What is your least favorite Muppet Movie?

[Mo Frackle]

KSY's new characters are fun (I know most people aren't too fond of Pilgrim the Dog, but I don't mind her that much; though maybe that's just out of respect for Cree Summers). The song are okay. There are a few brief little bits strictly for the Muppet fans (including a brief bit with Kermit and his future best friend). The story isn't that bad. Then there's the jokes, which are... a mixed bag, I guess.

 

[jvcarroll]

See, I find that to be the other way around, but, to each their own, I guess.

As far as KSY goes, since you haven't seen it yet, let me be the first to tell you that, seriously, it's nowhere near as bad as everybody in this thread has been making it out to be, it's actually the better of the TV movies.

Really? I'm amazed that you like it. Aside from the pet store number, I got absolutely no Muppety vibe from KSY. It's nothing more than a poorly constructed disposable home video for toddlers. The Muppet characters aren't supposed to be mucking around in such depths. There's little craftsmanship to the cinemaphotography either. It looks like some film school student shot it on a digicam. It's miles worse than MFS ever was IMHO.

 

[D'Snowth]

There's little craftsmanship to the cinemaphotography either. It looks like some film school student shot it on a digicam.

I can see what you mean, and to be perfectly honest with you, that's one of the reasons why I did like it... KSY came out during a time when I was still a kid, a kid who always had his head in the clouds, a lover, a dreamer, and you (well, okay, maybe not the last one, because how can I be you when you're you?), and that was also around a time where I was still familiarizing myself with puppetry, because that's what I wanted to do with my life: the look and feel to KSY made me think, "I can do that... I can DO that..." It's almost kind of like how Mary (in KSY, not The Muppets (2011) said she wanted to be a scientist ever since she saw The Wizard of Oz as a kid... granted, it was actually the Biography special on SST the year before that made me want to be a puppeteer ever since I saw it, but this movie kind of made me want to be a puppeteer (and a filmmaker) even more.

 

[jvcarroll]

I can see what you mean, and to be perfectly honest with you, that's one of the reasons why I did like it... KSY came out during a time when I was still a kid, a kid who always had his head in the clouds, a lover, a dreamer, and you (well, okay, maybe not the last one, because how can I be you when you're you?), and that was also around a time where I was still familiarizing myself with puppetry, because that's what I wanted to do with my life: the look and feel to KSY made me think, "I can do that... I can DO that..." It's almost kind of like how Mary (in KSY, not The Muppets (2011) said she wanted to be a scientist ever since she saw The Wizard of Oz as a kid... granted, it was actually the Biography special on SST the year before that made me want to be a puppeteer ever since I saw it, but this movie kind of made me want to be a puppeteer (and a filmmaker) even more.

I see what you mean. I think the Muppetverse should leave the kids' market to Elmo. I'm not a huge fan of him, but he has his place and he does his thing without resorting to overly cutesy means. There's somewhat of bite to him while Kermit in KSY is all gums.

The three greatest failures of the film are the human performances, the screenwriting and the production design. The swamp scenes have little texture to them. Jim Henson would tend to each and every detail, even in the corners of the screen. Life as a Pet is very Jim. Lots going on there. The rest of KSY looks like it was shot on the fly with no attention to detail. I dunno. I'm glad it inspired somebody. I know what that's like. I was 5 when the Muppet Movie first hit theaters and there no Muppet project more inspiring than that. I lucked-out.

 

[dwayne1115]

this is a real interesting topic and I have gone through and read everyones posts and was kind of suprised by some of the posts. I could sit here and defend all of the movies that everyone dose not like but I'm not going to do that, and I'm not going to say what I may or may not like about any of the movies.
I will say this for a Muppet movie to be as good as it can be, the script has to be good. I have heard Brian Henson say you can take a good script and make a great movie, but you can't take a bad script and make a good movie.
When Jerry juel stoped writeing for the Muppets I felt he should have past the job on to one person insteed of haveing many diffrent writers for the Muppets. I also feel that fans should not write Muppet movies. We have had this happen in the past and what we get is what there ideas of Who the Muppets are. We need to have someone step up and say yes I'm going to be the head writer for the Muppets and give them a chance to get the Muppets personalities back to the days of the Muppet Show and the fisrt three movies, buecause honestly since Muppets take Manhaten they have not truly been themselves. Sure there have been little gold gems of it but not like before, and I know they could get back to that if givin the right person for the right job.

 

[D'Snowth]

The three greatest failures of the film are the human performances, the screenwriting and the production design.

Script and production design aside, I do have to agree with you on the human performances... Dr. Mr. Krassman was a very large ham throughout, Mary was kind of bland and didn't have just a whole lot of charisma... Wilson the pet store owner was just about the best human character in the movie, and even he didn't have the greatest performances I've ever seen.

Song-wise, I also agree, "Life as a Pet" is probably my favorite from the movie.

 

[Mo Frackle]

And let's not forget Goggles, Croaker, and Blotch. They were great.

 

[D'Snowth]

Yes, as far as the new Muppet characters are concerned, I did very much like them.

I like how, while incredibly cheesy, easily Goggles managed to break Blotch of his bullying ways, and the two of them became really good friends, since Goggles pretty much saved his life kind of... it makes a body wish it was that easy to change a bully in real life.

 

[Hubert]

this is a real interesting topic and I have gone through and read everyones posts and was kind of suprised by some of the posts. I could sit here and defend all of the movies that everyone dose not like but I'm not going to do that, and I'm not going to say what I may or may not like about any of the movies.
I will say this for a Muppet movie to be as good as it can be, the script has to be good. I have heard Brian Henson say you can take a good script and make a great movie, but you can't take a bad script and make a good movie.
When Jerry juel stoped writeing for the Muppets I felt he should have past the job on to one person insteed of haveing many diffrent writers for the Muppets. I also feel that fans should not write Muppet movies. We have had this happen in the past and what we get is what there ideas of Who the Muppets are. We need to have someone step up and say yes I'm going to be the head writer for the Muppets and give them a chance to get the Muppets personalities back to the days of the Muppet Show and the fisrt three movies, buecause honestly since Muppets take Manhaten they have not truly been themselves. Sure there have been little gold gems of it but not like before, and I know they could get back to that if givin the right person for the right job.

But realize that it is unrealistic for someone to step up and make themselves the Muppets head writer. At this point we're transitioning out of the Jerry Juhl period still, and being able to get a handle on writers. Jerry Juhl was around since the beginning, saw all the early days, saw Jim's visions for the Muppets...he really had a grasp of who they are. It took years and years for him to transition into the role of the main Muppet writer. It's hard to find someone now who really can capture the Muppets, as chances are they wouldn't have known the Muppet ins and outs the way Jerry did.

 

[jvcarroll]

The success of Muppet writing is in knowing the characters and then having them react to funny situations. That's what gives depth to the humor.