Rumor: The Muppet Wizard of Oz

[leliebel]

I liked return to OZ

It had Brian Henson in it...

*Is going to shut up now*

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I hope Kirk reads this thread, then, and won't be filling the film with all sorts of needless cameos as Tom said, but also won't be throwing in tons of parodies.

I REALLY wish the Muppets would play the Muppets again, like they did in VMX and MFS. I get tired of 'based on' films.

Of course, I'll watch it and likely buy the DVD.

I liked the earlier idea of having it as a show at the Muppet Theater performed before a live audience (for THEM). OR that they go to Oz and are the Muppets with the Ozian folks. I hope they don't get a cheesy witch.

What would we like to see in this film? If it's already started production, what ideas might we have for them they could use?

 

[guysmiley4ever]

I was just thinking that we need a great new muppet movie!
sigh...the last muppet movie that was really good was 'Muppet Treasure Island' (and all the movies before it)...I never thought they could top 'The muppet christmas carol', but 'treasure island' was great too!
not quite sure what happened after that.
I'd love to see them go back to excellent original songs and fun, exciting movies.
It's been so long and I'm waiting...

 

[Gonzo the Grape]

I hope they don't make an OZ RIP OFF. That is SUCH a BAD idea. So bad in fact that I feel guilty calling it an idea.
Here you have all these GREAT characters and they're willing to waste them. If they want to STEAL plot lines, how about something like a Muppety Mad, mad, mad, mad world? Where the Muppets race all towards one goal? Some people don't like Muppets from Space (honestly I hated that Gonzo was an alien) but at least it was original, which is way more respectable. I can think of a bunch of better ideas than an Oz spoof or remake. *sign*
Man, I wish Henson would call or e-mail me to help them out! I'd love to be able to write something fresh for the Muppets.
I suppose we all would, though.

 

[frogboy4]

Oz rumor is apparently true according to Secret Squirrel. It will appear on ABC next year. While it's not my first choice, I have high hopes that they'll do something creative with the story. The Oz theme could also bring current non-fans into the Muppet fan fold.

 

[BoyRaisin2]

While I'm not particularly anti-remake, you know what Henson should do? They should use one of those other movie ideas that have been floating around (Haunted House, Time Travel) and convert THOSE into telefilms. It seems obvious that there won't be a theatrical Muppet film at this point (seems too risky IMO), so why not put your original film ideas to good use?

And while you're at it, how about a new weekly Muppet series? Or at least more "Muppetisms."

 

[Beebers]

Hey, I'm gonna probably be somewhat alone in my saying that I love Muppet Christmas Carol, I'm not sure what it is about it, I just love the music, Michael Caine, the casting of the muppets, esp. Gonzo and Rizzo, the human characters, the sets, the story, I just love all of it. And I think that's partly why I kind of like the idea of the Muppet Wizard of Oz. (Complete with brilliant cameo of Frank Oz as the Wizard of Oz at the end) I also think they should either do the Wizard of oz like they did Christmas Carol and Treasure Island and at least loosely stick to the original material, not try and add some real world scenes in the middle, I don't think that'd be a very good idea. Either make it Muppet Wizard of Oz, or don't make it Wizard of Oz at all, at least that's my two cents. If they don't try to outdo the classic movie, but rather rerealize the story Muppet-style, then it will be successful,

I love Muppets Christmas Carol.

I can't see the Wizard of Oz idea, it might be a misstep for them. WOZ is, like Gone With the Wind and Casablanca, one of those films that should always stand on its own and not be remade by anyone.

 

[Super Scooter]

Seeing as how this is gonna be on ABC, that also means it will most likely be on The Wonderful World of Disney (a Saturday) the same as The Muppets at Walt Disney World. In which case, do you think the Muppets will film a special introduction with Michael Eisner for before it, the same as they did with M@WDW? I noticed they still do those introductions occasionally, in particular when they did Phenomenon 2 with John Travolta and Michael Eisner doing the intro.

 

[Gonzo]

I hope Kirk reads this thread, then, and won't be filling the film with all sorts of needless cameos as Tom said, but also won't be throwing in tons of parodies.

Agreed.

The weakest parts of both MFS and VMX for me were the parodies and cameos--the parodies are already dated, and the cameos...well if you can't get A-Listers, it only points out the weakness of the franchise to bring in people like Kathy Griffin...

Anyway.

I actually have high hopes for this--I think if done right, it could be excellent, and have as much cross-appeal as a Christmas movie does. I disagree with the people who are saying that "The Wizard of Oz" is a story that should only be told once, from one point of view. I think it's a rich fantasy world that EVERYONE is familiar with, but there's a lot more to be mined there, and the 1939 movie, great as it is, is ripe for the picking.

 

[Super Scooter]

I actually have high hopes for this--I think if done right, it could be excellent, and have as much cross-appeal as a Christmas movie does. I disagree with the people who are saying that "The Wizard of Oz" is a story that should only be told once, from one point of view. I think it's a rich fantasy world that EVERYONE is familiar with, but there's a lot more to be mined there, and the 1939 movie, great as it is, is ripe for the picking.

I agree.

I've been a supporter of this project all along, before we even knew it was an actual project. There's a lot there that can be used that will be fresh and new no matter what their source. Whether they make an adaption of the book, or an adaption of the movie. There is a lot from the book that can be brought out, and even a lot from the script of the movie that got cut that would work well. For instance, there's a whole other song that can be used, The Jitter Bug. If anyone else here has seen the home videos that were filmed of the sequence, you'll see what I mean. It's a really great scene that got cut there. There's another part earlier on in the movie that got cut before they even started shoointg, though it's in the script. When the Witch says to the Tin Man: "And you! I'll turn you into a bee hive!" ("Beehive! Bah! Let her try and make a bee hive outta me!"), the Tin Man tries to stand up for himself, but then she does turn him into a bee hive (his chest fills up with bees). It leads to a sequence where the Tin Man realizes he has killed one of the little bees, and begins to cry.

There's a lot there that the Muppets can use from the book and the original script that can make it very different, but equally as good, as the original movie. It'll deffinitely be something to look forward to.