"The Happytime Murders" premieres August 24, 2018

[MrBloogarFoobly]

^Well, the full concept art piece has the murdered puppet in a Puppet Sex Shop. I guess I have a dark sense of humor, because I don't see a problem with some vulgarity. As long as it doesn't cross the line into immaturity, (and yes, it can be done.)

 

[Drtooth]

I agree and get exactly what you're saying. Vulgar only works if it's funny and serves the story.

Personally, I liked the low budget Feebles. Well, some of it. Parts were vulgar and funny and parts were just poop jokes and gross-out humor. I can't endorse those bits. Puppets, animation, live action...it doesn't matter - cheap is cheap.

I hope Happytime goes the funny route.

There were parts of Greg the Bunny that were genuinely classic and worked... then there was the cheap mentally disabled/sex joke/drug joke/alcohol joke... It's how I feel about Robot Chicken. They can have a generally funny segment that gets blown to crap with cheap frat boy humor. Yay... drunken Optimus Prime with a Hooker..

I genuinely think they'll take a better route with this one. I like the comparison to the novel version of Roger Rabbit. it certainly could be like that.

 

[Speed Tracer]

Calling it - if this gets made, that's a Bill Barretta character.

 

[Beauregard]

Calling it - if this gets made, that's a Bill Barretta character.

It must be! It could also be Tyler whatshisname.

 

[beaker]

More concept photos here:

 

[frogboy4]

I like Grace Randolph, but her info here seems to be a little off unless it has been announced that Disney is backing Happytime. It's easy to get Henson and Muppets confused these days. I just read an RT user review from someone who complained that the Sesame Street characters got shafted in the Muppets movie when they should have been in the forefront. I guess it all mixes up that way in some people's heads.

Disney's thinking with the non CG Muppets is very clear to me. The Muppets require only a fraction of the time and money that animation does. It's less of a financial gamble and it's clearer to predict movie trends one year ahead rather than three.

Subtract the budgets from the box office and it's easy to see why Muppets make good sense:
Movie/Domestic Total/Budget/Outcome

Smurfs: 142.5 – 110 = 32.5
Hop: 108 – 63 = 45
Gnomeo: 100 – 70 = 30
Muppets: 88.5 – 45 = 43.5

Plus, they have a built-in fan base that's a lot larger than Disney had realized. They want to grow this. With adequate marketing and a quality film, there's no reason why any future Muppet movie wouldn't make a tidy profit. And it seems that Disney has discovered how easy and useful it is to have these characters make public appearances.

As for Happytime...it could cut either way. It will only work if it's funny. Sounds simple, but funny isn't easy to write or predict.

 

[Drtooth]

Disney's thinking with the non CG Muppets is very clear to me. The Muppets require only a fraction of the time and money that animation does. It's less of a financial gamble and it's clearer to predict movie trends one year ahead rather than three.

Subtract the budgets from the box office and it's easy to see why Muppets make good sense:
Movie/Domestic Total/Budget/Outcome

Smurfs: 142.5 – 110 = 32.5
Hop: 108 – 63 = 45
Gnomeo: 100 – 70 = 30
Muppets: 88.5 – 45 = 43.5

Plus, they have a built-in fan base that's a lot larger than Disney had realized. They want to grow this. With adequate marketing and a quality film, there's no reason why any future Muppet movie wouldn't make a tidy profit. And it seems that Disney has discovered how easy and useful it is to have these characters make public appearances.

The only really comforting thought is, while Muppets made the least amount of box office out of those 3 lousy films, it was low budget enough to actually make more money back than 2 of them. Plus, the Muppet puppets have been made and remade again for the movie, that means we have a LOT of puppets to wear out in other projects. I'm sure a lot of the Muppet movie budget was saved in older puppets that were in just good enough shape to use. I'm sure even in CGI, they need to refurbish some of the existing models to update their look consistant with the rest of the technical advancements in a movie.

Calling it - if this gets made, that's a Bill Barretta character.

If they don't go with just puppeteers that focus on work at Henson. I'm sure they'd use some of the Muppet/Sesame Street project puppeteers as well. As long as said puppeteers aren't busy with something else.

Still, the references to this movie being similar to Roger Rabbit only work if you say Roger Rabbit is similar to The Big Sleep (or some other Noir movie). Maybe closer to the book (is that even in print anymore? I'm dying to read it), but the only murders in Roger Rabbit (other than a few dipped 'Toons) were humans... Marvin Acme, Eddie's brother... This movie seems to have only puppets murdered (so far).

Still, how straight are they going to play this? To me, the project will be MUCH funnier the straighter they play it. If it's gag a minute and Greg the Bunny-like, it might work, sure... but not as well as if they make it as dark and gritty and realistic and CSI like, but with weird puppet characters there.

 

[Speed Tracer]

If they don't go with just puppeteers that focus on work at Henson. I'm sure they'd use some of the Muppet/Sesame Street project puppeteers as well. As long as said puppeteers aren't busy with something else.

If Brian's the director, it seems fairly likely it would be Bill - but a lot of current, capable folks with the company would do just great, too!

Still, how straight are they going to play this? To me, the project will be MUCH funnier the straighter they play it.

Agreed.

 

[MWoO]

While I would love for this to be made, I fear careless parents will take their kids to see it and then complain about the movie while confusing it with the actual muppets. Then when the next muppet movie comes out, uninformed parents will keep their kids away fearing it to Be another happy time murders

 

[Beauregard]

While I would love for this to be made, I fear careless parents will take their kids to see it and then complain about the movie while confusing it with the actual muppets. Then when the next muppet movie comes out, uninformed parents will keep their kids away fearing it to Be another happy time murders

Its possible. My friend from work was letting her two-year-old kid watch Happy Tree Friends yesterday without knowing what they were!