What kind of Big screen movie should the Muppets do?

[dwayne1115]

yea but the story would have to be a really good one for Frank to come back. He is a really well known derictor now, he is not going to do anything sup par. i think the movie metionioned above, was even worte by Jim and Jerry before they both passed it was right after MTM. If thats not the one i know that there is one out there maybe even halve done that could be finished and produced that Frank would glady derict. He said so in an interview which in the same intrveiw he was talking about his dislikes of what the muppets where doing.
So i really think it would just take a whole lot of heart to get Frank back in the derectors chair, but i have been wrong before. I would even settle for Brian Henson to derict another movie. The two he did where in a lot of peoples minds the last true muppet movies.

 

[Elchippo]

I was watching Trading Places last nite....as many probably already know, both Frank and Richard Hunt have small roles in that film. And considering he worked on the muppet Movie, had a good relationship with the "old guard" and is an A-list director, wouldn't John Landis be the perfect director of a new Muppet Movie? (If they could get him?)

 

[superboober]

Possibly, but I think he's still under too dark a cloud for the execs from the Twilight Zone debacle.

 

[Tim]

John Landis DID direct The Muppets..well, Piggy and Gonzo anyway, for the "Disneyland's 40th Anniversary" special. Did a pretty good job, too. The material was servicable, and they did have Frank and Dave performing.

Brian's proven himself in the positive and negative. It's pretty sad when his one big shot at bringing The Muppets back to tv ("Muppets Tonight") was such a disaster. It got cancelled 3 TIMES before they finally put it out of it's misery. More industry folks have told me they said right to his face "your nothing like your father", and they are right. Frank could only do so much, and he got out for all the right reasons, not the least of which was the level of quality. Jim influenced every single aspect of that company, creative, financial, and personal. Toward the end as it got bigger, it started to get away from him, and the quality was becoming hit-or-miss. It would take that kind of Disney-like focus and genius to co-ordinate all the other talent that is still available. I don't think Spielberg, Lucas, Lassiter or Disney himself could do exactly what Jim did, but it might be as good, just not having the "feel" that Jim brought to it.

We are not going to find another Jim Henson.

 

[dwayne1115]

wow tim you sound like you know a whole lot kind of like you where on the inside a little bit from what i can gather. If what has happend to you is what i think then i beleve you are the second person that i have seen that has had prfesonal dealings with JHC after Jims death, and they where not handled well on the componys part at all. I really have asked myselfe lately what is really going on at JHC and Disney,and do the muppets really even have a prayer. It really does seem that Jim was the true backbone of the whole thing, but know sadly he is gone. His kids are in charge now,and to me things should have not gone so down hill as they have. If there would have been anyone that could keep Jim's passion and heart of the muppets and everything else that they do you would really think it would have been the Hensons. After thinking about that though i reaized how wrong that truly is the one who really could have kept things running smoothly was the one person who truly undrestood and worked with Jim so closely Frank Oz.
Secondly, you said earlyier that JHC main concern is not soft fussy puppets. Then why on earth are they doing a Fragel Rock movie. Please somone Corect me if i am wrong, but arnt they soft fuzzy puppets?
The more and more i think about all this there is one thing i am truly glad of the fact that the Sesame Muppets are safe with Sesame Workshop. they are the only ones out of the whole deal that to me are still doing what Jim had set out to do with the muppets. Sure there are a few little problems there as well but not like this. (One major little problem is a little red monster stealing the spotlight.) If they had just made a muppet compony with no disney and maybe not even JHC since they dont want anything to really do with the muppets, witch i still cant understand. Then maybe evrything would be ok but now i just dont know for sure.

 

[Tim]

O.K.. that's a pretty complicated question/statement, but I'll offer what I can. First of all, the entertainment industry in general has changed so much from when Jim started out. Even 20 years ago, he was frustrated at how long it took him to actually sell "Emmitt Otter" since, as he said "there were only three buyers" (ABC, CBS & NBC). That's not the case anymore, as we have everyhting from cable, and home video to ipod and now cell phone programming. The down side for everyone, is that there is less money to be made from every production, so budgets get cut, and quality goes down. The whole reason Jim even considered selling The Muppets to Disney was that it allowed him to concentrait on the creative end and not have to shop stuff around, since they would be the sole buyer/distributor. The material could have been exploited in any avenue Disney had, and a huge profit from each wouldn't be needed, since it would all ultimately be going into the same pot anyway (financial synergy). Think "Disney/Pixar".

It was described as "a marriage made in show business heaven", and the two things that loused it up were Jim's death, and Michael Eisner-'nuff said.

Now the only way any big production company can survive these times, is with diversty, and Henson is no different. The Hollywood Reporter issue that showcased Henson's 50th was fastenating, since it showed The Jim Henson Comapny trying to be a small scale Disney. They were very proud of how they are able to do their own in house CGI animation, and the various non-creature productions they are in association with, but there was very little in the way of classic Muppets, since they have not had a hit with them in a long time. Muppets have to play it safe right now, and follow the pack, because it is just too financially risky to lead it. So instead of "Muppet Shows" and "The Land of Gortch", we get rehashes and remakes-"America's Next Muppet?"-the focus group for that one came back with a collective "who cares?" and they are right. If "Muppets Wizard of Oz" had done anything ratings-wise, you can bet there would be at least one new Muppet televison movie a year-maybe two, and possibly even a new series. And if that kind of profit was to be had, you can also bet that every other producer in town would be turning off their computers and going back to sculpting foam rubber. But as each new Muppet production limps by and dissapoints, the budgets get cut further, performers are paid non-union wages, and we see less of our favorite characters.

However, if there is even a small chance any profit to be had, most production companies are willing to try to find it. Pixar's "Cars" is going to do a zillion dollars this year, so we also get "Hoodwinked" and "The Wild" because even a 10-15 million profit is nothing to sneeze at, and helps the company's collective bottom line. So Henson will continue to keep the characters alive, and "The Fraggle Rock Movie" will be done out of the country and non-union to save costs, and do at the box office what all those "Pooh" movies do, (high profile, merchandise profit, small b.o. profit, quick to home video, more small profit) and they will continue to sell more "limited edition" Muppet figures that we all collect so that they can keep the lights on at Chaplin Studios while they plan out the next "Henson Films" Harry Potter/Narnia rip-off "the kind of film that Jim would have done" where (they hope) the real bucks are. Financial synergy.

Oh, and by the way, the kids are not "running the comapny". They are still on the Board, but Brian was relieved of that duty years ago, and outside suits have taken over. The kids are publicity figures, and about as active as Roy Disney is in animation over in Burbank.

Frank got out just in time.