Where Did the Magic Go?

[SSLFan]

I know it has probbaly been brought up plenty of times, but does anyone have regrets about The Muppets selling their rights to The Walt Disney Company? It just seems like the magic just dissapeared....

- Do you have any regrets about this happening?

 

[CensoredAlso]

Personally, I don't regret the idea of selling to Disney. I wish Disney would do more with them, but there's still the future. To be honest, I wasn't satisifed with the 'modern' projects that happened before the Disney deal.

 

[SSLFan]

Agreed...

Personally, I don't regret the idea of selling to Disney. I wish Disney would do more with them, but there's still the future. To be honest, I wasn't satisifed with the 'modern' projects that happened before the Disney deal.

True. It just really seems like they need more exposure, and I mean like a new tv show or something. Those talk- show gigs and other appearances for Kermit and Piggy are ok, but it's not like something a person could actually watch and see. The bottom line is, Disney needs to do more.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah I mean, it hasn't actually been that long in the grand scheme of things. It does seem like they view the Muppets as a largely nostalgic thing that aren't relevant for kids. I hope that trend (that's permeating all of the media) will eventually fade, when they realize young children don't judge programs by how old they are.

I also think that as some of the original Muppet audience gets older (and more wealthy heh), they'll start targeting things to that market.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

That's a good point, heralde!

Wow, SSLFan! Your writing reminds me of cotton candy, Yum! But seriously, I don't have any regret about the Disney buyout. I still have hope for the future of the Muppet's and think ever thing will work out for the best for them. I think they have a strategy to to maybe reach older fans first. But I'm not exactly sure where they plat to take it, but I think they'll end up going in a very good direction in the end. I understand your concerns about them needing more exposure. But I really thing that they should not rush that and take there time to put out the right show that does the Muppet's justices and is in the best interest of the franchise. You could put out a show, but if it's not the right one, and you invest a lot o money in it, it might not work out and they would end up back where they are.

 

[CensoredAlso]

You could put out a show, but if it's not the right one, and you invest a lot o money in it, it might not work out and they would end up back where they are.

Oh yes, I TOTALLY agree with that.

 

[David French]

Yeah I mean, it hasn't actually been that long in the grand scheme of things. It does seem like they view the Muppets as a largely nostalgic thing that aren't relevant for kids. I hope that trend (that's permeating all of the media) will eventually fade, when they realize young children don't judge programs by how old they are.

I'm afraid that is not true at all; these days a lot of young kids have *great* difficulty in identifying with retro series mainly due to the way these shows were recorded compared with today - ie long scenes that last five or more minutes as opposed to the short bursts you see on TV today.

TV has now been dumbed down for audiences and dumbed down quite badly - reality television rules the airwaves these days.

 

[Luke]

I also think that as some of the original Muppet audience gets older (and more wealthy heh), they'll start targeting things to that market.

The original audience is already in their 30's. What are you thinking - Muppet walking frames? LOL

I think by doing a bit of collector stuff they're just keeping the fans that were there interested. The DVD's are also just them making money off the library and it doesn't matter too much what happens as long as they sell steadily. The Muppets could do with getting out there more appearance wise but as it doesn't seem the public attitude is that they'd just accept the Muppets back (they haven't so far with the movies) so just putting a new movie out there now isn't going to get people's attention. Full seasons of a new TV show wouldn't work either as it isn't the type of show people would instantly want to watch if they saw it listed, although variety is slowly making a comeback. I think if they follow what they're doing - keeping the collectable market going, putting out DVD's, building the theme park presence, maybe having them do regular guest TV spots, then they could start to do some specials (like the mini-series that was planned) and build it up that way. I don't think all is lost for making them a big family brand again but i think it'll take a long time. Henson had it right back in 2001-2002, if they would have carried that on things would have probably worked out well by now. I'm not against them selling to Disney, but for all the benefits we get from having a larger owner it also means there's a greater risk of them investing less if the projects don't work.

 

[Speed Tracer]

"You CANNOT leave the magic."

 

[CensoredAlso]

Uh well, I more meant the ones that are younger than 30 right now. I would say they're among the originals.

And I have worked with kids and I really don't buy this idea about attention spans. It seems like Psychologists and media experts come up with a lot of theories, but that doesn't mean they represent the real world. There are a lot of kids who do actually watch older shows. Some evidence can be seen in the customer reviews on Amazon.com.

There are probably some kids who don't appreciate older shows, mainly because they're not familiar with them. But there are a lot of kids who can. And they shouldn't be ignored for not towing the line.