Muppet Mockumentary Pilot Filmed

[unclematt]

All we have been getting is poorly conceived projects.

 

[Marky]

All we have been getting is poorly conceived projects.

... which don't happen.

Sorry, I don't buy the 'no win' situation at all.
Make something decent with them, Disney.

How hard can that be? Seriously.

No, I think they've been shelved.

 

[unclematt]

I think they have been shelved as well. Not that I think they have no chance. I just wish they would realize the potential.

 

[Bear Man]

... which don't happen.

Sorry, I don't buy the 'no win' situation at all.
Make something decent with them, Disney.

How hard can that be? Seriously.

No, I think they've been shelved.

How hard can it be? Really hard.

I don't think most people here realise quite how difficult it is to get a tv show or film from the initial concept through to broadcast, in many cases it taking years for an original concept to get on the air, which is arguably an easier prospect than an established brand that has decades of preconceptions, expectations and brand identity that it needs to live up to.

Your description of the sort of show that should be made - "something decent" - is a great example of how difficult Disney has it. What you think is "decent" might not, is probably not, shared by the greater viewing public. Listen to most people on this site and the only "decent" option would be to somehow capture the unique social, cultural and political environment of when the Muppet show first aired, ensure that it was applied to society at large and then remake the show with no consideration to the changes in expectations of a viewing public. And even if that is not what you, personally, would like, listen to the completely generic nature of what you're asking "something decent". This doesn't give any production company any real guide about what they should be producing. Even if they were to get a precise description agreed to by everyone on here (hardly possible), it's hardly helpful to go to a hardcore fan site to get it. The number of people on here is hardly enough to keep a program on the air. By all means, consult with the hardcore fans, but they can't be the ones to dictate to a company what they should be producing. Disney has a responsibility to its shareholders to produce entertainment that has the greatest potential to earn returns.

Please don't think that I am defending Disney as the victim here. Having worked for them under a strict contract that sees no residuals payment for the work that I have done I know that they are not exactly the best friends of artists, but they are also not deserving of scathing remarks that they are shelving the Muppets out of lack of interest (else why would they have bought them?) or some sort of spite ("if we own them, then we can stop everyone else from making the fantastic Muppet productions that millions are clammering to see"), rather they are trying to find a way to make them a profitable venture. Thanks to years of mismanagement from Henson and EM.TV, Disney have inherited a property that had virtually no exposure to audiences in recent years, is stuck in the past and has not grown with its audiences, nor built new ones.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I agree with Bear Man; I do think it's premature to dismiss Disney. They have been given a product that was already having problems. Eventually something will work, but it may take a long time. Disney took years to build itself back up after Walt's death. And look how long it took for Jim Henson to finally get The Muppet Show on the air.

I don't think the Muppets should have to change for its audience. In my experience, when a product attempts to change itself too much to fit the current trends, it ends up neither pleasing hard core fans, nor attracting new ones. History has shown this time and again. This is just my opinion, but society and pop culture in general has not taken a positive turn in recent years. If the Muppets tried to match this (again, too much), no one will gain anything.

I don't think it's that today's audience has rejected the classic Muppets. It's that they've barely been given a chance to see them. I can see Disney eventually going more in the nostalgic direction, as well as some new ones, but again, it will take some time.

 

[unclematt]

I wish I was that optimisitic

 

[Marky]

I heard many, many plans in 2005 right out of Martin Baker's mouth to bring the Muppets back in full force. When Eisner went, so did the Muppet plans.

Unfortunatley, apart from DVD releases, they are mothballed - plain and simple. It sucks, and it's true. I don't know how else to put it.

 

[Marky]

Stating they (they being Disney) have shelved the Muppets is not meant a scathing remark. It may not be what we (myself included) may not wish to hear or believe - but... they did shelve them, and how me stating that is to be taken holds no bearing on the fact that it's true.

 

[unclematt]

Stating they (they being Disney) have shelved the Muppets is not meant a scathing remark. It may not be what we (myself included) may not wish to hear or believe - but... they did shelve them, and how me stating that is to be taken holds no bearing on the fact that it's true.

But they havent shelved them. They have released a Christmas album, there was the Muppet Wizard of Oz and they have made several TV appearances. Just because they havent been utilized to the capacity that most fans (including myself) would like to see them used does not mean that the have been shelved.

 

[muppetperson]

Projects are in the works.It is just that they are taking their time on getting it right.