In Defense of the TV Films

[D'Snowth]

What took this thread so long to take off?

 

[Drtooth]

While I don't consider LTS a movie by any means (it's too short to be one), I really thought it was good, but could have been better if they added one extra scene with th other Muppets feeling terrible about not going with Gonzo and Kermit... especially Miss Piggy. The whole project could have been much better had they revised the last act. It would have been something for Paul Williams Elf to open the door to Santa's Workshop, and have all the Muppets in there, instead of saying "we're Closed" (or more accurately "we're running over time and budget, and we still have 97 more commercials to run").

Seriously. NBC had like a 5 minute commercial break every 2 minutes of Muppet Special.

 

[D'Snowth]

Just about all commercial breaks are five minutes these days.

 

[KrazyJoe]

I’m speaking, of course, of It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Muppets Wizard of Oz, and Letters to Santa. These TV films have gotten a lot of hate, and I think it’s time for someone to put them in perspective. They were made to try to put the Muppets back in the public eye and keep them there until it was time for another theatrical Muppet film. Naturally, these three TV films were not going to be as good as the theatrical films from the 80’s and 90’s, and frankly they don’t try to be. It was the fans that had (and continue to hold) these expectations, rather unfairly. Personally, I think that if you go into watching these three TV films without holding them up on a pedestal they don’t deserve to be on, they remain enjoyable and still function successfully on their own as Muppet films.

???????????????????

I'm so confused! Who hates those? I watch 'Letters to Santa' and 'It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie' every year! I always praise 'It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie' for being the film that brought back the 'old school' Muppets. I love that movie. I'd never heard anyone 'hate' it before.

Personally, I've never been crazy about Christmas Carol, Treasure Island or Wizard of Oz. I feel like we only get to revisit the Muppets every few years. When it's time for a new movie, I want to spend time with Kermit and Fozzie, etc. Not with Bob Cratchet or The Cowardly Lion. I don't care for the Muppets playing a role. I like them as themselves. That's just my personal quirk, though.

 

[Drtooth]

As for me, I think LTS and VMX were the best Post-Henson Muppet projects until The Muppets came along. Not that I don't see the obvious problems with them.

VMX is very much a product of early 00's humor. It has a pacing of an early Family Guy episode, with cutscenes and the same sort of rapid fire pop culture gags as basically everything else back then. While it don't necessarily make the film suffer all that much, it does date itself. Unfortunately, it makes the weird Crock Hunter bit cringe-worthy, especially in hindsight. And you can totally tell which parts were written by the special guest Simpsons writers. Sam's dialogue seems pretty much interchangeable with Sideshow Mel.

LTS, as I've said before, is too darn short. It has so much potential, but it just doesn't have time for it. Watching the TV broadcast is even worse since the commercials were relentless (thanks NBC). It's a good special, but there should have been more of it.

 

[Princeton]

Bumping...

One thing I absolutely loved about VMX is that it has two epiphanies for me: 1) It's the one time where the Kermit/Piggy dynamic gets a positive reaction from me and 2) It's the one time that I don't absolutely hate Eric as Piggy (though Moulin Scrooge is EXTREMELY touch and go). Then his performance as Piggy in The Muppets is probably his second best performance (and I can actually tolerate her in that one, but that's more a compliment to the writers; Piggy was the one character that movie didn't screw up). MWoO, he didn't even make an attempt to make her sound like a female (though it is probably my favorite portrayal of Piggy; she's been evil ever since TMS, so in a sense she didn't even have to act in this one).

 

[Muppet Master]

I’m speaking, of course, of It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Muppets Wizard of Oz, and Letters to Santa. These TV films have gotten a lot of hate, and I think it’s time for someone to put them in perspective. They were made to try to put the Muppets back in the public eye and keep them there until it was time for another theatrical Muppet film. Naturally, these three TV films were not going to be as good as the theatrical films from the 80’s and 90’s, and frankly they don’t try to be. It was the fans that had (and continue to hold) these expectations, rather unfairly. Personally, I think that if you go into watching these three TV films without holding them up on a pedestal they don’t deserve to be on, they remain enjoyable and still function successfully on their own as Muppet films.

I think VMX was a great movie. It showcased the classic days of TMS, and Steve Whitmire really became Kermit in this one. Many muppets made their comebacks as well like Scooter, Janice, Rowlf, ect. It was also the last and in my opinion best Robin role performed by Jerry Nelson. The plot was awesome, and I loved it. MWoO wasn't well written making Dorthy want to be a pop star is not a \n effective plot. If they had stayed with the classic story like MCC and MTI did it would've been more liked. LTS was a little unneeded and it didn't live up to much. In the end, that's what I think of those TV films.

 

[Princeton]

It was also the last and in my opinion best Robin role performed by Jerry Nelson.

Actually, VMX was the first Muppet film without Nelson. I'm not sure who voiced his characters in this film, though.

 

[Mo Frackle]

LTS was a little unneeded and it didn't live up to much.

LTS wasn't a movie.

Actually, VMX was the first Muppet film without Nelson. I'm not sure who voiced his characters in this film, though.

Nelson was in it. He looped most of his characters' voices. The only Jerry character completely performed by someone else was Lew Zelanad (Bill Barretta briefly began performing him around this point).

 

[FletchySRF3088]

Nelson was in it. He looped most of his characters' voices. The only Jerry character completely performed by someone else was Lew Zelanad (Bill Barretta briefly began performing him around this point).

Yeah, I always wondered why they didn't have Jerry loop his voice for Lew Zealand I thought Bill Barretta did a really good job though.

Also, sorry about this, but can't resist pointing out that there is one Statler line they left unlooped towards the end of the film ("Historical landmark!").