The Muppets Take Manhattan 4K UHD (1984)

[CaptainYoda]

Mama, dada, poop poop, chihuahua!

This is the news of the day! Sold!!!

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by maverick22

I used to enjoy this as a kid. Not sure what I would think of it now but will likely pick up for nostalgia reasons.

You will ENJOY IT!

[Retro81]

can't wait

[Gacivory]

I will gladly take all the Muppets on 4K!

[Mosley likes BFDI]

I hope this gets a UK release.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

Maybe this will encourage Disney to release their Muppet movies on 4K Blu-Ray? I mean, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppet Christmas Carol can all currently be streamed with 4K Dolby Vision on Disney+.

Would also be good if we could finally get CAPER with the original, un-botched audio, which hasn't been heard since the early VHS and laserdisc editions.

But for now, MANHATTAN is nice.

[PonyoBellanote]

Originally Posted by banandroid

The thing I hate most about Disney's handling of the Muppets is that the company does everything they can to keep the performers and their artistry out of the spotlight -- both to devalue their work and make them more easily replaceable, and out of a misguided idea that knowing who the puppeteers are breaks the "magic" of the characters.

All of that is antithetical to the original spirit of Jim Henson & Co. For a lot of us, the characters were always vessels for that particular troupe of performers, and seeing how they brought the puppets to life was the magic. I came to love puppetry and special effects as a kid largely because enjoying The Muppet Show got me to start reading behind-the-scenes books and watching old documentaries and appreciating Jim, Frank, Jerry, Dave, Richard, Steve, Fran, etc.

All of this is to say, 90 fresh minutes of Frank Oz discussing his time with the Muppets (particularly on this, his first solo directing credit) is the kind of rare treat we're not going to get from any Disney release these days.

Funny you say that, because, last year's D23 show for the 30th anniversary of the Muppet Christmas Carol - it's exactly the opposite of what you mention. They had the Muppets and the performers clearly visible, they even had a screen to show the puppeteers. I assume because it was made for fans and not a general audience thing but I'm sure there were kids in the audience too.

I saw that in a video and, honestly? To me seeing the puppeteers didn't even break the inmersion. Seeing them together, it just simply amazes me how they do it. It gives such awareness, not JUST to their wonderful work but HOW they manage to make them feel so alive right there and then LIVE, that even with the puppeteer right there, you still believe it, the character becomes alive with their performances.

[THF90]

The first movie I saw in the movie theatre.

Summer 1984. I was 6 and I became obsessed with Muppet Babies after this film.

Thank God for the cartoon that came later. I couldn’t get enough!

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by BNex99

Would also be good if we could finally get CAPER with the original, un-botched audio, which hasn't been heard since the early VHS and laserdisc editions.

First time I've heard about that. What do you mean?

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

First time I've heard about that. What do you mean?

I'd been thinking about doing a comparison video, but someone beat me to it.

The Great Muppet Caper - Theatrical Version vs. 1993 Edit Comparison - YouTube

I especially miss Miss Piggy's yell when she jumps off the motorcycle.

[banandroid]

Originally Posted by PonyoBellanote

Funny you say that, because, last year's D23 show for the 30th anniversary of the Muppet Christmas Carol - it's exactly the opposite of what you mention. They had the Muppets and the performers clearly visible, they even had a screen to show the puppeteers. I assume because it was made for fans and not a general audience thing but I'm sure there were kids in the audience too.

I saw that in a video and, honestly? To me seeing the puppeteers didn't even break the inmersion. Seeing them together, it just simply amazes me how they do it. It gives such awareness, not JUST to their wonderful work but HOW they manage to make them feel so alive right there and then LIVE, that even with the puppeteer right there, you still believe it, the character becomes alive with their performances.

You're right, I forgot they did that. It's surprising, because "don't show the puppeteers or let them do interviews" definitely was (and probably still remains, outside of special occasions like that D23) Disney policy.

[Starman22]

What a great news and happy to add this 4K in my collection.

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by BNex99

I'd been thinking about doing a comparison video, but someone beat me to it.

The Great Muppet Caper - Theatrical Version vs. 1993 Edit Comparison - YouTube

Most of those edits seem to be improvements, IMO.

[mulscul]

ok, if Sony is releasing a muppet movie and So I married an Axe Murderer in 4k, Tootsie can't be far behind can it? Im surprised at how many Sony movies have been released on 4k before one of their biggest hits of the 80s along with Ghostbusters gets one.

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by mulscul

ok, if Sony is releasing a muppet movie and So I married an Axe Murderer in 4k, Tootsie can't be far behind can it? Im surprised at how many Sony movies have been released on 4k before one of their biggest hits of the 80s along with Ghostbusters gets one.

Ghostbusters has been on UHD since 2016.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by BNex99

I'd been thinking about doing a comparison video, but someone beat me to it.

The Great Muppet Caper - Theatrical Version vs. 1993 Edit Comparison - YouTube

I especially miss Miss Piggy's yell when she jumps off the motorcycle.

Sounds like there were two mixes made, an early one for the UK theatrical release (which most video versions use) and a revised one for the US release by Universal (heard on some old US TV airings and post-1995 video releases). The 5.1 on DVD/BD sounds like the same mix but a 4.0 in a 5.1 container.

[mulscul]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Ghostbusters has been on UHD since 2016.

i know ghostbusters has been released, I was stating that Tootsie was almost as big a hit for Sony as that film was for them in the 80s

[Eurbane132]

okay, since the muppets take manhattan is gonna be on blu-ray 4k, what about the rest of the muppet movies?

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

Sounds like there were two mixes made, an early one for the UK theatrical release (which most video versions use) and a revised one for the US release by Universal (heard on some old US TV airings and post-1995 video releases). The 5.1 on DVD/BD sounds like the same mix but a 4.0 in a 5.1 container.

Except that "most video versions" at this point are post-1993 and have the post-1993 version. That includes the 1993 Disney VHS/laserdisc, the Sony DVD, the Disney DVD, the Disney Blu-ray, and streaming/digital releases. The print I saw a few years ago had the Universal logo and the older mix as heard on the initial VHS and laserdisc releases. Also, the movie was released in the US about a month before it came out in the UK.

But while we're speculating, maybe Miss Piggy's "Hi-yaaah!" was intentionally removed to make her seem less aggressive (beating George Lucas to the punch with his Greedo revisionism), and the music editing was retroactively made rougher to give it that gritty, crime-movie feel.

[SP77]

Originally Posted by Eurbane132

okay, since the muppets take manhattan is gonna be on blu-ray 4k, what about the rest of the muppet movies?

whenever Disney wants to