Disney Set to Bid for Muppet Parent Henson--Sources

[beaker]

All I gotta say is there are two parrell questions...

when will the US invade Iraq, and when will this buyout business happen? Seems like they are both running parralell time frame wise.

 

[BoyRaisin2]

Originally posted by beaker
All I gotta say is there are two parrell questions...

when will the US invade Iraq, and when will this buyout business happen? Seems like they are both running parralell time frame wise.

Same here, dude. Same here.

 

[murgatoad]

There's another article at Variety.com that covers this subject, but it has a rather ominous bit towards the end:

"Disney is easily the deepest-pocketed of the other known bidders, so its entrance immediately makes Burbank conglom a prohibitive favorite to win the auction. If that happens and Mouse House adopts Kermit and his Muppet brethren into the Magic Kingdom, Disney will likely collapse much of Henson's production infrastructure and absorb the properties into its own operations.

Henson management -- which ultimately decided against pursuing their own bid for the onetime family-owned company -- could be kept aboard along with most creative talent if any of the other bidders prevails, however."

Hmm. Well, IMO, if Disney dismisses the goofballs currently running Henson, it's no great loss. Particularly those who keep using pig puppets as scapegoats.

 

[Fozzie]

I hope that Disney doesn't get it because the they will ruin the muppets just like they have ruined so many of their classic movies by making sequals. I mean yeah, it would be nice to see the muppets air again but they will try to make "new episodes and it won't have the same magic that it once had.

 

[frogboy4]

The Muppets are already slated to air "new episodes" via the new Muppet show on Fox next year. I don't think that's a bad thing. The difference is that it has good people behind it. Not Disney hacks. The Muppets should definitely live on in new television shows and films. I just don't think the Disney team has shown much creativity in recent years.

 

[Luke]

Originally posted by frogboy4
The Muppets are already slated to air "new episodes" via the new Muppet show on Fox next year

That's IF the Fox show even goes ahead, though i think it's likely they will fulfill that contract rather than get out of it. If it WAS Disney, i can't see them being too happy about an edgy Muppet show on Fox though, not really the direction i could see Disney taking the Muppets in at all.

I think if it really was Disney a lot of things would change and i agree with the article piece that they'd just try to incorporate the Muppets into their own brand - it doesn't make sense for them to fund the staff or facilities when they have their own but i hope it's not the end of JHC though (especially as the great work they've done this year needs to be built on) and they'd keep it going in some form but there's not a chance in a million they'd renew the lease on the Chaplin studios, and i think we'd see the Henson family themselves becoming even more distant from the company. It'd kinda be a Muppet traditionalists nightmare but these changes do really need to be made for the brand to really have a secure future. I think the end result we see as fans will be a good one and not that noticeable a change, for a start i don't think they'd be crazy enough to throw away the 'Jim Henson' name - that's pretty much what they'd be paying for.

 

[murgatoad]

Originally posted by frogboy4
The Muppets are already slated to air "new episodes" via the new Muppet show on Fox next year. I don't think that's a bad thing. The difference is that it has good people behind it. Not Disney hacks. The Muppets should definitely live on in new television shows and films. I just don't think the Disney team has shown much creativity in recent years.

I sincerely doubt that show will ever make it to the air. If it does, it will most assuredly be short-lived. Remember, "The Jim Henson Hour" aired right after the successful airing of "Muppet Family Christmas", and we know how that went down. "Down" of course being the operative word. A fuzzy bit of nostalgia at Christmas does not translate to a comeback, a renaissance, or a successful new weekly series. Fox has the option of dropping the series before it ever airs, and I'd bet good money that after the debacle of "Greg the Bunny" that's exactly what it will do.

 

[murgatoad]

Originally posted by Luke
That's IF the Fox show even goes ahead, though i think it's likely they will fulfill that contract rather than get out of it. If it WAS Disney, i can't see them being too happy about an edgy Muppet show on Fox though, not really the direction i could see Disney taking the Muppets in at all.

I think if it really was Disney a lot of things would change and i agree with the article piece that they'd just try to incorporate the Muppets into their own brand - it doesn't make sense for them to fund the staff or facilities when they have their own but i hope it's not the end of JHC though (especially as the great work they've done this year needs to be built on) and they'd keep it going in some form but there's not a chance in a million they'd renew the lease on the Chaplin studios, and i think we'd see the Henson family themselves becoming even more distant from the company. It'd kinda be a Muppet traditionalists nightmare but these changes do really need to be made for the brand to really have a secure future. I think the end result we see as fans will be a good one and not that noticeable a change, for a start i don't think they'd be crazy enough to throw away the 'Jim Henson' name - that's pretty much what they'd be paying for.

Again, an excellent analysis. And in addition - I think Disney will have a far better "handle" on what the Muppet appeal is and will exercise its influence to keep the lunatic fringe up at Henson from messin' with it. Particularly regarding the frog/pig dynamic. Disney has handled odd couples for years ("Lady and the Tramp", "Beauty and the Beast") and has a far better grasp on its potential and significance than the nutballs currently in charge at Henson, who nowadays seem to think that a far better combination is Kermit and Gonzo. Holy sheetcake. Is it any wonder the company is going under?

 

[frogboy4]

Is there anything you do like?

 

[Fozzie]

Originally posted by frogboy4
The Muppets are already slated to air "new episodes" via the new Muppet show on Fox next year. I don't think that's a bad thing. The difference is that it has good people behind it. Not Disney hacks. The Muppets should definitely live on in new television shows and films. I just don't think the Disney team has shown much creativity in recent years.

I definetly agree.