Weinstein rolls with Fraggle Rock movie

[frogboy4]

Well, I never thought that an out of leftfield bizarre Henson Alternative film would be made *before* the Fraggle film, but I guess that appears to be the case. Strange, that in 2011 we will get two Muppet/Henson films. From the reports, the "Happytime Murder" film is suppose to be way over the line "edgy", but I almost wonder if by "edge"(regarding the FR movie) the Weinstein studio meant simply the Fraggles out in the real world encountering modern day challenges.

Though, I am horrified every time I see trailers for stuff like Chipmunks/Smurfs/etc, so Id rather an FR film not be made if that sort of abhorrent cinema is what the studio was aiming for.

I know, right. I'm all for racy muppetiness, but it's sad that it takes precedence over the world-peace-centric fraggle gang. Fraggle Rock is actually the movie that should have come out about 8 years ago. People needed to hear its message even more back then.

I'm still bewildered about the lack of hope in all these fraggley-hearted folk. I guess there's more Boobers. I like Boober so I'll focus on that. Who knows what's up with this film? Only Weinstein and a few of his executives. I still see the chances of this getting made in positive 60/40 split and I'll remain in that holding pattern until hearing otherwise by somebody with some new news.

 

[Drtooth]

By design, Toy Story 3 was the darkest chapter, and being the last film, it is fitting. The important thing is that there was a happy ending.

That is ALL I am going to say about Toy Story 3. I do not want this thread to derail, and there is nothing more that I can say about it anyway. I do not wish to get into an endless debate on the subject.

I gotta say, I thought it was a brilliant psychological character piece, but I would refrain from bringing any small children to see it, or buy them the video. It IS a pretty scary film. The thing that really gets me is that Lotso was so folksy and likable UNTIL you find his sick slave trade style motivations. It wasn't the usual cartoony villain who comes on evil and stays evil. I will say I'd be shocked if ANY kid wants to buy a Lotso after this (the talking ones will sit on shelves, mark my words). He may not exactly be Chuckie, but he is a pretty disturbing figure. Though, honestly, I'd buy the small bean bag (if I didn't want Dug the dog and Phineas, Ferb, and Perry a lot more).

ANYWAAAAAY...

I know, right. I'm all for racy muppetiness, but it's sad that it takes precedence over the world-peace-centric fraggle gang. Fraggle Rock is actually the movie that should have come out about 8 years ago. People needed to hear its message even more back then.

Okay... without getting too political. We seem to forget the climate of 8 years ago. Anyone who spoke peace or even reasonable logic against war was shut up, silence, ignored, called a traitor... etc. The "liberals" of Hollywood didn't even touch the Iraq war until it was more and more fashionable to talk against it. Like I say, the same people who gave the Oscar to The Hurt Locker are the same people who booed Michael Moore when he said what he said. People do not like movies telling them what to do. Morals IN movies are usually plastic stuff (i.e. follow your dreams) that Hollywood doesn't even want to have apply to them, but people pretend those are heart warming messages. People accept that.

If you had a movie that promoted peace, only peace lovers would watch it. You cannot open the eyes of any one too obstinate to open them themselves, be they on one political side or the other. If the Fraggles said "Hey, silly creatures, stop hating each other and don't go killing your kids," they would have been called bleeding heart commie traitors. The right wouldn't accept it any more than the left would accept the tedious An American Carol whinefest.

Remember how we hated the fact the French didn't want to go into the war so much we renamed them "freedom Fries?" I would NOT like to have seen the Fraggles subjected to that stuff.

But that said...

I'm still bewildered about the lack of hope in all these fraggley-hearted folk. I guess there's more Boobers. I like Boober so I'll focus on that. Who knows what's up with this film? Only Weinstein and a few of his executives. I still see the chances of this getting made in positive 60/40 split and I'll remain in that holding pattern until hearing otherwise by somebody with some new news.

If Weinstine wasn't stalling, dragging their feet, going behind Corey's back, and generally being like EVERY other film studio (the irony that they're an indie-ish company that Henson deliberately went to so they could avoid that is so thick you could cut it with a knife), I'd be a lot more hopeful. But Cory said it himself on the Muppet Mindset. Nothing's happening. They haven't even manage to mention the other writer, what his script is about, or whatever's going on. The edgy thing freaks everyone out because, again, it's subjective. It's ill defined. It could mean anything, and usually means the worst possible thing. Why they're so afraid of using Cory's script is beyond me... why they can't just pass it around Henson, surviving Fraggle staff, and the Muppeteers behind it like how Disney passed it around EVERYONE before they started filming is even further out of my grasp. The movie really needs to start shooting by next June for it to ever get made, and they're still in the prepreprepreproduction stage.

 

[frogboy4]

The movie really needs to start shooting by next June for it to ever get made, and they're still in the prepreprepreproduction stage.

I'd love Cory Edwards to start his filming right away so that next year's Muppet movie would have a preview of the Fraggle Rock movie mixed in with the rest of its trailers, but the only clock on a fraggle film (aside from the one counting down how long Weinstein will continue to retain the rights) is the one we fans have given to it. I don't think that this "no news" is either good or bad. Maybe they were embarrassed by how these problems were made public so they're keeping a lid on it (even from Edwards) until they make a decision.

On another note, has Henson even approved any draft of the script yet? I forget if they have. I remember that they were incredibly involved with the action figures! You wouldn't expect that level of commitment especially from such a small group of people on a simple product, but I know they have clear opinions on their properties and won't put their stamp of approval on anything they aren't happy about. I remember a weeks-long debate about Mavin Suggs' loafers! If Ken, Palisades and I had it our way he would have sported some thicker-healed platform shoes. I really wanted to see the repaint Suggs wearing clear platform shoes with goldfish in them! That would have never happened.

They could actually greenlight this movie at a moment's notice. I don't think that's likely. I just hope that they're taking this window of opportunity to get everything sorted so that shooting can take place sometime next year once the other Muppet and Henson fare has been completed. I still have hope in the Fraggles.

 

[Mupp]

I gotta say, I thought it was a brilliant psychological character piece, but I would refrain from bringing any small children to see it, or buy them the video. It IS a pretty scary film. The thing that really gets me is that Lotso was so folksy and likable UNTIL you find his sick slave trade style motivations. It wasn't the usual cartoony villain who comes on evil and stays evil. I will say I'd be shocked if ANY kid wants to buy a Lotso after this (the talking ones will sit on shelves, mark my words).

Yes, I understand what you are saying.
Although kids tend to be full of surprises, some kids are able to handle scary stuff.

Oh, and since you brought it up. I wasen't sure about Phineas and Ferb at first, but it has some really good humor. Its a fun show, so its not surprising that the show is popular. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney made a theatrical movie someday.

And I also agree with you about what you said about the Weinstein Company dragging its feet.

I have to say, at this point I am VERY glad that The Muppet Show characters are with Disney now.

Poor Fraggles.

 

[beau]

I will say I'd be shocked if ANY kid wants to buy a Lotso after this (the talking ones will sit on shelves, mark my words).

Come to Phoenix and you'll eat your words.

 

[Drtooth]

Yes, I understand what you are saying.
Although kids tend to be full of surprises, some kids are able to handle scary stuff.

Not at the showing I was at... I GOTTA stop seeing kid's movies. "Mommy MommY! Who's dat! Who's dis?" The horror stories I could tell you about when I went to see Bolt. Kids running up and down the aisles... madness.

Oh, and since you brought it up. I wasen't sure about Phineas and Ferb at first, but it has some really good humor. Its a fun show, so its not surprising that the show is popular. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney made a theatrical movie someday.

From what I heard there will be a movie no doubt, but likely a DTV release. That disappoints me to a great extent. This is by far the most popular show Disney created since perhaps the Disney Afternoon era, and it's really lifting the TV animation studio they WANTED to shut down back up. The problem is that the American public just doesn't know how to deal with current animated features based on current cartoon series (Japan does it marvelously). That explains why it took them almost 20 years for a Simpsons movie. I say, compromise and give it a limited theatrical release during a minor school break session (February- March). I'm amazed at how good Recess and Teacher's Pet's movies turned out. All TV cartoons should be experienced on the big screen. Too bad we get so few of them theatrically. But enough on that.

I'd love Cory Edwards to start his filming right away so that next year's Muppet movie would have a preview of the Fraggle Rock movie mixed in with the rest of its trailers, but the only clock on a fraggle film (aside from the one counting down how long Weinstein will continue to retain the rights) is the one we fans have given to it. I don't think that this "no news" is either good or bad. Maybe they were embarrassed by how these problems were made public so they're keeping a lid on it (even from Edwards) until they make a decision.

On another note, has Henson even approved any draft of the script yet? I forget if they have.

The project was announced pretty far back. Maybe 2007. About 2009 somewhere, Cory kept saying "Keep faith... something's happening." Then after months of nothing we heard the rumors of going behind his back for another script, and it's been dead in the water ever since. The Muppet Mindset blog posted that nothing is still happening (or not happening?) straight from Cory a couple weeks ago at most. I doubt that we're going to get the weeks of nothing then something big like most movies usually go (That was the case of the Muppet Movie). It's been a case of something...nothing nothing nothing nothing ...something minor...nothing nothing SETBACK flatline.

At one point, Cory said that everyone liked the script generally (I'm sure Henson approved, or was close to it). So far Henson and Cory seem to be the only ones that want this film to happen. Weinstine's going around for another script was troubling on too many levels. It's stalling the project for one thing, and even if it wasn't some red herring, the fact that the script needs to be "hip" is very disturbing. Like I've said a million times, Henson wouldn't have gone to such a small studio for the same treatment they could have gotten at a powerful studio that would have put it out by now. I'd love to say that taking their time on the project is a good thing, but it's been footdragging and Wembling, and meandering. If it's because they're trying to get another partner or something, then I'll stop vilifying them.

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Not at the showing I was at... I GOTTA stop seeing kid's movies. "Mommy MommY! Who's dat! Who's dis?" The horror stories I could tell you about when I went to see Bolt. Kids running up and down the aisles... madness.

Surprisingly, I've never had that problem when I go to see G and PG movies in the past couple of years. When I saw The Princess and the Frog on New Year's Day no less, all the kids were on their best behavior possible which surprised. When I saw How to Train Your Dragon, there was one kid in the row right in front of me who was pretty much crying through the second half of the movie. And there was when I saw Ratatouille a second time, there was a little girl who just flat out lost interest in the movie and walked up and down the aisle who was surprisingly quite quiet. Otherwise, little kids don't really get on my nerves at movies, besides I think we were all like that years ago at the movies [I remember losing it when I saw Good Burger in theaters years ago].

And now back to a discussion on the movie that'll take more time than The Thief and the Cobbler to make.

 

[Mupp]

Not at the showing I was at... I GOTTA stop seeing kid's movies. "Mommy MommY! Who's dat! Who's dis?" The horror stories I could tell you about when I went to see Bolt. Kids running up and down the aisles... madness.

I have experienced that very thing myself. I know exactly what you mean. However, that is just an example of kids being obnoxious, not scared.

These films are not just meant for kids though, they can be enjoyed by everyone.

 

[frogboy4]

Kids in movie theaters

The first theatrical film I remember seeing was at the age of 5 when my parents took me to see the Muppet Movie in 1979. I was well behaved for the entire movie even though the Swedish Chef bit with the film breaking in the middle of it kind of caught me by surprise. It's not age, it's not content. Parents basically suck at teaching kids how to behave in public and will wait for a tantrum to die out instead of removing their hellion from the environment.

I actually want kids to go to movies, but not if they're going to treat it like they're watching some Dora video at home. Kids should behave in a theater as they would in church or any other such meeting place. I'm not a religious fellow, so to me movies are my church. I go every week and get to learn something new from the minds of creative people...or at least have fun mocking a film that's terrible. That happens too, but it's the shared experience with our friends and other audience members that make it magical. I hope they still have theaters by the time Fraggle Rock comes out!

 

[Drtooth]

These films are not just meant for kids though, they can be enjoyed by everyone.

That said, when I saw the Last Airbender, I was sitting in front of a group of negative cultural stereotypes talking all the way through it. Not loudly, but seriously... SERIOUSLY. And these were adults, man.

But really... Bolt was murder to watch with those brats behind me. Kept touching me like they were idiots. And the parents did almost nothing. And they just ran around. I hate yuppie parents with a buzzillion kids that can't even discipline them.