The Mouse is Wooing Miss Piggy

[radionate]

Luke,

I'm not backing the article by Jim Hill at all, in fact I believe that in many instances he is indeed grasping at straws, but in regards to Figment being voiced by Dave, I find it a little interesting.

Disney has a stable full of voice talent that they use on a regular basis. Add to that the vast number of voice over artists out there, it seems odd that they would hire a muppeteer.

Now I'm not saying that its a causal relationship between Disney and Henson, but it does raise eyebrows when you seriously think about it. Has Dave done much independent voice work in the past? No. He's a Muppeteer. Period.

Perhapes the WDI execs met Dave while he was in Florida for Kermit's Swamp Years (if he even worked on the show). But then again....

 

[Luke]

Daniel,

The point is that these 'conspiracy theories' are in a professional article about the Henson sale on the main internet site, and i'd also like to think i've spent a little more time studying this. Anything i've said has been on the forum and i have the same amount of airspace as you or Frogboy, or Boyrasin etc etc. As you've said before, you don't like reading in-between the lines but this is just what this article is doing, but it's presented as more than that and still coming to the wrong conclusions. I don't feel like the statements made in this article deserve any special treatment on the main site above what other people have already said.

Seeing as you brought Toughpigs into it - the article i recently wrote for Toughpigs was seen by the production team of the show, and also had input from a Henson puppeteer working on the show - it was written in a humorous way but it was accurate.

I also find it totally offensive to Dave Goelz using both his name and image without persmission to imply things about his professional work. He's a very nice and honest guy, and i'd hate people to think he is in some way being 'bought' into accepting Disney - thats totally unfair !!!!! As someone else has pointed out, yes it might be 1% interesting that they used him, but at the end of the day they can use whoever the heck they like. I didn't like the way that by the end of the article it kind of sums up in a kind of 'now we know this is whats really going on' tone - and that just simply is NOT the case.

 

[statnwaldorf]

I have to agree with Luke on the point about Dave Goelz, that was the impression I got and intimated to in my response earlier.

To almost blatantly say (along side a photograph of Dave Goelz from Muppetfest) that Dave is being given jobs by Disney just to keep him "sweet" and in order to make sure that he stays on whenever a possible buyout takes place, is pretty disgraceful. I am sure, without attempting to speak for him, that Dave was given the job of voicing Figment on his own merit and his past record and not some "bung" from Disney to ensure that he's happy.

This clearly is Jim Hill's own opinion which is fine, but when it relies on supposition then it is right to think that it belongs more here on the forum than as a hyped up article on the main site. Unless of course there is some actual evidence that Dave really was given the job as a favour from Disney, if not its probably best not said.

As I said before I have read Jim Hill's articles on Laughingplace, more than once and found them to be great, really informative with an easy style and great content. However I fear that either in a rush to achieve something quickly or with a lack of actual content this time he's scored an own goal.

Michael.

 

[Muppets1985]

Go Disney Go Disney Gooo...

Well all I can say is that Disney has my vote 100% all the way!. And I think way deep down EVERY one here knows that Disney WILL end up with the Muppets. YES! You can tell that Disney IS sucking up, but hey thats HollyWood for you. and I don't think Disney is really "luering" Dave in, well... maybe.

 

[frogboy4]

I enjoyed the article though I do think it takes the examples a little too far. I do feel that they should be examined and I am glad somebody did so. I guess articles like anything else are like Rorschach tests. Reactions often reflect our own perspectives rather than what is on the page. This may not be the case, but it is food for thought. It seems sometimes that negative themes can be read into anything. I personally think everybody has gone a little overboard in this analysis including Jim too, but it made for an interesting column. Isn't that what columnists do - analyze information to a conclusion?

 

[ZootandDingo]

Originally posted by radionate
Look at it this way....in 1997 Warner Bros. took a 30-year-old low budget lackluster Saturday morning cartoon and turned it into one of the hottest kids properties of the 90's. And that was something that had virtually zero audience for several years, unlike the Muppets that have always maintained a strong fanbase.
Which series are you talking about?

My error. I was referring to Scooby-Doo.

Likewise, Viacom has taken properties such as Ren and Stimpy, Beavis and Butt-Head, and SpongeBob SquarePants and have made them cult hits with both kids and adults.
I credit that to excellent writing, not production quality. But you have a point, they are fun shows, but will they stand up to the test of time? Ren and Stimpy and B & BH are already starting to disappear from the collective conscious of the public.

Of course, it is apples and oranges when you look at the actual quality and styles of the shows, but I was moreso referring to how effectively Viacom has marketed them. They have taken otherwise overlooked programs and had launched them into the forefronts. My point is simply can one imagine if that kind of corporate drive was applied to something with an already built-in fanbase as The Muppets?

And veering off the topic slightly, Ren and Stimpy are coming back courtesy of their creator, so we'll see if lightning can strike twice.

Plus, a few years ago they decided to whittle down the cast by firing thirty-year Tigger voice Paul Winchell and replacing him with Pooh's voice artist Jim Cummings.
Did he get fired or did he retire? Or did he "retire" at the request of Disney. He is getting up there in years you know.

I'm not exactly sure what the proper terminology would be. They invited Paul Winchell to audition for whatever the next production was, and then they went ahead with Jim Cummings. So whether or not it was a "firing" in the legal sense is open to debate.

From what I have learned about voice artists (particularly the old school gang that contained Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, and Paul), they will pretty much keep doing it until they drop. So, I would doubt it if he was willing to retire just yet.

And I forgot to mention this before, but do we need to discuss how Fox handles their properties such as The Simpsons or Planet of the Apes? I'm just reiterating my point that all of the studios have had successes as big as Disney's with handling characters and marketing.

And as far as I know, every major studio has the same odds of lasting as long as Disney, so I hardly see how that needs to be factored in. I don't think anybody is really worrying about Universal or Warner Bros. going away anytime soon.

Every one of the studios has their strong points (likewise their weak points, as well), so I'm just not going to write Disney off as the victor just yet....especially since there has yet to have been a public offer made by them.

My prediction is that Disney is going to sit on its thumbs for too long waiting for a good deal, and someone else is going to grab the company in the meantime. Eisner can make all of the public love letters he wants to, but if another studio calls his bluff and makes a bid, then we will really see how serious he is in owning Henson.

 

[BoyRaisin2]

Well, at least now I have a nice picture of my favorite Muppet with my favorite cartoon character (not to mention Ozzy Osbourne).

Is it me or are Mickey and Kermit looking at each other funny?

 

[frogboy4]

You are correct. I wanted Mickey and Kermit's expressions to be ambiguous to reflect the varietly of opinions on the topic. Glad you like the pic (pssst - drew the Mickey myself).

 

[radionate]

Originally posted by frogboy4
You are correct. I wanted Mickey and Kermit's expressions to be ambiguous to reflect the varietly of opinions on the topic. Glad you like the pic (pssst - drew the Mickey myself).

Way to go Frogboy!!!!! Awesome job!

 

[BoyRaisin2]

Oh that was you Frogboy! Awesome pic! Got any more?