The Muppets Movie

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by detective392

Hear are some plot details movie sounds like it could be good

"Some of the greatest moments from the first two films happened when the Muppets were out in the real world," writes the insider. "This may be what makes 'The Great Muppet Caper' especially good, it leaves the show business storyline behind and lets the Muppets pretend to be normal everyday characters."

I, um, BEG to differ: "
"Caper" didn't exactly take place in the Real World as much as "Manhattan" disappointingly did. (I remember some in the audience thinking "Kermit getting hit by a car and joining an ad agency?...Are we still in the same movie? " )

The appeal of the first Movie was that it was Kermit telling the "sort-of-approximately true story" himself, and it all seemed to take place in the Muppets' own unnaturally brightly-colored alternate Show universe--Where roads really DO have forks in them, and when you say "Drinks are on the house", everyone really does go up on the roof.
Jim tried for the same feel with Caper, taking place in a London where Fozzie and Kermit can be mistaken for twins if they both wear the same hat, but the gags felt too sitcommish, and reviews thought it didn't have the gee-whiz "dreamer" feel that the going-to-Hollywood first Movie had.

(For the kiddies who still believe that the movies were invented with "Space" and "Manhattan", and have never seen a movie without Triumph the Insult Shrimp in it, rent the first Movie immediately.
When

[Show spoiler]Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy show up in an almost angelic cameo

, you know this was Jim's own labor of love, and like "Dark Crystal", he was going serious-overboard in trying to make sure he wouldn't embarrass himself the first time out.)

[chad_1138]

I always liked The Great Muppet Caper the best!

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Disney sealed the deal with Jim Henson, but not soon enough before Jim passed away to seal it--
A few movie deals (Christmas Carol, Treasure Island) were in the deal, but Brian had to finalize it, and the '90 deal eventually fell through.
(Even that Muppet movie attraction for the Disney Parks, while greenlit under Jim's deal, was still there only on special permission by Brian.)

Michael Eisner was still obsessed getting the Muppets "back" (and even most of the current Iger-era execs aren't sure why, although recent theories suggest the popular confusion over who owns the Sesame Street characters), but never did officially make them Disney property until '03, just before the Wizard of Oz movie.



I'm not clear on what happened, myself--
If you originally thought the title should've been "Muppets IN Space", and was going to be some extension of "Pigs in Space", well, so did Jerry Juhl.
His script was passed over in favor of...whatever the Gonzo plot was, and as he was near retiring anyway, there wasn't much good feeling there.

There was some grumbling in-house about what new direction Brian Henson was going to take the company, and Oz and some of the other performers objected to Brian hiring Tim Hill as director, eventually leading to a walkout.
Eric Jacobsen's been playing Fozzie, Piggy and Cookie Monster ever since, and that's not the only element that's made the new post-Space company feel like it's been on autopilot.



And Steve Whitmire (if he's the one still playing Kermit).
Jerry Nelson's the old trouper still playing Sesame Street, but don't know if any of his Show characters are in the movie.

The fact that Disney has been pushing the Muppets as spokesman for their "Volunteer and get a free day at Disney World" promotion gives away a LOT of Disney's worries about Kermit & co. at the moment:
After their being stuck with all of Michael Eisner's time and money to get the group in the first place, we don't seem to remember Wizard of Oz, we don't remember the Christmas TV-movies; all the younger kids seem to remember the Disney-owned Muppets for nowadays is for making a cameo appearance on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition".

Steve Whitmire was there from the beginning? I didn't know that. I do know this entire Muppets thing (where the rights are concerned) are a bit of a mess. I have to agree with you on The Muppet Movie being the best movie, with the Muppet Christmas Carol being a close second. I never liked Caper, for some reason and I have never seen the other movies completely, although I doubt that I'll miss much.
All this talk does make me wish they were released on Blu-ray, though. I'll have to buy The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth instead .

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by KubrickFan

Steve Whitmire was there from the beginning? I didn't know that.

Whitmire wasn't there from the beginning, but he did join around the fourth season of the Show and earned his "permanent" status by the time Fraggle Rock came along--Unless you're saying Rizzo the Rat isn't one of the core characters?
(At one point when Richard Hunt was ill, Jim Henson was even experimenting with making Whitmire's Bean Bunny, from "Tales of the Bunny Picnic", as Scooter's official "replacement" go-fer in all future Show-character canon.)

[GreenScar]

Jason Segel has found his rainbow connection with Disney's Muppets movie, signing to star as the human lead.

He also will join David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films/TV, the studio-based shingle behind last year's "The Proposal," as a producer on the project.

James Bobin is on board to direct the movie, the plot of which is under wraps. The TV show as well as some of the movies tended to have one key human actor with whom the Muppets associated on their adventures.

The actor's coming aboard is a natural extension of the development process; he wrote the script with pal Nicholas Stoller.

Segel has been on a tear with feature work of late. He recently boarded the Cameron Diaz comedy "Bad Teacher" and last week signed to star with Ed Helms in the Duplass brothers' latest movie, "Jeff Who Lives at Home."

[Offender_Mullet]

Great news. I think he's a perfect fit.

[OrlandoEastwood]

Hasn't he always been attached to it in someways, if I remember correctly, when Forgetting Sarah Marshall came out, he was talking about writing it.

[UK_fan_05]

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

Hasn't he always been attached to it in someways, if I remember correctly, when Forgetting Sarah Marshall came out, he was talking about writing it.

Yes. He pitched an idea about a Muppet movie around the time they were doing Forgetting Sarah Marshall. If I remember correctly, he pitched it when he was getting the puppets for the movie deal done lol. I remember reading he wanted to write, star, and direct it himself lol.

[Scooby Blu]

Another remake??????
why not ? I love Animal !

[recS-12]

Ok fine, but please Jason... no more full frontal.

[Mike53421]

Originally Posted by recS-12

Ok fine, but please Jason... no more full frontal.

We MIGHT be safe considering it's the Muppets... might.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by Scooby Blu

Another remake??????
why not ? I love Animal !

What suggests this is a remake? I think it's just a new movie with the Muppets.

[Foggy]

I still want a full Puppet Dracula Musical Extravaganza!!!

[mikejet]

I hope they hide his little friend from Forgetting Sarah Marshall!!!

[Lord_Stewie]

Originally Posted by mikejet

I hope they hide his little friend from Forgetting Sarah Marshall!!!

[SpaceDog]

In Order:

The Muppet Movie
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Muppet Christmas Carol
Muppets from Space
The Great Muppet Caper
Muppet Treasure Island

Seperately I love both Labyrinth and Dark Crystal.

Miss any?

Rainbow Connection and the Coda inform the way I try to live my life. Gotta love Henson.

Life's like a movie
Write your own ending
Keep on Dreaming
Keep Pretending

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

In Order:

The Muppet Movie
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Muppet Christmas Carol
Muppets from Space
The Great Muppet Caper
Muppet Treasure Island

Seperately I love both Labyrinth and Dark Crystal.

Miss any?

Rainbow Connection and the Coda inform the way I try to live my life. Gotta love Henson.

Life's like a movie
Write your own ending
Keep on Dreaming
Keep Pretending

I need to pick up Labyrinth soon. I got Dark Crystal when it was on sale.

[Batman1980]

I like whichever one it was that they all went to a big city for and rode a bus, pretty sure that's Muppets Take Manhattan.

[CZAR]

The best ones to me are the Great Muppet Caper & Muppets take Manhattan! Got Em!!

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by mikejet

I need to pick up Labyrinth soon. I got Dark Crystal when it was on sale.

It's been on sale for $12.99 at Amazon for a while.
I'm still waiting on my copy.