New Muppets Interstitial Series on Disney Junior 2015

[WalterLinz]

I saw on both The Muppet Mindset and ToughPigs' Facebook accounts they have said from what they've heard, these segments are aimed at kids, but still hilarious for adults to watch. Sounds great! But (sigh), still...it doesn't look like that several people are pretty comfortable about watching this series on a preschool network...

Hopefully these will pop up sometime online soon.

 

[dwayne1115]

I was reassured by an inside source that this is going to be really good all ad libed stuff. frear not fans fear not.

 

[Drtooth]

If this was a proper TV Show I would not be excited, I would be worried and maybe even angry. Disney has worked very hard to make the Muppets a Family Franchise to then go and make a Muppet Show on Disney Junior would just be a dumb move on their part.

To be honest, I do agree. I wouldn't want to see a preschool themed Muppet Program...well, featuring these characters anyway. But short interstitial bits like Muppet Time (only featuring famous characters) sound like a nice way to utilize the characters.

Too bad they can't make these for all Disney channels, though.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

To all the people concerned about this: I've heard that although the shorts are on a channel where it doesn't belong, the shorts are awesome. They are just as wacky and awesome as you'd want them to be. Plus, Bill Barretta directed every single one. Muppet fans should enjoy this very much.

belong with these guys?

I get that new muppet stuff is better than nothing, but will they kidify the muppets to the extent of the characters shown above?

You know what else is heading to Disney Junior next year? A Lion King spin-off named "The Lion Guard", which is described as "kind of The Lion King meets The Avengers. Does this mean Disney sees The Lion King as a kiddy franchise? No chance.

If I was in charge of Disney, I would have ordered an Frozen interstitial series by now, and it's awesome that they're so eager to put new Muppet stuff out there. Trust me, this short series will lead to much more awesome things, and should not in any way negatively affect the Muppets.

 

[Muppet Master]

To all the people concerned about this: I've heard that although the shorts are on a channel where it doesn't belong, the shorts are awesome. They are just as wacky and awesome as you'd want them to be. Plus, Bill Barretta directed every single one. Muppet fans should enjoy this very much.



You know what else is heading to Disney Junior next year? A Lion King spin-off named "The Lion Guard", which is described as "kind of The Lion King meets The Avengers. Does this mean Disney sees The Lion King as a kiddy franchise? No chance.

If I was in charge of Disney, I would have ordered an Frozen interstitial series by now, and it's awesome that they're so eager to put new Muppet stuff out there. Trust me, this short series will lead to much more awesome things, and should not in any way negatively affect the Muppets.

That is very reassuring, maybe this was the reason why there was that big article a few months ago about how Disney was planning a new muppet show, since Bill Baretta directed these, I doubt they will be bad, and it is even more reassuring that other non kiddy franchies are coming to the channel.

 

[jvcarroll]

This is a good thing!!​

There are too many kids who don't know who the frog Kermit and the Muppet gang are. I'm thoroughly convinced that is what this is all about.

• The Muppets already catered to the Disney Channel crowd with Studio DC (with mixed results) and came away with some new fans.
• The Muppets catered to Gaga's fans (again, to mixed results) and came away with some little monster fans.
• The Muppets catered to nostalgic pseudo fans (with great results) with Segel's film and came away with happy viewers.

Little of this, however, helped get butts in the seats for Muppets Most Wanted. I'd hate to say it, but the most scathing reviews I've heard (of the otherwise fantastic film) were from parents of little ones who didn't connect to the movie - and connection to the characters is key for that to happen.

I know. I'm not keen on the kiddification of the Muppets either, but with Barretta at the helm, I don't think that's going to happen. I think these are going to be wonderful commercial bumpers that are merely placed to be seen by a market that hasn't yet received a proper introduction. A direct one just for them.

Today's toddlers are tomorrow's tweens and teens and they're the ones that (for better or for worse) movies are marketed toward. This is not some kind of Muppet purgatory. This is not just where they've ended up after a lackluster box office performance. Disney's laying the groundwork for the long run - the next Muppet movie (or show or project) that'll be somewhere down the line. This is smart marketing. Adult fans with toddlers will be able to share their love for the Muppets. (Cue the Circle of Life music)

 

[Drtooth]

You know what else is heading to Disney Junior next year? A Lion King spin-off named "The Lion Guard", which is described as "kind of The Lion King meets The Avengers. Does this mean Disney sees The Lion King as a kiddy franchise? No chance.

They have preschool toys based off some of their movies as well. Lion King included. And remember, that's essentially a political thriller with a lot of death and a dangerously insane villain. I don't see Disney making any of these franchises full blown Winnie the Pooh, specifically for preschoolers. And with the low box office turn out of the last Pooh movie, I think they learned their lesson about that.

Not to mention that their preschool programming turned a very sharp corner away from "let's do what Dora was doing," especially with Sophia the First. I'd also count 7D as it was supposed to be a preschool series for Disney Junior... and then it wasn't, without changing the concept of the show at all. It still has earmarks of edutainment, especially problem solving and light engineering.

I do not see Disney making a new Muppet TV show where they sit around asking questions to an unresponsive audience with a good 10 seconds of awkward silence before answering their own questions. Not with the Muppets, not with Muppet babies... we're completely safe.

 

[mr3urious]

As long as this isn't a full-fledged Muppet preschool series using Kermit and the gang, and as long as it's solidly written with plenty of wit to it, and as long as it doesn't have the characters asking questions to kids loudly and slowly, then this won't be such a bad move.

Hopefully, this will lead to bigger and better things for the Muppets in the future.

 

[Drtooth]

Last time they tried to make Kermit into a preschool show, they just gave up and made a movie that most of the fanbase deplores.

Preschool shows are fortunately passing by that Dora pseudo-interactive phase. It still exists, but not nearly as much. They even manage to sneak in some sly humor some of the time. Even Peppa Pig manages to make a joke that's clearly there for the adults to enjoy. I caught one where Daddy Pig says something inappropriate (but family friendly) about his brother, and Peppa manages to let that slip by in a puppet show in front of said brother and the rest of her family. I don't see many other preschool shows letting something like that slip in... you know... the old "parents say something nasty behind someone's back and the kid repeats it" trick. I almost fell out of my chair.

 

[Mr Sweetums]

I really, really like the idea of a Muppet Interstitial series on other channels, not just because it means more Muppets but because it's a genius move. Muppets aimed at kids on Disney Junior, Muppets aimed at tweens on another channel , Muppets for teens, Muppets for adults etc... all on different channels. This is an easy way to target a specific age group, get them hooked on Muppets and then bring them all in together for another movie or even better a tv show. Then they must make sure the TV show is true to the Muppets and this time they have the challenge of keeping all their new fans (from different age groups) entertained with one movie or one show. That's the true way of The Muppets, entertaining everybody with the same production but first they have to find a way to get everybody to watch that production.