If "The Muppets" is a success: What's next?

[minor muppetz]

I'd like to see them do something like the Bohemian Rhapsody video, but bigger, with more characters. They'd certainly rebuilt many. I'd also like to see a viral video starring the full-body monsters (give the newly-rebuilt Thog and Mutations more to do, as well as any full-body character we don't know will be in the movie).

 

[12Medbe]

I'd like to see them release an uncut version of Muppet Family Christmas to DVD, and obtain the music rights... eh, a Muppet fan can dream can't he? lol.

 

[Beauregard]

Something I've been wondering is, would we rather see a few longer tv-specials a year (scattered throughout the year), or a season of a TV show that goes on for a number of weeks and then is finished until the next year?

Also, if it came to it, TV-show OR cinema release movies?

 

[Drtooth]

Problem with another cinematic movie... if this film DOES blow us away, we're gonna have to face facts a hypothetical movie after that won't have the same insane fans working on the thing and probably won't be as good.

But ANYTHING that isn't the re-enactment of a classic story is okay with me.

Seriously... I'd LOVE Roger Langridge to work on a Muppet project besides comics... but I bet that there's some writer's guild thing that would keep him for writing TV or movies. Dude personified, even perfected the Muppet show format with his comics.

 

[Redsonga]

I'd like to see them do fairy tales again. Everyone says bad things about retellings, but I loved the feeling of the very first ones like Frog Prince. It's all about in the end I think about them being muppety

 

[Drtooth]

I'd like to see them do fairy tales again. Everyone says bad things about retellings, but I loved the feeling of the very first ones like Frog Prince. It's all about in the end I think about them being muppety

That's because (at least in terms of the GOOD retellings of MTI and MCC) the Muppets would often play second fiddle to human stars. MTI did it much better, but MCC just... it was very lacking. At the time, we were getting around with less Jim characters and only one Richard character (Beaker) so the cast was limited extremely, but it still felt like the Muppets SHOULD have been the ghosts. Much as I love the Ghost of Christmas Present, past and yet to come were very dry. How funny would it have been if the Ghost of Christmas future pulled off his cloak and was Animal?

Oz was a trainwreck plain and simple.

Still, I find the Boom Studios crew did retellings MUCH better.. all Muppets. I'd LOVE to see someone rework the Snow White series into an actual Muppet project.

 

[jukyter]

I'd have to say, I'd've liked MCC much more if they cast Sam the Eagle as Scrooge... yes just that.
I think if The Muppets is a sucess we'd be seeing a complete ressurection of the Muppet franchise. TV show is a maybe, seeing as when Disney bought the franchise they didn't have the TV show that'd be risky ground...

 

[frogboy4]

That's because (at least in terms of the GOOD retellings of MTI and MCC) the Muppets would often play second fiddle to human stars.

I see the larger problem of the re-tellings has to do with the timing. The "Celebrating Jim Henson" special aside, MCC was the first post-Jim project featuring the Muppets. They were trying to reestablish the brand, but did so with the main cast playing other characters rather than being themselves. The film that followed it was MTI and they were doing the same thing. Sure, Gonzo is always Gonzo and Kermit is always really Kermit underneath it all, but this just created a needless veneer compounded with a new Kermit voice and performance and the noticeable absence of Jim's specific spark for audiences to accept. And then Muppets Tonight finally rolled around and they stuck Kermit in the background. The same goes for MFS. The only time Kermit was heavily featured was in studio recorded albums. Considering that people are most sensitive to sound, Henson Co should have established the new Kermit character in film and television before cutting an album. This was never quite achieved.

So it really wasn't re-tellings or even human stars that weakened the Muppet brand. It was the continued watered-down reintroduction of the characters, particularly Kermit, that was never really handled right. This really had nothing to do with Steve's wonderful performance. It just was never framed correctly IMHO.

 

[Drtooth]

I'd have to say, I'd've liked MCC much more if they cast Sam the Eagle as Scrooge... yes just that.
I think if The Muppets is a sucess we'd be seeing a complete ressurection of the Muppet franchise. TV show is a maybe, seeing as when Disney bought the franchise they didn't have the TV show that'd be risky ground...

To me, a perfect MCC would have had J.P. Grosse as Scrooge, Scooter as his overly cheerful nephew... and it would have been a late 70's/early 80's TV special. But that's just me.... Seems if Richard didn't die before they made MCC, Scooter could have been the nephew. heck, ANY Muppet should have been the nephew.

They were trying to reestablish the brand, but did so with the main cast playing other characters rather than being themselves. The film that followed it was MTI and they were doing the same thing. Sure, Gonzo is always Gonzo and Kermit is always really Kermit underneath it all, but this just created a needless veneer compounded with a new Kermit voice and performance and the noticeable absence of Jim's specific spark for audiences to accept. And then Muppets Tonight finally rolled around and they stuck Kermit in the background. The same goes for MFS. The only time Kermit was heavily featured was in studio recorded albums. Considering that people are most sensitive to sound, Henson Co should have established the new Kermit character in film and television before cutting an album. This was never quite achieved.

MT was proof they weren't extremely confident in Kermit at the time. He kept getting tertiary roles in his own movies. MFS was a slight improvement in terms of Kermit's role... it took them until VMX, 10 years after MCC to really bring the frog back out. And say what you will about KSY... VMX and KSY WERE all about the frog. I don't know if it was a decision by Henson, or Steve just wasn't all that comfortable with him yet, but it was clearly something they had to work around with.

I will say, MCC and MTI were at least well written and some of the songs were glorious (though Jim Hawkin's high alto kinda ruined some of them), where as MupOz was just... it was a jumble. Bad casting, bad concepts, just... bad all over. Yet, it was the first time the Electric Mayhem performed vocally in a while. But with all the other, superior sounding scripts that were thrown around after VMX, it was a shock they went with something so... so gimmicky. Even if they had to do a WOZ storyline, they could have done it MUCH better than a clear and obvious tie in to American Idol (which explains the FOX involvement), and "borrow" from other versions of the story.

 

[frogboy4]

I still like Oz and think it could have been good if they'd have punched up the script, had a new lead besides Ashanti and increased the musical element. The half-baked song inclusions almost seem like an apology. It was like they were sorry to bother those who hate musicals, bud didn't want to disappoint fans who like Muppets to sing in their projects. I guess this was really missing in VMX too.

The Oz script's problems seem to have derived from the page itself. It clearly wasn't ready. No running length, ad lib or musical number could have saved it. I don't remember who was at the helm, but whoever led the Muppets' Oz and KSY needs to stay away from the relaunch IMHO.