Frank Oz: "New Muppets Too Cute"

[Duke Remington]

People need to stop pestering Frank to come back to the Muppets.

He's not coming back to them, people! He's moved on! He is not the end-all be-all of the Muppets! Just because he's a Muppet-pioneer does not mean he's always right or knows the characters as well as some think he does! End of story.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well, considering he was essentially Jim's number two man, his closest associate, and one of the few working hands-on on just about any and every project Jim had his hands up into the 80s when he did slowly start to branch out into his directing career, I'd say he probably have a better understanding of the characters than most. Maybe not as good of an understanding as say Jim himself, or even Jerry Juhl, but I'd say better than most.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Let me say this for me if this movie was not made and played out the way it was I more then likely still wouldnt have come back as a fan. If you want cuteness watch LTS you'll probably have a cuteness hear attack which I think I already clearly stated before. This movie to me was anything but cute. It gave the muppets the edge they needed to make a come back.

Kermit & Piggy's relationship was played out really well and straight to the point IMO. And I don't just say that cause I'm a fan.

If I had any gripes about the movie it was at times it did tend to focus too much on Gary and Mary but those were things I was easily able to overlook.

 

[Drtooth]

On a similar note, Frank has said sometime back that he feels even SST isn't as hip or sharp anymore, but I think we can all thank the 90s and the competition from other shows like Barney for that.

The thing is, the writers desperately want it to be. Frank was in the edgiest, most snarkily sarcastic sketch of the season, the slaughtering of the Spider-Man musical. Even the HSM parody had a take that stab at Disney's over exposure of that lame trend at the end. My favorite is still Telly's line about "No Doll Left Behind." How they caught the Pox News segment and not that is beyond me. It's just that there's SO much meddling by the executives and especially the various contradicting and conflicting child psychologist approved reports, that they have a leash on them. Not 80's cartoon series writer and animator leash... but a thick one.

Come on. Elmo, in all public appearances, is a dirty young man! He has the libido of one of the Warner Brothers.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I think Elmo tried to offer me a smoke once in NYC.

 

[Mo Frackle]

Speaking of Frank and LTS, once during the production of that special, he did actually visit the set. It was just a quick 'hi, how's it going?', but I still thought that was pretty cool. But yeah, if he saw the special itself, he'd probably want to give it the Bean Bunny treatment.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I think I would've preferred Bean Bunny in LTS.

 

[D'Snowth]

Poor Bean Bunny, always the victim.

 

[dwmckim]

On a similar note, Frank has said sometime back that he feels even SST isn't as hip or sharp anymore

Unlike "The Muppets" though, i don't think you'll find a long ine of people ready to step up to the mike to offer any rebuttals or disagreements!

People need to stop pestering Frank to come back to the Muppets.

I don't think people are. I see it more as realizing he's a longtime member of the family. And when family members (in GOOD families anyway, not ones like mine) move out to their own place, the ones remaining in the house say "you're always welcome back home and there'll always be a seat at the table for you." People aren't pestering him to come back. They're reminding him his chair at the table's still there and his favorite meal is being prepared every Tuesday.

As per "The Muppets" being too cute, i'll defer to a spokesman on this one...

"Who ya callin' CUTE??!!"

 

[Drtooth]

As per "The Muppets" being too cute, i'll defer to a spokesman on this one...

"Who ya callin' CUTE??!!"

Aw, come on. She carried a switchblade. If that's not the most adorable, and family friendly thing I can think of, I don't know what is.