New Muppets Interstitial Series on Disney Junior 2015

[Muppet Master]

If this is a branching point, then they should really air these shorts on the other Disney channels which would be really great.

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm late to the discussion, but to add my own .0000019 cent's worth...

Is Disney having a series of interstitial shorts of the Muppets on Disney Junior a good thing? Who knows at this point? It's hard to tell.

Is it good that Disney is looking for ways to utilize the Muppets and get more out of them? Absolutely! This is the most Disney has ever done with the Muppets since they purchased the franchise a decade ago! Between 2004 and 2011, Disney has shelved more Muppet projects and broken more promises than they did actually coming out with new things (which during that time only included MWoO and LTS).

Is this what Jim would have wanted? Why not? Let's take a step back for a moment and look at Jim's career over the years: when he started the Muppets in 1955, he wasn't really serious about making a career for himself in puppetry, he just got into it as a way of getting into the television business, which is where he wanted to be. Did he want the Muppets to be main source of recognition? Not necessarily. Throughout the 60s, he tried various different projects to show he could do more than just puppets, including such experimental films as TIMEPIECE, YOUTH '68, and THE CUBE - all of which may have been personal successes for Jim, but they each pretty much had mixed reaction from the public at best. It really wasn't he finally accepted the fact that the Muppets are pretty much what he's known for that he began to emerse himself more into the art of puppetry and as a result, we got such treasures as TMS, TMM, GMC, MTM, DC, LABYRINTH, among other things. On that same token, did Jim want the Muppets to be regarded as kiddy fare? No, you're right, he didn't; already, puppets had a stigma of being kiddy entertainment, and he tried hard to prove to people that puppets aren't just for kids, and as such, he didn't want to be labeled as a children's entertainer - he even had a mild little fit with Joan Ganz Cooney at one point in the 70s, saying SST's success ruined his life, though he assured him the exposure he's gotten is exactly what he needs, and the profits from the merchandising would also help further fund his other projects that he wanted to get off the ground. Again, the way Jim finally came to terms with the Muppets being what he was mostly known for, he eventually accepted the fact that although he tried hard to prove puppets aren't just for kids, kids were one of his biggest audiences, and as such, he began to work on more and more projects that were aimed specifically at children, such as FR, MB, and as pointed out, those Play-Along videos.

So, would Jim be upset with how Disney is utilizing the Muppets at this point? I'd say probably not; after all, his initial of selling the Muppets to Disney before he died was so that the Muppets would be with a company that would ensure they would be kept alive for generations to come, like Disney had already been doing with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, et al. after Walt's death.

 

[LouisTheOtter]

So, would Jim be upset with how Disney is utilizing the Muppets at this point? I'd say probably not; after all, his initial of selling the Muppets to Disney before he died was so that the Muppets would be with a company that would ensure they would be kept alive for generations to come, like Disney had already been doing with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, et al. after Walt's death.

I'm with you on that. And let's face it, The Muppets have the kind of street cred that Mickey, Donald, Goofy and company just don't have in the present day. That in itself should guarantee that Disney will get more use out of them.

As for the idea of them being on Disney Junior as opposed to a major or more "adult" network - hey, as long as they're out there, that's the main thing. Don't forget that the Internet is the modern-day equivalent of sharing comic books with your grade-school friends; I expect these new bits to hit big on YouTube and wherever else Disney chooses to share them in addition to their TV broadcasts.

Also: Bill Baretta. I can't explain why I trust him to oversee these things, but I do. Maybe it was his touch with the Toyota Highlander bits, or simply his two decades of work with both new and "classic" Muppet characters. I just think he gets it.

 

[Muppet Master]

I'm with you on that. And let's face it, The Muppets have the kind of street cred that Mickey, Donald, Goofy and company just don't have in the present day. That in itself should guarantee that Disney will get more use out of them.

As for the idea of them being on Disney Junior as opposed to a major or more "adult" network - hey, as long as they're out there, that's the main thing. Don't forget that the Internet is the modern-day equivalent of sharing comic books with your grade-school friends; I expect these new bits to hit big on YouTube and wherever else Disney chooses to share them in addition to their TV broadcasts.

Also: Bill Baretta. I can't explain why I trust him to oversee these things, but I do. Maybe it was his touch with the Toyota Highlander bits, or simply his two decades of work with both new and "classic" Muppet characters. I just think he gets it.

Yes, there is no way Bill Barretta would kidify the muppets, he is the one who performes Pepe, that along is convincing enough.

 

[Erine81981]

I'm with you on that. And let's face it, The Muppets have the kind of street cred that Mickey, Donald, Goofy and company just don't have in the present day. That in itself should guarantee that Disney will get more use out of them.

As for the idea of them being on Disney Junior as opposed to a major or more "adult" network - hey, as long as they're out there, that's the main thing. Don't forget that the Internet is the modern-day equivalent of sharing comic books with your grade-school friends; I expect these new bits to hit big on YouTube and wherever else Disney chooses to share them in addition to their TV broadcasts.

Also: Bill Baretta. I can't explain why I trust him to oversee these things, but I do. Maybe it was his touch with the Toyota Highlander bits, or simply his two decades of work with both new and "classic" Muppet characters. I just think he gets it.

I too agree. I can't wait to see what these little *** bits are. Anything with Muppets love it.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I'm not gonna read through all the posts but if it replaces that atrocious "Nina needs to go" I am all for it! Although picturing Piggy on Disney Junior is quite laughable.

As a parent myself though I can't wait for my baby girl to actually see Kermit on TV! It's one thing to show her the movies but she's only 15 months old so for her to actually sit through a full length movie is a no go. But to just see the Muppets in a 10 min spot is wonderful IMO.

Jim was all about wanting new generations to discover the Muppets and this is a great way to start. Disney is FINALLY taking a small risk and testing the swamp waters. I'm glad their proving me wrong because I was one of the people who thought we wouldn't see anything from them for quite a while let alone be back on tv after a disappointing set back at the box office from MMW. Let's try and reserve judgment!

 

[WalterLinz]

You guys...I can't wait!! These don't even look babyish at all. And Dwayne was right, there's absolutely nothing to worry about.
http://muppetshenson.blogspot.ca/2015/03/video-exclusive-go-behind-scenes-of-new.html?m=1

In fact, the clip shown here totally reminds me of those cute muppet and kid moments on SS!
http://muppetshenson.blogspot.ca/?m=1

 

[Muppet fan 123]

I'm excited to see the Muppets do something at this point. This should be fun, and won't have a bad effect on the franchise, if anyone out there is worried.

 

[charlietheowl]

I'm intrigued by the article mentioning that Rowlf and Sam and the Newsman will be featured in this series. It's good to see that Disney is reaching into the bench for this little series. I'll reserve further judgement until the clips pop up online

 

[minor muppetz]

I'm intrigued by the article mentioning that Rowlf and Sam and the Newsman will be featured in this series. It's good to see that Disney is reaching into the bench for this little series. I'll reserve further judgement until the clips pop up online

It's just a shame that Animal is the only member of The Electric Mayhem to be included here.

I wonder if all of these will be Muppet interactions with kids, or if any will just have the Muppets.