Weinstein rolls with Fraggle Rock movie

[Drtooth]

Indeed, but again, it could turn into another Underdog, only with instead of Wally Cox rolling in his grave, it would the Fraggle cast hanging their heads in shame for what Hollywood's modern style has done to their beloved franchise.

Wally Cox nothing, the Underdog creator Joe Harris was barking mad and disappointed about how the film turned out. I even remember cartoon writer Paul Dini writing an angry manifesto about the film. Classic media just gave them the go ahead to buy the rights to making a picture.

Hoodwinked was hilarious - don't worry... The Fraggles are in good hands

Well, the Weinstines are just a distribution company. I mean, they may have a hand in the movie's outcome, but they're basically justy the studio giving them money to give the movie to theaters.

I actually liked Hoodwinked. Basically the company bought the technology to make an animated film and created this experiment. Some of it worked, some didn't. The animation resembles the current state video game art. The story is fun. There are some fun songs, cute moments and great characters voiced by notable actors. Many of the moments were focus grouped more than I would have liked, but it comes off better than mediocre with a few good bits. Doogal was an embarrassment. Hoodwinked is actually getting a sequel this year with nearly all of the many voice actors returning. Hopefully it will have better production values.

You know, Doogal wasn't even their film. They paid essentially for a dub, a recast, and of course, an American Dub writer. It didn't work outside it's native European market (I forget if it's France or England). Now, hearing about that makes me doubly angry they didn't get the distribution rights to Asterix and the Vikings (which was ironically produced in English with some popular, but thankfully not too popular, celebs doing the voicework).

I know I should drop it about that film, but the 2-D traditional style animation was too good to believe. Most of Asterix's films rival Disney's animation, I think.

That said, The Magic Roundabout dub (Doogal) was an utter failure here... mainly due (I feel) to the oversaturization of CGI films. I mean, we had Hoodwinked, Doogal, Barnyard, Open Season, and all these different third party (not Dreamworks and Pixar- the 2 dominant forces in the market) films no one seemed to care about (that frankly looked boarderline amaturish in some cases). And all in one year too.

 

[wwfpooh]

Well said.

 

[Super Scooter]

Well, the Weinstines are just a distribution company. I mean, they may have a hand in the movie's outcome, but they're basically justy the studio giving them money to give the movie to theaters.

By the way, I don't know if maybe you missed it, but my concern was that it's the writer of Doogal and Hoodwinked that is working on the Fraggle film, not just the Weinstein company... or maybe I'm misunderstanding your post.

 

[frogboy4]

By the way, I don't know if maybe you missed it, but my concern was that it's the writer of Doogal and Hoodwinked that is working on the Fraggle film, not just the Weinstein company... or maybe I'm misunderstanding your post.

I got the same thing you did out of that post. A little confused. Not only did the new Fraggle movie's writer Cory Edwards also write and direct Hoodwinked, he also lent the voice for the film's popular character Twitchy.

However Doogal is all a Weinstein purchase/dub/distribution of a foreign film. I didn't know about all of that. No wonder it seemed weird. Jon Stewart provided one of the voices and still rips on the film now and then for being beyond terrible.

 

[Super Scooter]

However Doogal is all a Weinstein purchase/dub/distribution of a foreign film. I didn't know about all of that. No wonder it seemed weird. Jon Stewart provided one of the voices and still rips on the film now and then for being beyond terrible.

Hmm? IMDb had Cory Edwards listed as the writer of Doogal. Now I'm more confused.

EDIT: Whoops! My bad. He had additional voices in Doogal. Sorry!

 

[Drtooth]

I got the same thing you did out of that post. A little confused. Not only did the new Fraggle movie's writer Cory Edwards also write and direct Hoodwinked, he also lent the voice for the film's popular character Twitchy.

However Doogal is all a Weinstein purchase/dub/distribution of a foreign film. I didn't know about all of that. No wonder it seemed weird. Jon Stewart provided one of the voices and still rips on the film now and then for being beyond terrible.

Confused.... So Gobo Zappa is still working on this, right?

As long as he knows the real Fraggles, and doesn't pop in different reference that are totally out of character and out of place, we'll have something.

It's not that I hate references. But if you want to reference something, you better do it right. make it smart and subtle. Look at Follow that Bird.... The sequence where Big Bird was walking down the road, and the Bi-plane (with Ernie and Bert) is flying behind him. That reference to the Hitchcock film (Is it North by Northwest? I keep getting that confused with something else) was a million times more brilliant than any catchphrase stolen by Dreamworks. (though the, "It's a Cook Book!" bit in Madagascar I really enjoyed.)

 

[Beauregard]

Confused.... So Gobo Zappa is still working on this, right?

Unable to show the true extent of you Zappa related confusion...wanting to reveal your anger at how Underdog turned out with more than one Exclaimation Point? Desperate to ask if this movie is still going to come out in theatres and when with more than one Question Mark! Join le resistence! And fight for Punctuation Freedom!

 

[Traveling Matt]

Didn't Jerry Juhl complete a draft for the movie before he passed?

 

[Traveling Matt]

from the Henson website...

THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY JOINS WITH THE JIM HENSON COMPANY
TO BRING “FRAGGLE ROCK” TO THE BIG SCREEN

Live Action Musical Rebirth of Classic Television Franchise​

NEW YORK, NY and HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 13, 2008) - Furthering their partnership in creating high-quality family friendly movies, The Weinstein Company and The Jim Henson Company announced today that they will bring a live-action musical version of the internationally beloved television series "Fraggle Rock" to the
big screen, with The Jim Henson Company producing and TWC distributing.

Cory Edwards ("Hoodwinked") will direct and write an original screenplay and the project will star a unique mix of human characters and the famous Fraggle puppets.

Eric Robinson, Senior Vice President of Production and Development, brought "Fraggle Rock" to TWC and will oversee the project on the studio's behalf. Brian Henson, Lisa Henson and Jason Lust will serve as producers for The Jim Henson Company with Ahmet Zappa (The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless) and Brian Inerfeld executive producing.

The announcement was made today by Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company and Lisa Henson, who serves as co-CEO of The Jim Henson Company with her brother Brian Henson.

This announcement marks the latest collaboration between TWC and The Jim Henson Company. They recently partnered on the new "Unstable Fables" brand of direct-to-dvd CG animated feature length films which includes a series of titles that irreverently tell well-known classic tales and incorporate modern twists on the stories.

In addition, Fraggle Rock extends the already intimate relationship between TWC and the creative team behind the Cory Edwards’ helmed animated sensation “Hoodwinked.” Currently, Cory is co-writing alongside Hoodwinked co-writer Tony Leech on his directorial debut, the in-production animated alien adventure “Escape from Planet Earth.”

Weinstein stated, “The Jim Henson Company is one of the most trusted brands in family entertainment and we look forward to working with Lisa Henson, her entire team and Cory Edwards to bring these beloved characters to a new generation of audiences. One of our main priorities when we first launched The
Weinstein Company was to feature a broad range of family-friendly franchises like 'Fraggle Rock.' We are excited to forge this strategic partnership and add this engaging film with its passionate and loyal fan base to our growing slate.”

Lisa Henson stated, “Our previous partnership with The Weinstein Company has proven to be a wonderful collaboration and we are confident that joining with them on this project will ensure audiences young and old will enjoy meeting Red, Gobo and the whole Fraggle gang. With Cory Edwards directing, this new Fraggle adventure will bring an exciting energy while honoring the heart, joy and hope of the original series.”

Cory Edwards stated, “Jim Henson’s work has had a huge influence on my life, so to get the chance to bring ‘Fraggles’ to the big screen is fantastic. Both Lisa and Harvey have been very enthusiastic and supportive of my vision of this film. It’s my goal to make Fraggle fans happy, as well as make a great stand-alone fantasy adventure film.”

The untitled "Fraggle Rock" film will for the first time take Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red on an adventure outside of Fraggle Rock where they will interact with the strange beings in "outer space" (also known as humans).

"Fraggle Rock" premiered on HBO in 1983 and over five seasons garnered multiple awards and a global fan following. The show was created by Jim Henson as an international co-production and was adapted for each territory to meet the needs of its audience. By showing cooperation and conflict resolution among the different inhabitants of the Rock (the Fraggles, the Doozers and the Gorgs), the show taught the concepts of mutual respect and peace. As a global success, the show was broadcast in over 80 countries including the U.K., Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and across Eastern Europe. The show was embraced to such an extent that its theme song even became a top 40 pop hit in Britain.

Since its debut, "Fraggle Rock" has maintained a passionate and devoted worldwide following. Recently, over 30,000 fans joined a grass roots movement petitioning for the series to come out on DVD. The first three seasons were quickly released and sales have exceeded expectations, holding strong with subsequent seasons. “Fraggle Rock” episodes can also be downloaded on the iTunes store, where the show has rated in the top ten family titles.

"Fraggle Rock" joins TWC's diverse slate of upcoming family adventures including “Escape from Planet Earth,” “Dragons,” “Digging to China,” "Igor," "The Cricket in Times Square" and "Hood vs. Evil," the highly anticipated sequel to "Hoodwinked," written by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, and Tony Leech.

Throughout their careers, the Weinsteins have established a track record of launching highly-acclaimed family-friendly films like the "Spy Kids" movies "Finding Neverland" which was, nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, "TMNT" with Warner Bros which brought in over $95 million worldwide and "Hoodwinked.”

In just two years, TWC has acquired the rights to reintroduce a wide range of classic television shows to modern film audiences including the iconic series "Knight Rider," "Welcome Back Kotter" starring Ice Cube, "Astro Boy" based on the animated television series that aired in Japan during the 1960s and "Equalizer," the 1980s hit.

About The Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company (TWC) was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. TWC is a multi-media company that officially launched on October 1, 2005. Dimension Films, the genre label that was founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, is also included under the TWC banner.

During the Weinsteins' tenure at Miramax Films the company released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films which received 249 Academy Award nominations and won 60 Oscars, have generated billions of dollars in worldwide box office receipts and billions more in home video sales. In its history, Dimension Films has released some of the most successful franchises including "Scream," "Spy Kids" and "Scary Movie.

About The Jim Henson Company

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and computer graphics. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets (the rights to which are now owned by The Walt Disney Company), Henson is the recipient of over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Credits include the Saturn Award-winning “Farscape” and the features “MirrorMask,” “Five Children and It” and “Good Boy!”.

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot complete with soundstage and post-production facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment.

The Company is currently in production on “Sid the Science Kid,” a new science readiness animated series for preschoolers scheduled to debut on PBS in September 2008, and recently launched “Puppet Up! - Uncensored,” a live puppet improvisational show that has played to sold out crowds around the world and premiered as a special on TBS. The Company has also announced the creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim Henson’s earliest sketches.

 

[Super Scooter]

That's interesting that Weinstein has the rights to Astro Boy now. Didn't Henson have it for a while?