Your Thoughts: Muppets From Space

[dwayne1115]

Muppet Christmas Carol was dedicated to Jim Henson and Richard Hunt. The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film was also dedicated to Jim Henson because the Creature Shop created the animatronic suits. Muppets From Space has a little nod to Jim Henson when Kermit reads his local newspaper - The Hensonville Observer. We make a nod to that on this site in the background of the News section menu.

I hate to correct you but they did the memory of Jim on Turtles 2 not 1

 

[Drtooth]

There was just so much opportunity squandered in the writing and direction. The joy was missing for me along with the number of clever quips that MTI had in abundance. Still I prefer the Muppets being themselves.

I think it was more of a directing thing than anything else...

Here's an excerpt from the Tough pigs interview with Joey, who wrote part of the movie:

TP: You were one of the writers on Muppets From Space. What was that like?

JM: It was a miserable experience. We were working with a director, Randal Kleiser, who had directed Grease, one of my favorite movies. We got the green light, it was Jerry Juhl’s script, and they asked me to do a pass, and I wrote a very parody-heavy script. We parodied Men in Black, Contact, Alien, and we were very close to shooting. Then I got a panicked call from Henson saying that they were firing Randal. They said, “We don’t feel like he’s bringing enough vision.” I said, “But we got the green light! We’re going!” So they flew me out to LA to pick a new director, and we picked a director who was a very nice guy, and he did a decent job, but he wanted to get rid of all the parody stuff. He wanted it to be more real, and the ending, I hate the ending. In my draft, the aliens were getting the signal of old Muppet Shows, and they made themselves look like Gonzo because he was the ultimate being to him. And then they peel back to reveal themselves to be these hideous creatures. And it’s not about family being those guys, his family is the Muppets. So he’s still a whatever, he’s not an alien in the end. So the fact that they made him an alien bugs the crap out of me. Anyway, they hired him, he wanted to make all these changes, and I just left.

(full interview at http://www.toughpigs.com/blogarchive/2009_02_01_archive.html )

You can really sense how annoying it was... who wouldn't have been. It really seems like the director came in and derailed everything to make it more "realistic." And I wanna bet he was instrumental in getting rid of the musical numbers.

Seeing the film in theaters twice, I felt it was good for what it was... I liked it up until the part where I found out how great it could have been had certain people not meddled in it.

Anyway, anyone else notice that Gonzo's alien brethren go unnamed anyway?

 

[frogboy4]

I hate to correct you but they did the memory of Jim on Turtles 2 not 1

You're right. Jim died two months after the first Turtles film. The dedication was in two. The second film was only one year after the first.

I think it was more of a directing thing than anything else...

Here's an excerpt from the Tough pigs interview with Joey, who wrote part of the movie:


(full interview at http://www.toughpigs.com/blogarchive/2009_02_01_archive.html )

You can really sense how annoying it was... who wouldn't have been. It really seems like the director came in and derailed everything to make it more "realistic." And I wanna bet he was instrumental in getting rid of the musical numbers.

Seeing the film in theaters twice, I felt it was good for what it was... I liked it up until the part where I found out how great it could have been had certain people not meddled in it.

Anyway, anyone else notice that Gonzo's alien brethren go unnamed anyway?

I read that article. It's a shame. It is things like that that confirm to me that Disney's current direction is much better than under Henson ownership in the 90s. It just wasn't making the sorts of quality decisions or taking chances that Jim was known for.

Mazzarino's obviously being very gracious in saying that Hill was a "nice guy" and did a "descent" job. It appears he's the reasons that the Muppets looked bored and aimless. I suppose he'd rather have them paint the house, watch TV and check the mail than actually do anything Muppety. It was fun seeing them lounging, but there wasn't anything adjacent to it. Thank frog for Pepe. Without him that movie would have been quite tedious.

 

[Fluffets]

From what I've been reading lately on this thread, it seems when the new director came he must've been like a giant green monster or something! Devouring the muppets and the film and puking out what we have now.

 

[Drtooth]

Mazzarino's obviously being very gracious in saying that Hill was a "nice guy" and did a "descent" job. It appears he's the reasons that the Muppets looked bored and aimless. I suppose he'd rather have them paint the house, watch TV and check the mail than actually do anything Muppety. It was fun seeing them lounging, but there wasn't anything adjacent to it. Thank frog for Pepe. Without him that movie would have been quite tedious.

Oh yeah... I mean, this guy went on to do the Garfield films and the Chipmunks film. The Chipmunks film was fun, enjoyable... had a nice message to it, but it really wasn't a great film. I wonder how much vision the last director lacked that it was such a problem. Wonder why Oz didn't step up and say, "fine! I'll do it, only because we're in a pinch!"

I wonder to what extent the parodies were... something to the extent of VMX, with flying satires and references? Seems they kept a couple references in, like the Men in Black, a modified line from Star Wars, and a couple riffs on Close Encounters. Only thing that really bugs me is that he changed an amazing, depth-filled ending for a flat one.

 

[dwayne1115]

Whats interesting is that the movie has been out for years and we are just now finding things out about it. Tim Hill also has done some work on Spongebob, and I think in that he seems to do really well.

 

[frogboy4]

Oh yeah... I mean, this guy went on to do the Garfield films and the Chipmunks film. The Chipmunks film was fun, enjoyable... had a nice message to it, but it really wasn't a great film. I wonder how much vision the last director lacked that it was such a problem. Wonder why Oz didn't step up and say, "fine! I'll do it, only because we're in a pinch!"

I wonder to what extent the parodies were... something to the extent of VMX, with flying satires and references? Seems they kept a couple references in, like the Men in Black, a modified line from Star Wars, and a couple riffs on Close Encounters. Only thing that really bugs me is that he changed an amazing, depth-filled ending for a flat one.

I have a feeling that more of the film would have been IN space and there would have been some Muppet Show feel to it as well. Maybe even some Pigs in Space send-up, original music and a lot more wackiness. Muppets From Space should have been titled Muppets Floss, Eat, Watch Some Television, Mow the Lawn and then Meet Some Aliens at the End.

 

[Drtooth]

Muppets From Space should have been titled Muppets Floss, Eat, Watch Some Television, Mow the Lawn and then Meet Some Aliens at the End.

You forgot Muppets check the mail and Muppets do brief reference to Get Smart.

Someone should have told the director that there is a difference between realistic and mundane. I liked the idea of the Muppet boarding house and all, but the film spent too much time there.