they do to be an instant sucess (and in this day and age, everything has to be an instant success to even last a week, which I'll rant about another time). Oz wasn't a tremendous hit (due in part to them airing it opposite the daytime Emmys on a weekend when a Star Wars film opened up), and because of that they've been too afraid that whatever they'll do won't make nothing but money. And that also seems to be the reason why they all but cancelled "The Wonderful World of Disney" as well.

The website redesign is a grand step, considering they've made baby steps forward, and giant leaps backward ever since they got the Muppets (2 unfinished, unsold pilots for example).

the only way that Disney would have had any runaway success with the Muppets would have been if they got the rights to the Sesame Street characters as well (which, indeed Eisner was pushing for when Jim first inked the deal). But then we'd see even more Elmo than we're seeing now.

Sigh. At least Elmo is still in the public eye.

 

[Luke]

Disney would want them to do well, but they just don't know how.

I would be prepared to stretch that point to maybe nobody knows how, or maybe it hasn't even been possible over the last few years. The last time there was any major public love for the Muppets was when Henson started shopping the company around in the eary 2000's, so they didn't keep the momentum up. I would say Disney maybe don't know how to sort the Muppets out, but they are beginning to learn what works, and are starting to push things harder again to try achieve something more - what with the DVD's, the America's Got Talent finale appearance and Miss Piggy's tour of the UK (where she got booked on about 20 shows) they maybe feel that the public may be ready to love the Muppets again and i gotta say, ive been getting that feeling as well lately. There's even that blog where a Disney Store product guy is looking for opinion on Muppet product - people are coming around again. As to whether they can build it to the point where they have hit shows again or whether it'll just be a steady stream of appearances and merchandise probably depends on how much the public embrace them and how much Disney will risk giving them priority. It's a public company so they can hardly go all out on them with a big summer theatrical when the shareholders know its less risk with some Pixar film - especially with the Wizard Of Oz disaster. They are obviously going to try a new show or TV movie, that seems to be the "special" project, and if they time it right and mix it with promotions and widely available merch, give it a decent budget and quality writers, then it could work. If it doesn't we'll probably be back to them doing nothing much again.

I think the key to it is for them to do some kind of (maybe live) special on TV thats a bit gimmicky (Like "Next Muppet"), something that would get people talking, and then bring back a weekly remake of TMS on ABC - nothing different like Muppets Tonight or Muppets TV. Just do it like how TMS was in the Theatre (same as VMX) but written a bit sharper/tighter for todays audience. At the same time get the products stocked in all the stores, put out some more DVD's, keep up the web stuff, have them appear on as many TV shows as they can - and then try a TV movie (or possibly a theatrical), possibly one that has them playing themselves but maybe a themed one if a good theme could be found.

I actually thought after seeing Muppets.com that possibly a Muppets spoof work out DVD might get a lot of attention.

 

[frogboy4]

Is there anything else to be noted on this list?

Noted Disney Muppet projects
Muppets.com XD (new content, more approachable, engages all ages)
Muppet replicas & statues (from Master Replicas)
Muppet Show DVD (season 3)
Muppet Comics (this spring)
Muppet merchandise (think green, calendar, etc)
Undisclosed project (held-up by strike, in the works)

Notable non-Disney projects
"Henson" (upcoming biographic theatrical motion picture)
Fraggle Rock (DVD, CD, book, lingering plush & t-shirts, calendar, movie in works)
Sesame Workshop (Old School, web clips, new character Abby)
itunes (Henson downloads)
Henson Alternative (Puppet Up! Tinseltown, SUDS)
Dark Crystal (movie in works, manga, pricey figures, CD & DVD release last year)
Labyrinth (DVD release last year, affordable figures, plush, manga)
3 Pigs (DVD animated release)
Sid (TV show)

 

[Drtooth]

To me, Sesame Street will always be in the public eye. Even if it's only through the little furry red double edged sword, Elmo. Though the addition of Abby is pretty much the most high profile thing they did in years.*



*Of course, that doesn;t count phoney or out of context news stories they planted about Cookie Monster becoming a vegan, or how Old School Sesame stes can brainwahs kids into becoming Communists (or at the very least, kids that don't wear bike Helmets) or whatever the heck nonsense they're creating to try to raise awareness.