Disney Enlists Segel & Stoller for new Muppets movie

[uppitymuppity]

Thank you Frogboy - you say it so well. I keep harking back on the same subject. Jim Henson was not one to gloss over subjects and be politically correct.

I love it when Kermit yells at the gang because it's so "HUMAN" - we all lose our tempers & patience with even our nearest and dearest; in fact more with our dearest!

Henson really put the human elements in those puppets and that's why we all relate to them so much. We see bits and pieces of our own identities. Where this concept came from that we are all smiling idiots with no stereotypes or offbeat humors - i'll never know or understand!

Sometimes it's our quirks that make things funny and real.

 

[theprawncracker]

I totally agree with both Jamie and uppity! Thanks for posting that guys!

And ploobis, that's great that Segel was talking about the new movie on TVGuide Channel! That's really cool! Good thing to hear.

 

[frogboy4]

This is kinda what I think happens...

There's this misconception among different types of fans that puppets and the Muppets should keep kids in mind *first* when considering content. This causes an over-sanitization that Jim Henson didn't incorporate into the Muppet Show gang. Even Sesame in his day had underlying humor intended to coax parents to watch the program with their children. Also he never believed in talking down to kids.

The Muppets have been coasting so long that it appears that we all have co-opted them (at least a little) as best suits us.

- There are some more religious based fans that like the Muppets because they feel the characters are safe fuzzy role models for their children. Some go so far as to believe that they promote a particular theology.

- There are others such as myself that see the Muppets as a motley group of colorful misfits that seem to work together in a more inclusive patchwork. Disfunctional and suited for one another at the same time.

- Some fans look at the Muppets as nostalgic kitsch that shouldn't grow or change with the times. Tuck Fozzie and Kermit away in a museum and let the old content speak for them.

- Some fans are purists that think the characters should keep releasing content identical to the original series and film trilogy even if it doesn't suit a modern palette. They believe the "mountain will come to Mohammed" so to speak.

- And there are many other points of view on the subject not mentioned here. Different shades of what has been noted.

All of these ideas have some sort of merit, but I still see the characters as a patchwork of personalities. They have a heart without the syrupy core. They goof and spoof on society rather than merely emulate it. Segel appears to know this. Let's hope Kermit helps him on the right path.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Why is it that the cage dancing Scooter upsets people more than the rave Sam sporting a pacifier (a known mark of drug use with Ecstasy)?

Why weren't religious groups that loved the Muppets upset at the Hare Krishna jokes in the Muppet Movie or all that time spent in bars and around alcohol, the gun use, the metal fork shot into the plywood Kermit target, the fact that being rich and famous is what life is all about?

For the record, I agree, the Sam pacifier thing was worse for me. It didn't seem like they were saying "Oh no, Sam's not himself anymore in this alternate universe!" It felt more like, "Haha, let's laugh at Sam with the Ecstasy pacifier!"

This is all just my opinion, but the Hare Krishna joke is a clever pun. The use of a bar setting and movie violence in The Muppet Movie to me is sophisticated, as in it helped create a deep, mature, interesting movie that adults can enjoy as well as kids. And one that kids can more fully appreciate later in life.

Some of the stuff in VMMC to me was vulgar and not subtle. It's immature as opposed to mature. A teenager trying to seem grown up. In contrast, the maturity seen in TMM would have been shocking in VMMC.

It's like how the TV show All in the Family used "naughty" words in order to prove a deeper point. But nowadays, we have all these shows throwing about the same "naughty" words with no meaning behind them, just for shock value, and then claiming they're being "edgy." Yet today, networks would be terrified of putting something like All in the Family on the air today. So which is the truly edgy one?

But again, that is just my opinion. (And there were parts of VMMC that I did like).

And I am religious and I appreciate the Muppets' edge as well as their cuteness. But this has been an interesting discussion and I respect everyone's opinion!

And I appreciate change, I have nothing against it. But I do resent it when older material that is still relevant and still quality is hidden away simply because it is old. Kids today refuse to watch movies if they are in Black and White (trust me I have seen it). If the movie is good, it shouldn't have to apologize for itself by colorizing or changing itself. It's the audience that needs to change and appreciate quality no matter how old it may be.

In our society, time and again, we have destroyed beautiful things in the name of "modernization." And time and again it has not worked. The answer is not to reject the past, but to learn from it and be inspired by it, and in that way create new things. Otherwise we have no history, we have no culture. We have flavor of the moment. And that's as long as we will last.

 

[Mark Filton]

Yes, guys. It is just me again with my stupid concerns that are all the same, along with my same favorite smiley for everything

I will need a while to try to reply. I am glad you remember my spaghetti avatar, but it was always cold spaghetti like cold gespatcho so it is a dish served cold like revenge whatever that means

The IMDB told me that one of these fellas was naked in a movie and there has to be better than that. This website has been around for a long time. Why not have an open contest for a screenplay and advertise it here? Maybe if there was a chance of a prize people would work because nobody wants to do it and have it thrown out. Me I would be a bad candidate because English is my second language and Polish is my first but just knowing some of you are in the running is good enough for me. Sure these guys may be fans but if they were where are their profiles in here?

Not as good as a fan as we are. Ha ha ha

 

[frogboy4]

The answer is not to reject the past, but to learn from it and be inspired by it, and in that way create new things. Otherwise we have no history, we have no culture. We have flavor of the moment. And that's as long as we will last.

Well said.

There is a line in humor that hits people differently. I loved the Christmas special, but some bits were clearly pandering to an edgy audience just as I feel moments of Muppets From Space were pandering to a kiddie crowd. There's a balance.

 

[SarahOnBway]

The IMDB told me that one of these fellas was naked in a movie and there has to be better than that. This website has been around for a long time. Why not have an open contest for a screenplay and advertise it here? Maybe if there was a chance of a prize people would work because nobody wants to do it and have it thrown out. Me I would be a bad candidate because English is my second language and Polish is my first but just knowing some of you are in the running is good enough for me. Sure these guys may be fans but if they were where are their profiles in here?

Not as good as a fan as we are. Ha ha ha

Now I don't think that's exactly fair. You can't judge one person's merit as a fan against another's. I hate that: "I'm a bigger fan than you are" stuff. It's all just ridiculous. You can't quantify love of a certain thing. You can't say "Oh, you don't own any photo puppets and I have the Kermit, the Animal and the Gonzo so I'm a bigger fan than you." Well maybe I can't afford one, but that doesn't mean I don't love the Muppets (that is an example but even as an example, yeah... still can't afford one... and it makes me sad ).

Also, how do you know they don't have profiles on here, huh?

Anyway, it also takes more than just being a FAN to write a good script. It takes a WRITER. A writer who is a fan, yes, but a writer first and foremost. You could know every piece of trivia, every fact, every line of every movie and every tv show but if you don't know how to write... you're not going to be capable of writing a movie. It's a skill. It upsets me to hear that people on this forum are supposedly more qualified to write it because that's just a really inconsiderate thing to say. Writing is not easy. It is both a talent and a skill. Jason Segel is a professional writer. That alone makes him more qualified.

And about him being naked? That just shows his devotion to comedy. He was making an R-rated, adult comedy. It's not like he's going to be walking around nude and talking to Bean Bunny.

 

[uppitymuppity]

Charles Grodin is cast for the new Muppet film...

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/05/0...urprise-muppet-movie-cameoits-charles-grodin/

 

[Super Scooter]

It's not like he's going to be walking around nude and talking to Bean Bunny.

... Although, THAT would be funny. Could you imagine Bean's reaction in that scene?

"Um... *ahem* ... ya know, I'm supposed to be the cute, innocent one. But, uh... nice legs!"

... anyway...

 

[SarahOnBway]

YAY CHARLES GRODIN!

Seriously, who could ask for anything more?

Quote:
What it won’t have, Segel insisted, is any sort of beyond the pale adult humor — the type of humor he’s become famous for recently with the success of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”
“When I get into Muppet mode I turn into a 12-year-old boy,” he protested. “I think them seeing me in those meetings, they had no doubt I would be OK with the tone.”

(Sarah rests her case)