New Regency Lands ‘Fraggle Rock’ Feature Rights Auction

[Mupp]

It's such a waste just to have Red and Karen come out every time Archaia has a comic book to promote on Free Comics Day (and especially since we haven't seen volume 3 yet... didn't get the Halloween free issue) and ComiCon, but not to have viral videos of her just goofing off....

Why they're not making Uncle Matt viral postcards (but thankfully at least releasing older European exclusive ones redubbed) is beyond me... and a TOTAL waste.

Is The Jim Henson Company in financial trouble or something? They haven't' done much in a LONG TIME.

They freakin' OWN the Fraggles, lock, stock, and barrel. The Red Fraggle puppet is apparently at the ready. (And Karen seems more than ready) What is the problem here? The company just doesn't seem motivated to do anything.

(I'm still sad about that Red Fraggle short film being cancelled. It was SO CLOSE to getting made)

 

[Drtooth]

Henson needs, and has ALWAYS needed a business partner. Just to get projects out to the public.

I wouldn't doubt that they have some sort of money problems, but let's face it... if they want a movie or TV show out there, they need someone to distribute and market and help fund the thing. In the 80's and again late 90's, there was Columbia... the early 90's it was Disney. Disney partnered with them to release MCC, MTI, I want to say MT, and Dinosaurs (there was also that sitcom production company). Also that video distribution deal.

It's that lack of business partnership that's holding everything back. The reason why FR wasn't made because Weinstine was a POOR partner. They needed to get a third and fourth partner in there, and when it was evident that they couldn't, they stalled for time. Hit was also terrible and just wanted in for the movie and merchandise. Lionsgate SHOULD have done something, but all they were interested in were DVD releases and taking credit for them. And we haven't seen hide nor hair of a DVD in over a year.

Also, Puppet building requires a LOT of money. FR would need not only the Fraggle Five, but Doozers, recurring named Fraggles (depending on how many they want to put in), incidental background Fraggles, Madame Trash Heap and her little friends, and Gorgs (unless they weren't in the movie... but then if they aren't what's the point?)... that's going to be pricey. If they can at LEAST get the Fraggles Five and Matt built, then they have more characters for piblic appearances and viral videos (something they desperately need to accomplish).

 

[frogboy4]

The Henson Company is operating as it always has, just without the charismatic leadership of Jim Henson. He worked hard to find partnerships. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him, but it was a lot easier than without him. A smaller company like JHC doesn't invest its own money into its own projects. They find a Disney, Fox or WB to pump in the funds and take a huge cut of the returns. That can interfere with the quality and content. The watering-down of a much more clever MFS script to appease Sony is a prime example. So the Henson Company is doing just fine. They just don't have Jim Henson's golden tongue to convince the big studios to jump on board and those studios don't have the confidence of Jim's direction behind Henson projects. The best we can hope for is a thoughtful Fraggle Rock Movie with a 25-30 million dollar budget and hope that its good enough to spark interest in Fraggles and Henson properties again. That's just my take. No grandiose, pimped-out special effects, CG Gorgs or flavor-of-the-month soundtrack. Just a sweet, short simple story that introduces Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock to a new generation in a relevant way. I think it can be done and kudos to this new studio if they figure that out because they're likely to make a mint on merchandising and sequels when they do.

 

[Mupp]

Yeah, I do realize that Henson needs a business partner, but I'm just amazed that they have such a hard time finding someone to throw their hat in the ring with them.

Yes, its still a darn shame about Muppets From Space.

And its a shame that Cory's Fraggle script didn't get made. Although, I was VERY worried about studio meddling.

As I once said, a Fraggle movie needs to be handled very delicately. It was a mystical, magical, innocent world, and I just don't know if any studio has the courage to let it stay that way.

So, while this New Regency deal sounds nice, I'm still worried. Studio meddling can be a problem, ESPECIALLY with a franchise like Fraggle Rock that MUST stay innocent, or else it will be tarnished. There are a LOT is expectations, and a LOT that can go wrong.

As unfortunate as it is that we didn't get a Fraggle film made by now, I'm just glad that a BAD one has not been made.

I would rather we have no film than a bad one.

Right now I'm glad that the Muppets are with Disney, a company that has the muscle to get things done. I NEVER thought that we would ever see Thog or Uncle Deadly again, and yet for the new movie they were rebuilt (no doubt at incredible expense).
(I still think its a real shame that Sesame Workshop was not able to rebuilt Bruno.)

Still, I'm glad that Sesame Street is part of public television. Although without Jim Henson's Muppets, I doubt that the show would have survived this long.
As Keven basically said in that recent interview, Elmo has helped keep the show going.

 

[frogboy4]

I guess every film is a gamble no matter how high the bar or how pure the intentions. Henson needs a partner to cough up the tens of millions needed for its film projects. New Regency seems like as good a fit as any and a better one than Weinstein.

 

[Drtooth]

They find a Disney, Fox or WB to pump in the funds and take a huge cut of the returns. That can interfere with the quality and content. The watering-down of a much more clever MFS script to appease Sony is a prime example. So the Henson Company is doing just fine. They just don't have Jim Henson's golden tongue to convince the big studios to jump on board and those studios don't have the confidence of Jim's direction behind Henson projects. The best we can hope for is a thoughtful Fraggle Rock Movie with a 25-30 million dollar budget and hope that its good enough to spark interest in Fraggles and Henson properties again. That's just my take. No grandiose, pimped-out special effects, CG Gorgs or flavor-of-the-month soundtrack. Just a sweet, short simple story that introduces Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock to a new generation in a relevant way. I think it can be done and kudos to this new studio if they figure that out because they're likely to make a mint on merchandising and sequels when they do.

Watered down MFS was ALSO due in part to a hack director that wanted to focus on mundane crap. But there was general ennui about the project all around. MFS could have been so much better, but let's face it... the plot was gimmicky and ONLY had a space plot because it was Star Wars summer, and everyone was cashing in off of it. Austin Powers 2 had a bunch of obvious Star Wars references shoved in it.

Henson NEEDS a partner, absolutely. Unfortunately, they haven't had a good one for years. I'd say the events of MFS soured Henson on Columbia, but they continued releasing DVD's until the Disney buy out. Hit was crap, Weinstine was crap, Lionsgate SHOULD have done more. At least giving us the animated Dog City on DVD.

I too hope that Henson pushes for the film to be as classy as possible. I don't want to see a Chipmunk-ified version of the show with loud garish now references. But the sad thing is, these movies are successful. For whatever reason, people were suckered into seeing Yogi Bear (which could have been enjoyable had they at least cast someone who can ACT or EMOTE as Rangers Smith). I will say the Smurfs isn't as bad as the trailers made it... but not by much. I'm shocked I found ANY of it enjoyable, and cringed less than when I was watching a dumber than your average movie comeback (and it was STILL better than Yo Yogi!). Only one that failed was Marmaduke. And let's face it. Kids don't read newspapers from the 60's, so they don't care.

I really hope Henson gets a script writer as passionate as Corey was about it. Someone who stuck up for his artistic vision (though he lost the battle completely on Hoodwinked Too... and he wasn't happy at ALL about it), and had a dead set no on robots and Guitar Hero references (there was nothing eerier than reading that everything in the Smurf movie was the stuff the studios were forcing upon Fraggle Rock)... someone who respects the franchise and won't write ironic "wasn't this stupid" Brady Bunch-esque gags... that went out with the first Scooby-Doo movie (there was nothing there that college kids in the early 90's didn't already say). Sigh... does Jason Segal like Fraggle Rock? He has to, right?

 

[beaker]

If a lot of kids today, and people in general have a kind of "the muppets? oh yeah, i remember big bird and those two old guys" foggy sort of memory about them...how in the bloody heck is a company going to expect the public to remember Fraggle Rock? A show that aired in the early to mid 1980's on HBO which many people never got.

 

[Drtooth]

By that logic, the better questions are...How are kids going to remember a franchise that the US only knows as a 1980's cartoon that no one outside of Europe seen since? How are kids going to remember a novelty song/cover franchise that the only exposure they would have got was via hearing a song at Christmas. You never know what will be a hit. I'm surprised there was a Johnny English sequel, considering the first one did so poorly over here. Even though I haven't found a theater that actually shows it.

But this is an uphill bout to get this show back in the spotlight. Problem is, it's also the franchise JHC wants to rebuild themselves with. They've been going out of their way promoting Hub reruns and the comic book series... they have all this weird merchandise now (not half as nice as the Sababa stuff). Henson wants this to happen, but are powerless to do it on their own. Fraggles and the movies Dark Crystal and Labyrinth are the only classic Henson stuff still in their jurisdiction.

On the fan said, we want a movie BECAUSE we got 7 theatrical Muppet films and 2 theatrical Sesame ones. And yet, while it was discussed, a Fraggle Movie never happened. And it's a shame it didn't, as it would have given them more exposure than an HBO cable show that few of us were fortunate to watch the first time. But that's also holding the franchise back, though... the entire series has been on home video for some time.