The LETDOWN of Disney

[OverUnderAround]

If Disney is going to fix this (and unfortunatly they might not be able to fix what the general public just doesn't want anymore) it's going to take time. {...snip] Once they actual can produce a younger generation that is aware of the muppets, then and only then will things fall back into place.

You might all be interested to know that there is a 5-year plan to remarket and recreate the Muppets so I heard the other day from a source.

1- Have Kermit and the Muppets appear on other people's TV shows during the course of 5 years to re-introduce the Muppets to the world.

2- Toward the end of the 5-year plan, develop a new Muppet show.

However even though this is the MHC's plan, there was talk of still trying for an unknown show next year and talk of a movie. But these two projects were just mentioned as ideas only and not part of the 5-year plan.

Personally I'm not thrilled with the length of time to carry out the plan, but that's what news came my way. I don't know anything else about it.

I would suggest to the MHC that if they do want to reintroduce the Muppets to the world over 5-years, Kermit alone appearing on a some other person's show isn't enough. You have to have ALL the Muppets appear at the same time. Flood these other people's shows with the Muppets. That will open the eyes of the public and create the kind of public awareness that the MHC is seeking. And hopefully Disney will take notice.

In the Muppets Take Manhattan when Miss Piggy karate chops Kermit and he regains his memory toward the end of the movie, one of the things Kermit says is; "That's it. That's what's been missing from the show. That's what we need. More dogs and bears and chickens and whatever."

..and I think that's what the MHC needs in there plan to reintroduce the Muppets to the world.

 

[Tim]

More is only "more" and not always better. Jim and his Muppets were only successful in the first place because they were different from and better than other "puppet acts" seen on televison. The originality of what they were doing and the pure hard work, genius and talent transended "puppetry" and they became great "entertainment". They were able to be booked on any talk or variety show on the air and hold there own against any performer or host. Not since Edgar Bergan had we seen that.

Introducing the "same old" characters trying to recreate what was done before, might sell enough dolls to kids who think the Muppets are "cute", but no matter who is pulling the strings (both creativly and business-wise) the quality must be there. Telling the same jokes word for word from previous movies or doing old songs and routines reworked for lack of something new is simply not going to do it. So what if a new generation knows who Kermit and the gang are, if they are not interested in what they are doing when they show up on screen?

My only hope is that they don't make good on their threat of doing "more adult" humor (Brian), or else we'll be seeing more "edgy" Muppets. Then what? Like that other money making green guy Shrek, maybe Kermit can pass wind in HIS swamp. Doubt it could happen? Go back and look at that God-awful Christmas movie. Gay jokes and binge drinking? This is hip? This is funny? This is Muppets?

Maybe over-eating monsters and explosions wouldn't work with a "contemporary" audience, and maybe sly social-commentary disguised at creature-speak wouldn't sell, but if they don't come up with something equaly original and well-done, I fear we will have to be content watching the old DVDs for many years to come.

 

[superboober]

Well, look at it this way as well, if the franchise doesn't make Disney enough money in the long term, they may sell them off again--not likely in the short term, but more impossible things have happened. I'm still giving them another 5 years to make something, anything, work well before I write this marriage off as a failure; you do have to give these things time, especially in the bloated, sometimes Stalinistic Hollywood hierarachy of today.

 

[MustangRockstar]

Very true. It's a problem that's been around for a while, but at least for me when I read things like this quote from Forbes Magazine; "Last year (Disney), generated nearly $2.5 billion in free cash flow on a gargantuan $31.9 billion in revenue." It does make one wonder why Disney hasn't taken action.

And part of the reason they generate that money is buy by making money.

Whether we want to admit it or not, the muppets are not a guranteed draw any more and haven't been for the better part of 10 years.

Lots of the money that was generated was because of years of marketing, preperation and work.

 

[MustangRockstar]

How about the MHC being lead by:
Bernie Brillstein (Jim's agent)- Think of all the shows Bernie must have booked for Jim during his life, that's a guy I'd like in charge!
David Lazer
and creative consultant Frank Oz.

The problem is still that people as a whole don't care about or know the muppets.

It's not just a matter of producing new material, it's "Who is going to watch it".

 

[MustangRockstar]

You might all be interested to know that there is a 5-year plan to remarket and recreate the Muppets so I heard the other day from a source.

1- Have Kermit and the Muppets appear on other people's TV shows during the course of 5 years to re-introduce the Muppets to the world.

2- Toward the end of the 5-year plan, develop a new Muppet show.

However even though this is the MHC's plan, there was talk of still trying for an unknown show next year and talk of a movie. But these two projects were just mentioned as ideas only and not part of the 5-year plan.

Personally I'm not thrilled with the length of time to carry out the plan, but that's what news came my way. I don't know anything else about it.

I would suggest to the MHC that if they do want to reintroduce the Muppets to the world over 5-years, Kermit alone appearing on a some other person's show isn't enough. You have to have ALL the Muppets appear at the same time. Flood these other people's shows with the Muppets. That will open the eyes of the public and create the kind of public awareness that the MHC is seeking. And hopefully Disney will take notice.

In the Muppets Take Manhattan when Miss Piggy karate chops Kermit and he regains his memory toward the end of the movie, one of the things Kermit says is; "That's it. That's what's been missing from the show. That's what we need. More dogs and bears and chickens and whatever."

..and I think that's what the MHC needs in there plan to reintroduce the Muppets to the world.

As someone who does marketing and PR relations for a living, a 5 year plan is not that long of a time. Especially when you are just about relaunching a brand because an entire generation doesn't know them.

The thing is, Disney is already trying to do a lot of those things. The merchandise, the DVD's all of that stuff is a way to re-introduce the muppets to a new generation.

But therein lies the problem, no matter what Disney does it just won't be enough for most people. When they do exactly what you say they'll tick fans off by not producing "new" material. If they produce new material and it bombs (mainly because no one is familiar with the muppets) then people will blame disney for not marketing the muppets enough.

Either way, most people are really just waiting for Disney to fail. The biggest problem anyone in marketing and public relations runs into is impatience. People expect immediate payoffs and people just don't work like that. The other problem is that everyone has their idea on how "they would do it". One of the best things I was ever told in my job is that "Public Relations is a thankless job, EVERYONE thinks they can the job better than you".

It's the truth, even when I look on here I think a lot of people are really oversimiplifying the problem here.

 

[MustangRockstar]

Well, look at it this way as well, if the franchise doesn't make Disney enough money in the long term, they may sell them off again--not likely in the short term, but more impossible things have happened. I'm still giving them another 5 years to make something, anything, work well before I write this marriage off as a failure; you do have to give these things time, especially in the bloated, sometimes Stalinistic Hollywood hierarachy of today.

I don't think it's Hollywood really.

The real million dollar question is whether people still care about the Muppets.

Now obviously you and I do, but what about the average person? It's sometimes hard for fans (and I include myself in this) to understand why everyone else doesn't like what you like. This is especially true for niche hobbies or cult followings.

You find the wonderful aspects of something, you find a certain "Value" in what you like. It's so obvious to you, but why can't other people understand it?

The challange the muppets face is the same one Jim faced years ago before his death. The Muppets are somewhat Pigeonholes. Much like Mickey Mouse they got their start with a combination of silly and sometimes adult humor. However as they grew in mainstream popularity people began to take them as a pure "family" entity. As a result, the product becomes somewhat bland because people get offended when you don't fit the mold they've placed you into. What gets forgotten is that's how you always were, nothing changed but the expectations.

Jim Henson in the late 80's and early 90's was struggling with this concept. A lot of his features were not widely accepted by the public and only over time gained recognition. That will be the challange today with the muppets.

Frankly there just aren't enough of "us" to keep the brand alive. They need new faces, new kids and at the end of the day new money spent. But marketing to today's kids is VERY VERY difficult. Between video games and everything else, American kids are just an impossible demographic to hit nowadays. It's a big reason why the comic industry in this country has been hurting so bad, American kids are just different. You go to Europe and comics (and the Muppets) are much bigger. But here in the states it's going to be a tough sell. Kermit doesn't carry a gun, fight aliens or drive a fast car. He is just an extraordinary amphibian in a human world. I just don't know if that's enough to hook today's kids.

If it is, it'd have been done by now.

If you notice, you don't see many younger fans around here. There is a reason for that.

 

[Philip Kippel]

I don't think that's true, Joeymuppet. Eisner was fired for a myad of reasons, not because he liked the muppets (and where is the evidence to THAT?)

Ditto.

A lot of you blokes tend to forget that Eisner was a miser who deserved to be fired...and he was certainly NOT on the Muppet fans' side!

So, LIGHTEN UP!!!

 

[unclematt]

Those are some pretty harsh words there Philip

 

[spcglider]

Hey, you think you guys are disappointed? I'm a Disney Stockholder!

LOL!!!

-Gordon