ABC News Video: Jason Segel, Muppet Savior

[dwmckim]

At best it could be a runaway success.

Of COURSE, the film will be a runaway success!

Everytime i see it, i successfully makes me run away!

 

[MJTaylor]

I wish someone with Jason's passion would get Henson off it's freaking butt and get a Fraggle Rock movie made.

So do I.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

I was never a Jason Segal fan before, but I am now

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

i like Jason Segal, ive always found his work Hilarious even if it is a bit of the Adult Nature, i dont think he should be typecast or hated for it, forgetting sarah marshall is one of the few romantic comedies i really really like cause it touches on some real moments...I love you man is the way i hang out with friends and also speaks trth of how hard it is to meet new people past a certain age...people have many different sides to them many different likes and whatnot...its human nature. he is a Muppet fan, he used his stardom to walk in and say hey i want to do this, so it took some convincing but he did it, then he used that stardom to get cameos of good celebs not random stars who just happen to pick up the phone, not saying thats how all past guest stars where but look at it this way some over lapped between project playing different people

 

[ryan19]

i am just glad to finally see a muppet flick on the big screen ... and from the few clips that i've seen & that one song that i've heard , i am really anticipating for the 8th Dec to arrive ... May The Muppets rise to that phenomenal fame once again as before = Amen =D

 

[beaker]

I'm curious why Disney has decided to delay opening in the UK until February of next year. As an American temporarily living in England it is particularly distressing, since I know I 'could' be watching it in a couple weeks, rather than 3 months. The only thing I can think of is that Disney isn't concerned with the British market, but this seems odd to me as the Muppets have a history of extreme popularity in Britain. The population, hence boxoffice, can't compare to the states but still its a fairly affluent country and the movie is likely to be popular.

Just to throw my two cents in on the 'savior' debate, the main reason I'm uncomfortable about it is that I've liked what the Muppets have done in the past ten years. I guess the popularity hasn't been there, and maybe this movie will change that. But their online videos are closer to what the Muppets were designed for, from Sam & Friends to The Muppet Show, they were about short sketch comedy, not long narratives. TMS had elements of serial narrative, and of course the movies were beautiful works of longer storytelling, but the sketch is still the core application of Muppet media.

I suppose I'm also a little sad that they have to be so nostalgia driven. Everyone here applauds the inclusion of minor characters from the past (which I also take some pleasure in), but for me, the Henson tradition seems more about characters tied to their performers, which grow and change over time. And as new performers join, new characters take increasingly important roles (through the Henson practice of upstaging). I'd rather see Bobo take up the piano, then have Barretta try to perform Rowlf. But obviously, I'm fairly alone in wanting the Muppets to be an evolving entity, rather than characters somewhat frozen in time (like Disney's other properties). (More Pepe please! )

I'm with you...to me the Muppets never went away. Only from 1991-1994 did I not follow the Muppets hardly at all. But there's always been new Muppet content in various forms. I guess to most outsiders the Muppets are nostalgic act.

Im glad Bobo is in it, not many other post JH characters seem to have speaking roles. I LOVE the muppets.com and youtube exclusive videos from 2008-2010, people who say the Muppets have sucked in the last two decades need to see those.

The UK/Euro release is probably just some typical gameplan redtape or something.

But yeah while Im sad Pepe seems mostly MIA, Rowlf is back in a prominent role. Many people are not aware that Rowlf was the #1 main Muppet for almost two decades next to Kermit

 

[beaker]

It was definitely an internet heavy promotion. I really hope that counts. There really SHOULD be more merchandise in casual stores... at least a couple plush toys. We got some WEIRD stuff at Wallgreens though. Not weird in a good way. I want to see MORE Muppet ads on television. AS I constantly say, I see like one a day, maybe, but I get constantly assaulted by Happy Feet 2, Hugo and worst of all Jack and Jill (Adam, nothing says hack like playing multiple roles in the same comedy movie). I really hope quality wins out over loud, in your face-iness of these (at the risk of calling them Thanksgiving Turkeys) Thanksgiving Turkeys. Or in the case of Hugo, boring pretentious faux Britishness.

It is 100% utter BULL that there is no Muppet stuff in stores. Sure, there's the Beaker ornament at hallmark, the FAO puppets at TRU and some misc shirts at some places. But thats it. The film is in about two weeks, and nothing. Tumbleweeds. People who say "be grateful for what we got" don't seem to get it.

Yeah, why the heck do all these kids and family films deserve all this garbage merch that'll end up being shipped back to the manufacturer, but the freaking Muppets with a huge film get squat? Tho to be fair, when I was at the huge Disney store near me, not a single person or kid seemed interested in the little Muppet section. Disney needs to have a ton of merch, front and center when you walk in. They keep treating the Muppets like some cautious unsure thing or like they're embarrassed by them. To me there's no reasonable reason why the Muppets aren't getting much merch, but Rio/Alvin/Smurfs/Happy Feat/G Force/etc got a ton.

Remember G Force? Think anyone in 10 years will remember it? That got a TONNNN of merch, and it was a brand new property. So people trying to say "Disney is just being cautious" don't get it. The whole situation is pretty pathetic.

Also, good to see you look fondly upon JHH, or more specifiically "Muppet Telelvision"
In 2002 there was strong rumors a new muppet show with the grand ornate vaudeville theater was coming, but it wasn't to be. I think the only scenario that'll make people happy is a return to the big theater look, even tho what would suit audiences more would be something more slick and modern. But theres no guarantee a new show would do well at all. I mean it'd have to have some **** good slick writing to appeal to today's ADHD generation

 

[Drtooth]

Remember G Force? Think anyone in 10 years will remember it? That got a TONNNN of merch, and it was a brand new property. So people trying to say "Disney is just being cautious" don't get it.

UGH! They were trying DESPERATELY to clear those stupid things out. The only defense I see is that they thought kids would want to play with action movie type characters. But they were wrong. On the one hand I'm glad they have stuff at all. It's definitely more than the Up Merchandise or ENG stuff we got, and Up was a huge hit. But it's not nearly as much as a more toyetic Pixar film would get. Not even Cars/Toy Story level. I mean Bug's Life/ Monsters Inc level. I can kinda see kids not wanting to play with old man dolls, but other than a couple plush at Disney, the Up stuff was expensive collectibles like limited edition Kubricks and statues.

Still, it took the second Alvin movie to get any merchandise other than a soundtrack. But granted, they kinda didn't realize it would be a successful venture.

Some of the stuff does wait for the movie's release, some of it waits until the DVD, some of it waits until a year later. If we don't ever get a PVC, I'll be ticked. But I never thought to see Pepe at all. I was expecting maybe Piggy Kermit and Animal... maybe Gonzo and or Fozzie. Didn't expect Walter at all since they never have movie characters outside maybe that Dairy Queen KSY promotion and an international PVC set for MTI. My problem is, they should have had a Kermit and an Animal a LONG time before the film anyway. Too bad the Pooka-a-looz never caught on. The Muppet ones did pretty good.

In 2002 there was strong rumors a new muppet show with the grand ornate vaudeville theater was coming, but it wasn't to be. I think the only scenario that'll make people happy is a return to the big theater look, even tho what would suit audiences more would be something more slick and modern. But theres no guarantee a new show would do well at all. I mean it'd have to have some **** good slick writing to appeal to today's ADHD generation

Exactly what I've been saying for a while now. There's no where to put it on broadcast and Disney HAS to keep milking certain demographics with their channels. Seriosuly, NBC is bringing Fear Factor back. FEAR FACTOR! How are the Muppets going to fit into a market that keeps forcing reality shows that should have gone with the first Bush term on the public. No one even likes reality shows anymore, they just watch them because they feel they have to. I really think a Muppet program would flourish on the Disney channel. I mean, they didn't want Phineas and Ferb at first, but now it's more successful than all their tweencoms combined. And people over the age of 12 actually like it.

 

[frogboy4]

I'm looking at the delicious Muppety donut while others still choose to look at the hole.

It is unfair to compare other Disney merchandise with Muppets merchandise. They're entirely different properties with different markets and films like G-Force don't have a history or the hurdle of being pre-licensed to any companies. For example, if the Muppets are already licensed to a company like Quartz or Fossil for the next couple of years then those companies must agree to put out Muppet watches or Disney has to buy-out their contract and find another interested party. Some license holders are apprehensive because the brand has been watered-down from what it once was. That kind of trust needs to be earned back with box office numbers. Everyone is being cautious and it only takes a level head to understand why. Even Disney has had to tighten its belt this year. You notice my decrease in posts here? I work multiple jobs now. It's hard all-around. There's some perfectly good merch I've had to take a pass on because of budget constraints...and you can't tell a guy whose avatar is a Kermit hoodie that he's not an uber fan too! Merchandise is about maximization of profit while clearing unit sales. No lingering Series One Palisades Piggys.

It's a slower journey to getting more Muppets at the marketplace and again - we have lots of stuff coming out (and likely more on the way). We already have plush, puppets, build your own Muppet kits, books, stickers, cut-out Muppet theater, shirts, CDs and lots of other stuff! The Muppets are at a risk of being over-saturated in the media at this point. I remember how some complained about when the marketing would begin and how aggressive it will be. Cabs, benches, buses, billboards, AMC "don't talk in the movies" ads, viral internet ads, television ads, endless TV appearances and interviews, magazine layouts. What more does a fan need? EVERYONE knows this movie is coming out. We all need to take a breath and enjoy the Muppety goodness. Nobody's landed until Novemver 23rd. I'm not second-guessing any of this until it's out.

Here's just the ad that's across the street from me and I live in a slum! Keep in mind this bus also has a huge ad with Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, Pepe and...Beaker! The Muppets are completely saturated in SF's upscale Castro area! Now I have my ideas of the kind of campaign I'd launch, the logo they should use and the lack-luster Photoshop skills. I am an artist so that's just gonna happen, but this is really amazing!! I have no real criticism because all of this, from merchandise to media exposure, is reaching the people and hitting just the right note.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Here's just the ad that's across the street from me

Oh yes those ads are all around my area too.