Is anyone else not looking forward to the Fraggle Rock movie?

[MuppetMarc]

Seeing as how I was never around to experience the Fraggle Magic in pop culture, I'm definetly looking forward to it. At leas I won't have ot explain what Fraggle Rock is to fellow students

 

[matleo]

I actually have to say I agree with Byron. I'm just not that excited about it. When Jerry was alive and it looked like he and Jocelyn Stevenson would be involved, I was excited. And I was excited cause I knew they "got it". they would hit their mark. They would deliver something that would be poignant and funny and relevant and zant and..you know, fraggles. Sadly, my excitement for this died with Jerry.

I get nervous when I see them talkng about 'celebrity cameos' and various 'famous' musicians writing specialo songs for it. Truthfully, even the idea of taking the Fraggles out of the Fraggle world and into our world *aside form Travelling Matt of course) even makes me a little apprehensive. Because that's not what Fraggles is to me.

You want to do celebrity cameos, save that for a Muppet movie. And even then, some of those have just been lead ballons that stop the story short for no good reason (I'M TALKING TO YOU, CAST OF DAWSON'S CREEK!!!! I'M TALKING TO YOU!!! ...and you tell your buddy, Hollywood Hogan to stay outta my Muppet films too.) Fraggle Rock is about Fraggles. It's about Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober and Red. It's not about Whoopi Goldberg winking at the camera, or Matthew Lillard being silly with Wembley. It's about the characters, first and foremost and I think when you introduce the celebrity cameo into this world, you start taking people out of it. That's kind of what sets Fraggles apart.

You want a soundtrack by Elton John or Phil Collins, save that for Disney. Why? Cause Fraglle music has a special feel to it. It's organic. it comes from those characters and those situations. Not from some singer/songwriter trying to get his name into a movie to impress his kids.

And as for taking them out into the world, well, where's the escapism in that? I've seen the real world. I look out my window every day and I see the world. The fun of Fraggles for me is the escapism of it. It's kind of like what I said earlier about the cameos. You're just taking people out of that world. What sets Fraggle Rock apart is that it isn't our world but we can see a bit if ourselves in it. We you try to reflect the mirror directly on us, we look away instead of looking in. Based on the most recent interview with Mr. Zappa, it sounds to me more like he's latched onto the gag of seeing Travelling Matt misunderstand humans and he's trying to make an 80 minute movie out of that. Sorry, but again, if you do that, you miss the point of what Fraggle Rock is about.

Anyway, those are my current feelings on it. I'm sure I'll go see it when it comes out and who knows, I may be pleasantly surprised. bun concerning the last few "Muppet" projects I've seen and the current direction I see this project going in, right now, I just can't get too excited for it.

What do you think, Gobo?



Yeah, I think he agrees.

--Matt

 

[Janice & Mokey's Man]

Yup, even more things inside me about this project...I've just been not wanting to think about it very much in the first place that I haven't reflected on everything that worries/upsets me about it, but you definitely hit some other nails on the head.

And since I was so scarred with "Narnia", I'm even more cautious now about films made from a book or TV show I love.

 

[Super Scooter]

Y'know, I didn't even think about the music.

... I'm scared!

 

[anytimepally]

I must say, my enthusiam for the project has waned since Jerry Juhl's passing.. and I am concerned about the music, because it has to be perfect..

that said, though I'm not super-excited, I'm still looking forward to it... as long as Jerry Nelson is involved... he was the heart of Fraggle Rock. and a movie just wouldn't seem right without his hand (get it? ) in it

 

[Luke]

Y'know, I didn't even think about the music.

... I'm scared!

Well, whoever any big name who writes the music is going to want to perform it with the Fraggles so there's one of the celebrity cameos. I'm not quite sure of a cool band nowadays who could write and perform "Fraggly" music and want to do a kids movie for little money. I don't think Zappa just using his friends is the right way of findin someone really.

I think the music could be done right, it's just finding the right people, and writing it into the story so it actually fits rather than them just walking upto this band and doing a song, and then going onto the next scene. That'd just be like a MFS thing or the VMX Scrubs cameo - just for the sake of doin em rather than havin a good purpose.

 

[Super Scooter]

Well, what I don't understand... isn't the team that made the original music still around? Why not just go back to them? I don't think big-name musicians are what's going to sell movie tickets... personally. I think the Fraggles have a large enough fan base to stick true to them without worrying about big names and big changes for the characters.

But, that's probably just me, and others on here. As much as I love the cameoes in Muppet movies, I think the Muppets can survive on their own. In the case of the Fraggles, the characters have been developed where the audience has an emotional connection with them. We laugh with them, we cry with them, and, at least those who truly care for the Fraggles, accept them. I hope the Fraggle film writer realizes this and stays true to the Fraggles, not simply throwing them into a situation for the sake of the gag or the cameo, as you stated, Luke.

 

[Foodie]

As amazing as it is that a Fraggle Rock movie is in the works, I'm in no rush for it to be completed. I'd rather they do something good than just another " Muppets Take Manhatten " sort of thing chock full of guest stars and such. They should treat Fraggle Rock more like " The Dark Crystal " or something and keep it more towards a fantasy-world thing. To be honest, I hope they go a bit more action/adventure with it than the comedy route. It'd be great if they could do a 3-part trilogy or something. Why not go all out with it? Hopefully Ahmet & friends will keep it real. + =

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I agree, Foodie.

I do hope the music stays in the same veins as the show did, and I hope they take their time and really REALLY give us a good Fraggle Rock movie.

 

[CaptainPunjab]

I agree with the point made about how it should maybe be treated more of a fantasy movie rather than a Muppet-style, real world, celebrity cameos type thing. Except for Travelling Matt, the Fraggles never interacted with humans apart from at the very end of the series (to my knowledge), so suddenly having them come out into our world for the movie, while it kinda makes sense plot-wise (it sounds like an interesting story) would not be the best way to keep the same tone as the original show.