I have seen both ads and they only serve to raise my concern over what the MHC is doing with the characters.
It has been suspiciously silent over there since the big shake up after Eisner left.
There have been lots of "we're paring back this" or "we're putting that on hold". But one would think that if Robert Iger (sp?) had his own hand-picked crew ready to assume command at MHC after the shift, they'd have some sort of immediate plan to put into play.
From what I can tell, no new plans (other than the use of Muppets as commercial shills) have been announced. Please tell me I'm wrong. Because right now, the Muppets appear to be in an unhealthy holding pattern.
Of course, the addition of PIXAR to the Disney mix may be the Muppets' saving grace. Perhaps John Lassiter will extend his dominion wihtin the company to include a modicum of creative input with the Muppets. I would trust him. He's got the genius to know how to handle them. He's got the respect for the original property that would play well in finding a new direction for the Muppets. He knows from funny.
-G