Seven Years Later: Disney buys Muppets and Bear

[CensoredAlso]

However, if it tanks, which can be a possibility (remember the fans will think of this as a "must see" but Disney has to persuade the masses, espicially the teen crowd, if it is to be viable for them), then I think it will be the beginning of the end for the franchise.

Which doesn't have to be the end of the world for the Muppets, if it happens. All successful franchises eventually meet their end, it's inevitable. They stay alive in audience's minds because the work they left behind is still widely available. Both Henson and Disney should have concentrated more on that long ago. I go to iTunes and The Muppet Movie doesn't even show up. Yet somehow Muppets in Space, which was in no way a success, is available. That is insane. (Though it's good to see the Henson's Place documentary!).

You can't keep trying to reinvent something for newer generations based on no foundation at all. Audiences need to know why they should like these things.

 

[Oscarfan]

Muppets from Space is under different ownership, so Disney doesn't have the rights to release it.

 

[Drtooth]

I think we (the fans) are getting a mixed bag here. The problem is this, if the Muppets tank, Disney can move on to something else: they have animated movies, princesses, comic book heroes and even pirates to fall back on. When the Henson family had control, the Muppets were the big deal. If they tanked, well, that was not going to happen. So there was great care in cranking out quality product, ensuring that the fans' love of the muppets were going to continue. With the Disney engine in control, it's all about the might dollar. Less care is given to quality, and more is given to profitibility. That is why we often get the shank.

That is the general disaster. But let's face it, how much of a leg to stand on DOES Henson even have anymore? They're primary partner needs partners, and sat on a movie for a year so they could add fart jokes and crotch bonk jokes so it would be a success. Other than that, their new projects include a new Scream (yeah, we're ALL routing for that one That got tired the second time around) and Spy Kids (didn't they say it was OVER like 7 years ago?). Their tent pole isn't even a puppet project. They've had so many failed half produced projects, and the ones that went somewhere died pretty fast.

So there's the problem right there... if the movie doesn't do well, they'll toss them onto a pile and we'll never see them again. But then again, under Henson, we wouldn't even get to the movie stage. Let's also not forget, various other companies were about to buy them before Henson bought it back... they would have been WORSE! I once heard horror stories about Filmation's back library being owned by a shampoo company!

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Muppets from Space is under different ownership, so Disney doesn't have the rights to release it.

Yeah, just to clear things up with everyone's confusion over who owns what: Sony owns the distribution rights to Muppets from Space and The Muppets Take Manhattan, Universal owns It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and John Denver's estate owns all media related to A Christmas Together (both the special and album). Disney owns everything else. Feel free to continue on with the thread.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah, just to clear things up with everyone's confusion over who owns what: Sony owns the distribution rights to Muppets from Space and The Muppets Take Manhattan, Universal owns It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and John Denver's estate owns all media related to A Christmas Together (both the special and album). Disney owns everything else. Feel free to continue on with the thread.

Right that is true, some of the problem is copyright (which is supposedly to help the artist, ha). So basically a mediocre film that barely made a dent in the public's consciousness gets more publicity than the first Muppet movie. Good job copyright!

And yet time and again Henson and Disney came to the conclusion that the best solution was to keep putting out new movies with little focus or direction. And then when the public doesn't respond, it's decided the Muppets must just be "too dated." It's nonesense.

 

[ktbear]

Dignity among Chaos

I am going to try to keep this short. I hope I can. The first time Disney bought the Muppets, it was soon after Jim died and it kind of made a bit of sense. The Henson kids needed time to mourn and financially recollect themselves to see how their dad's legacy would continue. Some good things were produced, but we missed the Muppets cultural presence. Then the Hensons bought it back. It was OK, but don't get me started on Muppets from Space (ouch!). The biggest problem is that we are missing Jim's spirit in things. His artistic eye with The Story Teller and Mother Goose. His global heart in Fraggles, and his gentleness in Emmett Otter.....they are all gone since he passed. All Disney sees is the $ the "Muppets" name brings. Does anyone remember the clear separation between Disney and Muppets in the Muppet Show? There is an inside joke (that seems painfully ironic now) with Mickey Moose and Ronald Duck on an episode of the Muppet Show. Disney's best was Muppets Tonight (With Clifford "Your Homey made of Foamy"). It was good but there were too many characters no one was connected to. We didn't have a real relationship with the new characters. If Disney is going to give the Muppets their due, they need to create a separate division of the company that focuses on the goldmine they are sitting on. They need to bring in Brian or John and ask them what they think Jim would want to happen. The Muppets that evoke sentiment are the ones we are connected to. Jim let them simmer until we cared about them. Disney bangs you over the head with who they think you should like (How many years have Zach and Cody been on?). The success of the Muppets was that Jim let things grow. Muppets Tonight came away with only a couple of favourite characters. Monkeys, Bears and Mobsters (oh my) don't evoke the same sentiment as Beauregard, Scooter and Janice. They just don't. The worstC:Almost Live. Abysmal. Hence the reason I am VERY, VERY skeptical about this new movie in November.
What Disney can do is give us Muppets Tonight on DVD/Bluray and the last two seasons of the Muppet Show. They can research and restudy what Jim wanted for the Muppets as a legacy. They can remember that fart and crotch jokes are not a part of the past Muppets, and they don't belong in any other Muppet project. The Muppets had a sense of dignity, let's keep it that way.

 

[CensoredAlso]

They can remember that fart and crotch jokes are not a part of the past Muppets, and they don't belong in any other Muppet project. The Muppets had a sense of dignity, let's keep it that way.

It is amazing how long it has taken for that to sink in (if it has at all)!

 

[ktbear]

One more thing

I forgot to add something:
The Muppet Show and Muppets Tonight had a great premise, to feature artists, past and present, in the Chaos of a show run by Muppets. I think it would be a great idea to revisit that idea (I know the idea is in the works) but revisit what made the original show such a success. Bring back artists who were on the show in the '70's who are still relevant (Steve Martin, John Cleese, Elton John) along with other NON DISNEY artists. It should not be a commercial for Disney's other productions. Also, do not make new characters. Give us back the old ones we love and ditch the ones we don't care about. Make more virals to wet our feet for the show. One thing Jim loved was the helpful with the ridiculous. Jane said in an interview that Captain Vegetable (not the new one) was a perfect example. It taught kids to make healthy eating choices, but through the messenger of a wacky, goofy, silly rabbit. The Bohemian Rapsody, Ode to Joy and other virals are great examples. They keep good music alive by giving it as a gift through Muppets. And when in doubt, make one character eat another or throw penguins in the air.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Monkeys, Bears and Mobsters (oh my) don't evoke the same sentiment as Beauregard, Scooter and Janice.

I think that's a good way of presenting the divide between the Jim-era Muppets and the post-Jim era Muppets. It's two radically different directions and one of them has simply not been successful.

 

[Yorick]

I too am worried about how much this new movie might be a "modern" take on the Muppets, and make it lose the heart they have. The sincere heart they have, that is, not the usual type of writing that's big today, with an understanding between folks tacked on at the very end just to wrap up the story

And now that I just used a Pepe icon, it reminds me that I'm surprised to hear Pepe won't be in the new film much, because if anyone is going to be "edgy" it should be him. I like Pepe, by the way.

I also agree we should get the rest of The Muppet Show on DVD, and all of Muppets Tonight as well. In the middle of those releases, we should have all the MuppeTelevision episodes too. After all, these were the three main Muppet shows (since we can't get all of Sam & Friends due to not much being left from what I hear, and I won't hold my breath for Little Muppet Monsters). In the meantime, I appreciate all youtube uploaders of all of the above!