Disney in talks to buy Muppets

[BoyRaisin2]

Originally posted by Chilly Down
BoyRaisin: Yes, I'm aware of that whole weird Turner/AOL Time Warner owning MGM films thing. That may be what happens here. However, I'm still not convinced that we aren't all at the mercy of another lazy journalist, who doesn't understand that JHC and "the Muppets" are two different things. We'll just have to wait and see.

Yeah, through Warner Bros. and/or Hanna-Barbera (all these companies are sorta linked), Turner/Time Warner did make more things using the MGM characters (under Turner Entertainment Co.), like Tom and Jerry Kids and The Magic Ring.

As for the journalist(s), these are the same who wrote some of the other Henson buyout articles of the last couple of months. Even one article at Hoovers.com said Disney is not interested in the whole Henson package, and could pay $70 million for the Muppets alone. So maybe they do mean what they say, though I'm still confused how it would work and so on.

Now I'm watching the Elton John/Julie Andrews/Gene Kelly volume of TMS. Earlier I watched Miss Piggy's Hollywood and Follow That Bird (finally). Sorta been in the mood.

 

[WiGgY]

Originally posted by Chilly Down
1. The Pallisades line doesn't threaten any of Disney's interest, and it's a big cash cow for the company right now. I'm sure Disney would be glad to let it continue (and fill their pockets with money!).

2. It's vague as to who was actually behind the whole storybook thing: JHC or Disney. It seems that phase is done now.

3. I think the one legitimate complaint against Disney is that the Muppets might become too "cute" again. Let's hope not.

While I don't think the Muppets are high-profile enough to qualify a whole theme park for themselves, I do believe a Disney buyout would mean a much more significant presence at the theme parks. And I'm all in favor of that!

Right now they don't qualitfy for a whole theme park but wait until Disney owns them. Disney will promte them so much with new movies and stuff and then the show that will most definatly be on the air, and the figures which will probably get promoted too, and I'm sure Fraggle Rock will become a huge part of the Disney Channels morning line up. Once Disney does all that, which I bet they will do, I bet a whole theme park just like the one talked about here will happen.

I can see it all now.

 

[WiGgY]

Originally posted by BoyRaisin2
Yeah, through Warner Bros. and/or Hanna-Barbera (all these companies are sorta linked), Turner/Time Warner did make more things using the MGM characters (under Turner Entertainment Co.), like Tom and Jerry Kids and The Magic Ring.

As for the journalist(s), these are the same who wrote some of the other Henson buyout articles of the last couple of months. Even one article at Hoovers.com said Disney is not interested in the whole Henson package, and could pay $70 million for the Muppets alone. So maybe they do mean what they say, though I'm still confused how it would work and so on.

Now I'm watching the Elton John/Julie Andrews/Gene Kelly volume of TMS. Earlier I watched Miss Piggy's Hollywood and Follow That Bird (finally). Sorta been in the mood.

If Disney buys the muppets they buy the right to use them howevery they want, probably. It would mean that JHC would exist without the muppets anymore which would be sad and so weird. They would not be able to use any of the muppets that Disney buys in logos or anythng unless Disney said they could. At least that's what I think it means.

I doubt that makes any sense though. I mean Henson is a very recognozable name so I don't see why Disney wouldn't want the name with the muppets as a package deal.

 

[danielromens]

Why is it that most of the posts in this thread, save for a few from the usuals who seem to possess a level of understanding, have not yet grasped the main point of the news, namely...


DISNEY IS NOT IN TALKS TO BUY JHC

DISNEY IS IN TALKS TO BUY THE LIBRARY AND THE MUPPET CHARACTERS.

THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Ok, enough caps, I'm just tired of reading about what Disney could do for the company. Well, it doesn't really matter what they'd do with it, because they aren't going to buy it.

Some of you folks are so blinded by the idea of seeing Kermit the Frog in new shows and videos that you can't see that this could mean the end of a lot of jobs at the Company as well as the end of the brand that comes with it.

I know some of you remember the "Disney's Kermit the Frog" and some of you seem to think that this would somehow not happen well, go look at all of the other creator based properties that Disney has gobbled up. Nickelodean's "Doug" was once a highly successful show until it became Disney's Doug and yes that's what the title is. How come we see Disney's Winnie the Pooh instead of Milne's Winnie the Pooh? They didn't create it, they merely own it. Not only that but they've completely sucked the life out of it by fluffing up what used to be very intelligent stories.
Let's not even get into the fact that they are completely oversaturating the market with overexposure. They've gotten lucky with Pooh in that it's stayed popular for a long time, but just wait people, everything fades.

Seriously, the level of blind optimism for what Disney can do with the characters is frightning. You realise that someone else can own them and Disney could be used as a licensing vehicle by allowing them to use the characters in MGM and by working with them to produce more work. This would allow a still surviving henson company to have some say in what happens to their characters without letting the wreches at DisneyBland getting their greedy talons of creative ruin into them.

I actually think Valentine could be really great. He after all worked for your illbeloved Disney and helped to spearhead a lot of great products. Personally I think they need someone who knows business, not some entertainment company who can't even handle the characters it all ready has. Which by the way is their problem, owning a lot of character properties isn't good when you have no idea what to do with them.

And hey, remember some of you same folks who also degraded Saban as the creator of the Power Rangers, well that so called evil show now has a prominent role in DISNEYS SATURDAY MORNING. Oh the irony.

and before I forget to give my usual sign off...

F*** Disney.

 

[scarecroe]

Originally posted by danielromens
DISNEY IS NOT IN TALKS TO BUY JHC
DISNEY IS IN TALKS TO BUY THE LIBRARY AND THE MUPPET CHARACTERS.

Read the press release again.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

ChillyDown sez, "3. I think the one legitimate complaint against Disney is that the Muppets might become too "cute" again. Let's hope not."

Right-o, and I agree with that.

Gang,
Look what someone else said about the Dizzy company having all these characters they have now and no idea what to do with them. The creativity at the Disney company is LOW LOW LOW--I don't care what anybody says.

Sure, they have a hit in Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Lion King; but, outside of the hits, look at their numerous failures. My point is not laid in their past, but in their present. Convince me that what they CAN do is good, and I might sway my opinion in favor of rather than against Disney (but I doubt it).

I will have to say, however, that I will be in line for one of the first viewings of the Mickey movie!! (What a hipocrite, huh?)

MuppetCentral.com reports: "The source who expected a deal shortly said Disney had offered $70 million in cash for the rights to the Muppet movie catalog and characters but not for Henson's special-effects workshop, the Creature Shop.."

So, what we have to look forward to is another split-up of the JHC? It says right there they want the catalog of movies and the characters rights. Not the company. Still, I don't see where it says that JHC will be void of the Muppets, just that Disney will have rights to the characters and the movies, right?

As I've said, if if IF Disney will allow JHC creative freedom, then I'm for it; but, if not, I don't see where it would help it.

After all, someone said Disney has the moolah to fund Muppet projects, but what have they been doing with their own products?
Cinderella 2, Hunchback 2, sequel after stinking sequel.

I don't think Disney is a bad company, I just think they are a gestapo of creative-ruination that will stand a better chance of throwing junk out there just to get money from it, and the public runs blindly out to grab it all up because it says "Disney" on it.

Bringing me to wonder, "Disney's Muppets" (?!) NO NO NO!!! Ew.

Also, I doubt very VERY seriously if you would ever see anything more than a very small attraction (Muppet Vision 3-D size or less) at any giant theme park. You'll never see a Sesame Place for The Muppets.

I don't think Disney has any real plans for The Muppets, except to suppress them.

But, then again, we're all going on and on over all this and there's not a 100% proof-positive word that Disney is really, truly interested. In essence, I just really wasted time sharing my personal opinion about a deal that's not even being developed yet!!

Back to napping....

 

[BoyRaisin2]

We can keep speculating (you know I will), but I think we won't REALLY know what's going on 'til we see an actual press release, not article from a journalist (which ALL these are). I mean we don't know officially know whether Disney just wanted the catalog and characters or EM.TV wants to keep the Creature Shop or if EM.TV just wants to sell those parts and have other ideas with the rest of the company in mind (what would be left?). Who knows if these journalists are just exaggerating 'cause it's media giant Disney, and soon we get a surprise article titled "Classic Media buys stake in Henson." Oh, and how productive an association that would be.

How, if it is or will be true, Disney buys the library and Muppets themselves, well, I really can't process how that would work, though there may be a simple explanation. That's why I'm waiting for a press release from Disney or EM.TV's website.

And (man, I'm about to DEFEND Disney), I'd IMAGINE that ABC went with "Disney's Doug" (formerly Brand Spankin' New Doug), is possibly to avoid confusion with Nickelodeon's Doug. I'm sure they don't want kids or their parents confusing this with their rival's show. As for Winnie the Pooh, my thinking (remember thinking) is, well, with Walt Disney TV Animation actually drawing and producing the series, it can be "Disney's Winnie the Pooh." And, in Disney's defense (in this part at least), on the tags and such of Pooh merchandise, it does say "Based on the creation of A.A. Milne and Stephen..." or something like that. And there were, at one point, Classic Pooh stuff at The Disney Store. Almost like the deal Disney did with Tarzan by sticking Edgar Rice Burroughs' name on some of the stuff.

And, just to stick a knife in Valentine's pants, he was the one basically started the whole line on Disney video sequels in the first place. While I wish they wouldn't do it (at least with the classics), I don't buy the videos, and liked the sequels to "Aladdin," "Lion King," and especially "An Extremely Goofy Movie" soooo, that's about it.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

so disney might buy the muppets......hmmm...i think disney is just trying to play around with the people at henson. honestly, i don't think they care about owning the muppets because the muppets aren't something that has value now a days. if disney does buy the muppets, i don't think they're going to be doing anything with them. they might have the muppets do a few specials, and even a tv movie or two, but that maybe it. and if they do buy the muppets, i don't think disney will like to have the new muppet show, if the show is still going to air, on fox because fox and disney are competitors; and since disney owns abc and not fox, then disney might not have the new muppet show on fox, if disney does buy the muppets and the new muppet show is still going to go through.

ryan

 

[Chilly Down]

Daniel, I appreciate the level of stress and anxiety the buyout news is causing you (we're all feeling it), but there's no need to get personal on other members of the forum. They're just expressing their opinion, as is their right here. Most of us, at any rate, are not gung-ho Disney; we're "oh, well, this may not work out, but what choice have we got? Let's hope for the best." Valentine may very well have been great for the Muppets, but the fact is that he is no longer in the running. Pretty much, the Muppets can be bought out by Disney now, or EM.TV can keep ignoring them and trying to sell them for several years.

MuppetCentral.com: "The source who expected a deal shortly said Disney had offered $70 million in cash for the rights to the Muppet movie catalog and characters but not for Henson's special-effects workshop, the Creature Shop.."

Foz: "It says right there they want the catalog of movies and the characters rights. Not the company."

Foz, re-read that. It says Disney wants the Muppets but not *the Creature Shop*. It doesn't mention JHC either way. I would hate the buyout if it meant the end of jobs for all JHC employees (including, possibly, the puppeteers?). But let's wait for more news before we reach an alarmist state. I'm still unconvinced that the article writer knew what he or she was talking about (since they're so often wrong).

 

[scarecroe]

Originally posted by Chilly Down
Daniel, I appreciate the level of stress and anxiety the buyout news is causing

Yeah, once this business is all done and put to rest, we're all gonna need some therapy