Frank Oz: "New Muppets Too Cute"

[LouisTheOtter]

I hesitate to come down too hard on Frank Oz for his recent comments because (a) he has as much right to make them as anyone else, (b) he arguably has MORE right to make them than anyone else, (c) he's responsible for many of my fondest childhood (and adulthood) memories and slagging him feels like slagging Santa Claus, and (d) there's the one-in-a-bazillion chance he might actually come to Muppet Central and read this.

That being said, I find it hard to believe that the director of The Muppets Take Manhattan - my sixth-favourite Muppet film, largely due to the overly-saccharine debut of the Muppet Babies - is dissing the new movie (my third-favourite Muppet film) for being "cute" and "smarmy."

I won't rehash everything said earlier and better by others (particularly Pinkflower) but the short version is that I loved The Muppets and think it works beautifully as both a stand-alone film and a relaunch of the franchise. True, there's the sad-Kermit-getting-his-confidence-back debate, but I think pretty well all of the characters had their "edge" on without being offensive. I don't know how Frank Oz visualized this film, but none of my nightmare scenarios played themselves out on the screen.

As I mentioned in another thread, I think the "edge" Frank seeks will be on display in the next Muppet movie, which will be the fun "comedy caper" Nick Stoller promised and not have to resort to the nostalgic tone of the last one.

 

[Drtooth]

MWoO was nowhere near as bad as IAVMMCM... THAT'S the one we should all wish didn't exist.

VMX had substantial problems, but MOz was a failure across the board. VMX had the luxury of being around when Family Guy/Simpsons pop culture gags weren't completely exhausted and rendered unfunny (the Parody Movie franchise saw to that), sure... but beyond all of that, it got some things right...

• The Muppet Theater was BACK
• The aside about alternate world Piggy showed more of the importance of the Kermit/Piggy relationship
• For the first time in a while Kermit actually flew off the handle (multiple times)
• Classic Characters started coming back
• The Muppets were playing themselves.

Now, I can go volumes about why MOz was screwed up. It's the same thing, stunt casting, rush, trying to capture the lightning in a bottle of VMX again... but the one major thing wrong with the film, the Muppets were once again doing fairy tales, not playing themselves, having to play second to human characters, and over all it was a step backward to the MCC and MTI films... without the benefit of the well written scripts by Jerry Juhl. There are 2 good things about the film... it managed to portray a couple things left out of most WOZ portrayals, and the Electric Mayhem actually had a couple numbers (where they didn't sing much).

Still, I can't find the alternate universe in VMX half as disturbing as Wicked Witch Piggy basically making a snuff film in MOz.

 

[D'Snowth]

That's another problem, although the Muppets have had that sneaky and clever little level of adult humor, they never went too far or tried too hard to push the envelop like is the case with BOTH The Simpsons and Family Guy, and you have to admit, some of what was in IAVMMCM was somewhat inappropriate for a family movie.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I don't know about that TMS could push the limits at times in terms of adult humor. Lol!

 

[D'Snowth]

Yes, but never too far.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I thought VMMC was more tolerable then LTS. I felt like I was watching a Sesame Street movie vs a Muppet one.

 

[minor muppetz]

One part of the interview I don't really understand: It sounds like Frank Oz is vaguely mentioning an upcoming project he's been working on, but then says he doesn't want to talk about it because he doesn't want to sound like somebody talking about his work. But it's hard to hear the question being asked... Was he asked what he's currently working on? Or was he saying he doesn't like talking about his past work (though he has done many interviews talking about past productions)?

 

[Pinkflower7783]

To me it sounded like he might have a new project in the works obviously it won't be Muppets at least we know that much. Lol!

 

[Duke Remington]

You're entitled to your opinion, Duke. I'm glad you liked the film. I enjoyed it too, but it was not the same Muppets that I grew up with. I'm assuming you're younger and grew up with an even different Muppet era than myself which is fine. But I don't think Frank was being mean spirited. He was being honest. Frank is brutally honest which is one of the reasons I love him as an artist/performer. I wish he was involved with this film or that they would've made the film based on his original script which I think would've been far more Muppety than what we got.

You are entitled to your opinion, Melissa, but I still don't see what you see wrong with the new film (which IS one of the more truly-Muppety things they've done in a long, long time). Please try to understand that it's the kind of film that HAD to be made--anything else would've been a flop, as everyone else just said.

I can appreciate Frank sharing his honest opinions, but I wish that he would express at least somewhat of an understanding that they HAD to make the film that they did in order to revive the franchise, as well as understanding that Disney's ownership of the Muppets has actually been a great big boon and not a failure.

Don't rely on the past all the time. In this case, stop asking Frank to return to the Muppets--he doesn't want to. He has moved on. Wish him well and leave him alone.

I'm sorry, but I'm just sick and tired of some people totally ungrateful towards the new film, whether they liked or not. The Muppets are back (as they're old Muppety selves, no less) and we should all be happy about it. Do you really want them to fall into another slump like they did after Jim died? Didn't think so.

I've also been confused by the fact that people say this recent film stayed true to the characters.

That's because it did!

I found Kermit to be a very sad characterization in this recent film, almost pathetic. That's NOT the Kermit we know and love. Even him living in a mansion is out of character. Our little Kermit of the past would NEVER be living in a giant mansion, even if it was meant for him and Miss Piggy to live in. He would've gone back to the swamp!

Two things wrong here:

First, Kermit's characterization in this film had to be the way it was because of the tone of the story that they had to tell. In spite of all that, Kermit really was still Kermit.

Second, Kermit was NOT living in the mansion, especially not after he and Piggy broke up. He was already living elsewhere and only stopped by the place from time to time to check up on it. As others have said, it was Piggy who had the mansion built (which probably would've been in character for the pig anyway), not Kermit.

Either way, the recent film accomplished its goal and now the Muppets are truly able to go back to doing what they truly do best again, which will be even more evident in the next Muppet film.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Yeah because we could always rewind 12 years back to MFS. *shivers*