We Have a Picture of Walter AND MORE NEWS!

TRON: Legacy will be released December 17.

Well there's no doubt he does in fact look just like any generic "professional hand rod puppet" sold on ebay for schools/churches/teaching, and you have to think they went out of their way to create a purposefully generic character.

Now, either he's going to be likeable and just what the story calls for...or fans will see him as an annoying Jar Jar/Elmo like character that goes over the top in being a "wannabe"(putting himself in every scene, annoying Kermit, etc)

Strangely, in the same Q and A, Gonzo seems to feign ignorance or naivety in not knowing who or what Fraggle Rock is...he doesn't remember Muppet Family Christmas?

Well thats why I wish they could do two movies back to back. One that features Segal, Adams and "Walter" aimed at the Apatow/Segal crowd, and one that is a purely Muppet focused movie.

I think it's become an emerging concern that the Muppets could play second fiddle to their own movie. I cannot fathom a muppet movie without a zany Muppet filled intro

Tron comes out Friday December 17th. It looks to be by far the most extrordinary, visionary and awe inspiring looking film Ive seen a trailer for since The Matrix Reloaded 7 years ago. Im still pinching myself that Disney is behind the unimaginably mindblowing stuff Im witnessing in all those Tron trailers.

Heck, ya never know. I can guarantee it will at least be discussed. We've seen Pixar teasers over a year, sometimes a year and a half before a release date. And we know they can cut a teaser trailer quickly and very last minute. It would make sense to have a trailer out by mid December.

I want a Big Mean Carl fan club(sooo hope he is in the film)

Wearing a Muppet t-shirt in Muppet might beckon forth a lot of smiles on the every day public's faces; but where are the Muppet fans online?

How come Firefly/Serenity, BSG, heck even Farscape has this zealous tight knit army of online fans able to create conventions on the spot...yet the Muppets who have been with us 55 years without stopping...seem like the fanbase is as underground as ever?

Ive been online regularly since the mid 1990's, and I rarely if ever come across hardcore Muppet fans outside of this site; and in real life...I dont think Ive ever ran across big Muppet fans(aside from Muppetfest)

We as fans, a loose knit community, etc should look into creating a west coast and east coast, and international fan gathering and make a bigger presence online. As much as I like the super niche underground thing, to me its sad when little known sci fi franchises that lasted barely a season have a zillion more active dedicated fans than that of the Muppets and Jim Henson Legacy.
We're still in the "college kids like Muppets nostalgia in passing/but Muppets are baby stuff from the past" phase that we've been stuck in since the late 1990's.

*in Floyd's voice* I'm back in.

Seriously - I like that idea, lol. I miss the days of the BBB and SWAEHB!

In all honesty I have read everyone's thoughts and opinions on this whole thing and I am reserving judgement on anything until I see the movie. I want to give this little guy a chance.

I'd hate to see them have the focus, but I'm sure that they know everyone else hated that. Considering he apparently hated the last crop of movies, I think he knows that's the reason they sucked compared to the first ones. Even if they have to have them be the driving force of the beginning of the action, I could easily see a Get him To the Greek situation... having the film open up with a big Muppet performance or some big news cast or something, switching the action to Walter, trying to convince Jason's character to go with them to help... but having most of the film focus on the other Muppet characters anyway...

Something like that, but I'm reserving anything until we get more info.

I have to point out something;

As I am both a Disney and Muppet fan, I was at the D23 Expo last year and was lucky enough to get into the Muppet presentation. (I almost didn't make it!)
The head of The Muppets Studio, Lylle Breier, mentioned a few times that she and the others from Muppets Studio are self-proclaimed Muppet fans, and are fans of the classic Muppet stuff and all.

Its clear to me that they do care, and are really trying their best.

Which leads me to believe that if one of us were running the Muppets Studio, the reactions here to their projects would not be any different than they are now. Its impossible to please everybody all the time.
Plus, there is often a lot of distrust of newer projects. That is a kiss of death.

Heck, there a few members here who are NEVER pleased with anything, period.


Its a valid concern worrying that the Muppets will play second fiddle, but let's just try to be cautiously optimistic.

In Muppets From Space, the Muppets weren't playing second fiddle to anyone, and most of us agree that the film was still lackluster. (To be frank, The Muppets do not need Disney's help to make a lackluster project.)

I realize they may not have plenty of time, but all you really need is a black screen, with audio of Kermit, Jason, Gonzo, etc, arguing over what they're going to put in for the teaser and the spot being over before they agree on one. Something like the Commentary on the Bohemian vid. You don't need the characters, props, setting, anything ... they don't even have to be in the same state.

Actually, I could see him starting out that way, Kermit taking him aside and warning him of the dangers of being a character folks love to loathe, so he actually becomes likeable.

Only Kermit and Robin met the Fraggles. At the finale the Fraggles are way in the background and no one except Matt knows they're there.

I have to say, if there's one thing that I'm concerned about, its this;

I sometimes question just how many Muppet fans there are out there.

The youtube videos have been a success, and I have seen many comments on the MuppetsStudio channel of people saying how they loved the Muppets, and are glad to see them again, but I sometimes really question how many people are willing to pay money to go see them in a new movie.

Luckily plenty of people will pay to see a Jason Segull movie (note: I realise it sounds bad that people may be heading to see this based on his presence, but in fact, the Muppets have always depended on celebrity as well as themselves -- see the poster/cover for MTM that has all the cameos in Stars on the front, even when the cameos are only there for half a second each.)

That was the dangers of a passionless director I was talking about.

To me the worst Muppet movie where they played second fiddle was Muppet Oz, with MCC close behind. In MoZ didn't the Muppets like come in like 10 minutes after the intro? I'm sure they'd try hard not to do that. Mcc... well, they were in crowd scenes and everything, but other than Gonzo and Rizzo, all the other characters were demoted to brief cameos or tertiary roles. You saw most of them in one scene... then never again for the rest of the movie. I think MTI managed to do that a LOT better, even though Kermit didn't show up until a whiles into the film. But once he became the center of action, he was the center of action.

I think that MTI balanced the Muppets amazingly, but obviously I'm happier with MTM where they all appear right at once and all together at the beginning. Remember, Jason is basing this thing on the classics though...and all the classics begin with a big-cast moment (Theatre in TMM, Hey a Movie in GMC and opening play in MTM.)

Bea{That's a lot of acronyms...}regard

MTI's mostly Muppet Pirate crew added sufficient Muppet content. MCC didn't have the right balance. They were present, but they weren't there. All the action focused on the human Scrooge, his Human nephew and his human former girlfriend. While MTI had some scenes that were just Jim and Long John Silver, there wasn't any extended periods of time (or music numbers) where you DIDN'T see a Muppet. I think MTI is one of my favorite new era films...though I think VMX got he old Muppet feeling down closer than the others.

Good point about the big openings, though. I'm sure we'll get some big splashy start to the film that will weave into the Walter plot. I'm wondering if he's just a subplot that links the action together. Seems logical.

Indeed.

Precisely.

If I remember correctly, the original Gonzo puppet had the same saggy, sad eyes as this modern puppet. This new puppet is a little fatter, but it looks like they're bringing him back to his original, Muppet Show Season One look.

Forgive me for asking a stupid question, but is Gonzo's nose more of a rounded hook than in the past?

Bringing Gonzo to his TMS season 1 look is NOT something they would intentionally try or want to do. Gonzo looked like he did then because he was an already existing puppet that didn't yet have his TMS personality. Dave Goelz (who was a puppet builder as well) knew that the character needed a desperate change and rebuilt him for season two. If Disney really wanted to take him back to an "original" look (which isn't where i think they're going), TMS season two was really the "beginning" of Gonzo as he was supposed to be (and a very good looking puppet i wouldn't mind seeing again).

I don't consider current Gonzo's eyes "sad" - they're off because the nose size throws off the placement/focus.

Oh none of us have any doubt that the Muppets are not only in good hands, but the specific people running the Muppets umbrella under Disney are huge fans. And youre so lucky! I just saw some pix and youtube posts. I will definitely be at the August 2011 D23! I say we need to organize a big fan gathering if Disney doesnt have an official Muppet weekend celebration like they do with Star Wars

Ooh I like the sound of that. Either way I think the film will be nothing short of visionary. And I forgot that Segal did show disdain for the post JH films.

Ooh good point. I thought maybe Gonzo references/knows about Elmo and Sesame and not Fraggle Rock because of legal issues(Sesame is officially considered "Muppets"(tm) still, while sadly they stripped Fraggle Rock of that designation after the Disney buyout)

But you're right, nowhere is Gonzo ever with any Fraggle characters.