Muppet Movie Rights Questions

[stephenjlizard]

...can someone confirm with me that Disney does, in fact, own the rights to The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and Muppets Take Manhattan?

I think Disney owns these, but I could be mistaken. Maybe they just own the distribution rights? Please help me define a clear picture here. Thanks!

 

[TheJimHensonHour]

the only one in that list they don't own is Muppets Take Manhattan

 

[CensoredAlso]

Why don't they own that one?

 

[stephenjlizard]

Thanks! That is strange that they don't own the Muppets Take Manhattan. Here's a snippet from the Muppet Wiki:

"The film was originally released by Tri-Star Pictures. Unlike the films that preceded it (The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Dark Crystal), this film was not produced by ITC, so the rights did not eventually go back to the Henson company. The movie was, like the previous Henson films, first released on video by CBS/ Fox Home Video (in 1985 and again in 1991), and has been re-released several times on VHS and DVD by Columbia TriStar. Disney does not currently have the rights to release this film. It is quite possible that Sony would rerelease this film on DVD in the near future."

 

[CensoredAlso]

Ah, thanks!

 

[dpurves]

I'd been wondering why Muppets Take Manhattan occasionally appears on cable channels like Showtime, while TMM and TGMC never do. It would be nice if Disney would show those first films once in a while...

 

[Mistersuperstar]

Disney don't own the rights to the movie but they do own the rights to all of the Muppets contained within the movie. How does it work if Sony want to re-release the feature on DVD? Do they need Disney's permission? Also, would Sony own any bonus material from the movie, ie making of featurettes or deleted scenes or would Disney own those?

 

[minor muppetz]

Disney don't own the rights to the movie but they do own the rights to all of the Muppets contained within the movie.

Except for Traveling Matt and the Sesame Street Muppets, who appear at the wedding.

How does it work if Sony want to re-release the feature on DVD? Do they need Disney's permission?

I don't know how it works, but the movie is still available on DVD. I don't know if the current release has the same features as the first one, but it has the same packaging. After Disney bought the Muppets, Sony released a three-DVD boxed set of the three Mupet movies that Sony owns, and the box has trademark and copyright credits stating that the Muppets belong to the Muppets Holding Company.

 

[minor muppetz]

Oh, yeah, and speaking of how Sony still owns a number of Muppet movies, I was recently at an FYE store that had a Disney section, and the only Muppet movies in that section were ones that Sony owns the rights to. How's that for irony (The Muppet Show: Season One was in the TV season sets section).

 

[stephenjlizard]

That's really funny...