Your Thoughts: It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas

[Gorgon Heap]

"Why, yes, I am from one of those Muppet internet fan sites."

Ohhh! Dawn, that part just made the movie for me! I've never felt so proud! I feel like Kermit took a shot at me personally, and I love it! I wonder if this joke was the result of puppeteer reactions to us weirdos at the convention. Just think, we are now all the butt of a Muppet one-liner. (Sniff) it's enough to bring a tear to your eye.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[Dr_Bunsen]

movie great!!

I loved it. It finally aired in the UK last night, and it was worth the wait.

The Piggy in Kermit's alter life looked like GMC Piggy and when Fozzie said 'You should be ashamed' a bicket load of childhood memories came flooding back.

A Great film. The pacing was way off in the first half, but the second half was great.

Dr_Bunsen

 

[Gooftser]

I would assume this has been discussed at length somewhere on the boards, but when I was watching the movie last night on Hallmark I was wondering, what really is the deal with Frank Oz? Could somebody give me the low down? I mean, is he done forever? Would he come back for a theatrical movie?



Thanks!

edit: Ohh I see, there's a "henson people" section. I'm sorry, this probably should have gone there.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

hey, people have been debating the whole frank oz thing for some time now. the only way for your question to be answered is to ask frank oz himself, which i'm sure he gets fan mail all the time asking why he doesn't do anything with the muppets now a days.........

ryan

 

[HerryGrail]

I am a new member and have enjoyed Muppet Central for several months. It's a fantastic resource and the forum messages are heart-felt and can be very addictive. Please forgive some late comments to this thread, which I've been tracking along...

While I'm glad to see the Muppets back in the public eye, I had a hard time enjoying this movie. During the initial telecast, I turned it off after the first several minutes, but after reading so much about it here I decided to buy the tape, which I watched all the way through.

The best formula for integrating Muppets and people has always been for celebrities with familiar personalities to interact with them in a kind of easy-going, "wink-wink" fashion. That goes from early TV appearances to "Sesame Street" and "The Muppet Show" to years of successful talk show interviews. For lesser actors to try and create over-the-top characterizations around Muppet shtick always ends up dripping with flop sweat. You just can't try to compete. This was the major failing of the movie.

As a long-time Muppet fan, I have to say I just don't like the later characters like Pepe, the monkey, and the lounge singer. They seem like pretenders among the original group, especially in this throwback setting. I think most of the new voices were successful, particularly the Frank Oz ones (though it bothered me that Statler was so off).

It's hard for me to lose the awareness that so many of the original Muppeteers are gone. When Jim Henson died, was it a Walt Disney moment or a Charles Schulz moment? More the latter I think, as the creator infused the product so directly. But if the characters had to continue, an honest effort has been made to recreate the magic.

In future I hope the Henson Company reconsiders the usage of actors and finds a better chemistry between the Muppets and any human counterparts. Fun movie, but better things lie ahead.

 

[frogboy4]

Originally posted by HerryGrail
I just don't like the later characters like Pepe, the monkey, and the lounge singer. They seem like pretenders among the original group...

The monkey's name is Sal Minella (Brian Henson) and the lounge siger is Johnny Fiama (Bill Barretta) and they were barely in the special. I don't see how that would affect your opinion of the film. Blink and you would have missed them. They were big Muppets Tonight regulars, so they seemed to fit into the group along many fans. Pepe (Bill Barretta) especially did. He seems to be very popular with fans and non fans. He moved up the chain like a lightning bolt. Just such electricity with his character that just molds into the Muppet group with such ease.

Interesting perspective. I enjoyed the human actors in this film - not in Kermit's Swamp Years, though. I just think the human parts should have been reduced. The beginning was very slow. The heaven scene was around 5 minutes - 4 minutes too long.

Welcome to the board!

 

[beaker]

Oddly enough, I cant believe how well Pepe fits in with the main core...its like hes been with em all along. And I like Sal, but Johnny...eh...maybe its time for the monkey to make a break for it! hehe

 

[HerryGrail]

Thanks guys...I appreciate the good wishes. Pepe is tops with someone I work with; in fact, I've been looking for a Pepe "something" for her for years now. Glad to see a figure is coming down the line.

I never got into "Muppets Tonight" but was aware of it. Reading all the posts by folks who know that show and the later movies so well makes me feel a little out-of-touch. The forum and site in general have definitely been a great learning experience.

 

[JamieDenny]

Hello

1.Welcome to a new member.2. Now I did finally see IAVMMCM
but as I couldn't find this thread i typed it in Classic Muppets section so if anyones interested that's where it will be unless a clever and kind moderator wishes to move it here

Kissy Kissy

Jamie

 

[murgatoad]

Originally posted by HerryGrail
Thanks guys...I appreciate the good wishes. Pepe is tops with someone I work with; in fact, I've been looking for a Pepe "something" for her for years now. Glad to see a figure is coming down the line.

I never got into "Muppets Tonight" but was aware of it. Reading all the posts by folks who know that show and the later movies so well makes me feel a little out-of-touch. The forum and site in general have definitely been a great learning experience.

Hiya. Your first post was very enjoyable, BTW. It's been a while since I've read a piece in which the term "flop sweat" was used. You seem plenty savvy. Welcome to the forum.

I agree with you about Pepe, that is, I agree with your original statement about Pepe. I think it's a funny voice and performance - but the character design is repulsive, even for a Muppet monster (which is likely the reason he was dropped from the Long John Silver campaign. If you're a restauranteur, you don't want your food hawked by a character that makes people lose their appetites). As for "Muppets Tonight", I did subject myself to that half-hour of torture for as long as I could stand it. I never saw a more worthless waste of air time in my life, even when factoring in "Greg the Bunny". MT only crystallized for many viewers that the Muppets' day is past. Personally, my only remaining interest in them is a certain morbid curiosity as to how they'll end up. Will Disney buy them? Will Valentine? Will Sony? It's become a sort of corporate soap opera. Anyway, again, welcome. It's nice to read a post here in which most of the words are spelled correctly.