How Disney Can Reinvigorate the Muppets

[CharlieVenkman]

Hi everyone,

This is a video I recently made about what Disney can do to reinvigorate the Muppets. In my opinion, they have owned the characters for almost a decade now, and have not figure out how to best use them. I think the new film was a nice start, but still went in the wrong direction--it was too heavily aimed at us nostalgic adults, whereas it should have been more a new introduction for a new audience. There's no reason why the Muppets shouldn't be as big as Phineas and Ferb, etc.

I'd love to know what you think!

 

[D'Snowth]

The main problem is Disney pretty much only wanted the Muppets for the sake of owning them.

I've said it for years that Disney hasn't utilized the Muppets to the best of their abilities, and they've shelved numerous projects, including a new TV series, a Halloween special, among other things, yet so many people put blind faith into Disney's hands.

Yes, we did FINALLY get the new movie... after Jason Segel basically prompted them, since apparently, they couldn't bring themselves to do it.

I'd put blame on the Henson kids for selling them to Disney in the first place, but I've unfortunately lost a lot of respect for JHC these days anyway, they really don't seem to care about the entities that Jim worked so hard to create anymore.

It would probably be the same story for any other larger corporate studio if they bought the Muppets instead, a lot of them (Universal is pretty notorious for it as well) either buy up the catalogs of these smaller, more independent companies, if not buying out the companies altogether, with really no intent on actually doing anything with them, they just want to own them.

Now luckily, Disney DOES seem to FINALLY be serious about actually doing things with the Muppets since they saw how successful the movie was, but only time will tell how they continue to utilize them in the years to come.

 

[jvcarroll]

Hi everyone,

This is a video I recently made about what Disney can do to reinvigorate the Muppets. In my opinion, they have owned the characters for almost a decade now, and have not figure out how to best use them. I think the new film was a nice start, but still went in the wrong direction--it was too heavily aimed at us nostalgic adults, whereas it should have been more a new introduction for a new audience. There's no reason why the Muppets shouldn't be as big as Phineas and Ferb, etc.

I'd love to know what you think!

Interesting pitch. I think you'll find most fans would love to see a show about the Muppets living in a house and/or neighborhood together.

The Muppets have always been inclusive to all ages. They're not known to pander to youngsters so that's my only concern with your proposal. If the Muppets and their classic brand of humor show up in a house, in a theater, on a boat or with a goat, audiences of all ages will show up too. The rest is marketing, not context.

Of course the last Muppet film capitalized on the fanbase. That's a no-brainer, especially considering that many of these nostalgic 30-somethings have kids. Because of this, the Muppets are ripe for a resurgence. The film's print marketing was bright and vibrant and not evocative of anything vintage. The commercials and the film reintroduced the characters so that a new generation could appreciate them and it was successful in doing so. Basically, the movie tried very hard to be all things to all people. I agree that it was more of a Muppet movement than full-fledged Muppet movie. Nonetheless, the project was a necessary palette cleanser after so many failed attempts. I'm so glad it worked. So, now what? The marketing and performance of next year's "The Muppets...Again" will be the true test of the Muppets' staying power.

In other words, let the advertising people worry about the details and just let the Muppets be Muppets. That's my opinion.

 

[Drtooth]

I'd put blame on the Henson kids for selling them to Disney in the first place, but I've unfortunately lost a lot of respect for JHC these days anyway, they really don't seem to care about the entities that Jim worked so hard to create anymore.

It would probably be the same story for any other larger corporate studio if they bought the Muppets instead, a lot of them (Universal is pretty notorious for it as well) either buy up the catalogs of these smaller, more independent companies, if not buying out the companies altogether, with really no intent on actually doing anything with them, they just want to own them.

Any company besides Disney would have just dumped them in their vault, sat on them for eternity, and we wouldn't have even got a T-shirt out of it. If JHC continued to own them, we'd see a long delayed DTV movie that would get a mixed reception, and then dozens of projects that don't go anywhere. Disney at least gave us a movie, and even if it was at the constant badgering of Jason and crew at the helm, we still got a theatrical movie that grossed modestly enough to warrant a sequel.

Of course, you look at how they treat Marvel since they bought them, and the approach is nuanced. In fact the only thing that I hate about Disney's Marvel ownership is Marvel's outright refusal to publish Disney character comics regularly. Not even so much as a Scrooge McDuck reprint or a continuation of the legendary Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.

Interesting pitch. I think you'll find most fans would love to see a show about the Muppets living in a house and/or neighborhood together.

The Muppets have always been inclusive to all ages. They're not known to pander to youngsters so that's my only concern with your proposal. If the Muppets and their classic brand of humor show up in a house, in a theater, on a boat or with a goat, audiences of all ages will show up too. The rest is marketing, not context.

Of course the last Muppet film capitalized on the fanbase. That's a no-brainer, especially considering that many of these nostalgic 30-somethings have kids. Because of this, the Muppets are ripe for a resurgence. The film's print marketing was bright and vibrant and not evocative of anything vintage. The commercials and the film reintroduced the characters so that a new generation could appreciate them and it was successful in doing so.

That's basically what I'd call for a TV series, myself. Something more sitcomish and current and not some attempt that tries too hard to be the original series. Jim wouldn't have remade the original series, and would be hungry to put the characters in another venue. That's why Muppets Tonight was of varying quality. It wanted to be the old show, but hip and current and the show didn't get really good until they moved away from both approaches and went to something more sitcom style. The difference is clear. Watch a season one episode, and then watch either Johnny Moves Out or the one where Beaker goes on a Star Trek cruise and gets his non-existent ears talked off by George Takei.

As for the marketing push, I don't think we'll see anything for the next film until, at least, Thanksgiving or Christmas, with Christmas being more likely. But they really should step it up and do some smaller, viral video style projects as soon as the film's done shooting. or at least on its downtime. I'd love to see some video production blog arise out of this, but it didn't happen last time so I doubt they'd do it this time. Other than that, The Muppets have a decent presence in stores. We need more shirts and a few more toys, but they really only should step that up closer to the film's release. They just need a bigger presence in the Disney Store. A bean bag line and shirts that don't just feature Animal at least.

 

[Beauregard]

I was watching The Muppets Take Manhatten yesterday, and it struck me once again that you could swap out the Muppets for human actors and the lines would still have resonance (of course, it would then be a serious movie, much of the humor itself comes from the serious lines being performed by Muppets). And THAT is how they work best, played as adults and written as real beings.

Kermit wasn't all catch phrases and high-pitched panics. He could be swapped out for Tom Hanks and the lines would all fit.

I think any new TV series needs (must, must, must!) be treated the same way you'd treat a TV show featuring a mixture of 20-30 year old humans. That's what worked then, and it can work now.

Disney also owns The Muppet babies, so, they could do something with them for Disney Channel?

That said, your pitch is really well put together and professional! Well done.

 

[charlietheowl]

I think any new TV series needs (must, must, must!) be treated the same way you'd treat a TV show featuring a mixture of 20-30 year old humans. That's what worked then, and it can work now.

Agreed 100 percent. I think that one of the great things about the Muppets is that while they are a fun-loving, ridiculous, crazy bunch, they have the same emotions and worries that people like us have. I think that for any project to truly have the same spirit as the original three movies and show, it needs to have that balance of the crazy and realistic.

 

[beatnikchick300]

Can I be really honest about the new movie here? Or should I not go there? Because I think some of the problems with the movie being addressed could be a way to start to reinvigorate the Muppets.

 

[jvcarroll]

Can I be really honest about the new movie here? Or should I not go there? Because I think some of the problems with the movie being addressed could be a way to start to reinvigorate the Muppets.

What problems? So far the movie sounds AMAZING!

 

[Beauregard]

Just realized that the Newsman is on the newspaper! *faint*

 

[CharlieVenkman]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I love a good Muppet discussion

I really liked the new movie. It had a lot of good laughs, and I loved seeing the characters on the big screen again. I'm just afraid it didn't create any new Muppet fans.

I wouldn't want any new show to be just for kids, no way--it should be enjoyed by adults, too. But let's not forget that as much as adults liked the Muppet Show, it was kids that turned it into a phenomenon.

Whenever I'm in Disney World, I'm always struck by how popular Phineas and Ferb are--kids in their t-shirts are everywhere, the merchandise is everywhere, and kids get amazingly excited when the characters are signing autographs, etc. There's no reason those same kids shouldn't be crazy for the muppets.

The show I'd like to see would just as enjoyable for us adults, but it would serve the purpose of letting in the next generation--make them feel like the Muppets are theirs, too, not just the thing their parents liked when they were kids.