Your Thoughts: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

What did you think of The Muppets' Wizard of Oz?

  • Oz was great

    Votes: 57 23.0%
  • Oz was good

    Votes: 92 37.1%
  • Oz was disappointing

    Votes: 64 25.8%
  • Oz was awful

    Votes: 35 14.1%

  • Total voters
    248

That Announcer

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BigTeacherMan said:
The movie had a lot of the charm of older Muppets outings. The writing was excellent, in comparison to some of the other releases in recent history. The reference to "Girls Gone Wild" was a bit much. The reference to Frank Oz was as much a in-joke as a tribute. What a treat to see some old Muppet favorites like Mayhem, Sweedums, and Crazy Harry. I miss Rowlf :sympathy:, but with him being such a part of Jim, I do find it fitting to keep him from the limelight... =)

Did anyone else catch the Mona Lisa "Piggy" with the one eye in the Witch's castle? How cool!

Overall, an excellent movie--better than I could have ever hoped. Sure there's room for improvement, and nothing will ever compare to the old classics, but for what it is, the team did a superb job. There were in-jokes, humor, lightheartedness, adventure.

I still have it in mind to write a script, especially in the wake of last year's movie, as a take off on Phantom of the Opera. Piggy is the Diva. Statler and Waldorff are the owners. Kermit is Rolf, the Diva's beloved. Gonzo is the Phantom. Mayhem plays in the pit. It could work, and be hilarious!

Take care all!
My recast of Phantom:

Janice- Christine
Gonzo- The Phantom (with the nose sticking out the mask)
Statler and Waldorf- The Monsieurs
Piggy- Carlotta
Kermit- Raoul
 

LadyHyde

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thatannouncer said:
My recast of Phantom:

Janice- Christine
Gonzo- The Phantom (with the nose sticking out the mask)
Statler and Waldorf- The Monsieurs
Piggy- Carlotta
Kermit- Raoul
I can just imagine how irritated Piggy will be about this... :zany:
 

That Announcer

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:mad: "Sorry? Sorry? No, sorry doesn't cut it! You let the backdrop FALL DOWN!"

(in unison) :boo: :sleep: "Yes, we did! Do, ho ho ho ho ho ho..."
 

shakeyboy

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Did anyone else notice?

Did any of you notice (with the amount of muppet fanatics on here i am sure you did) that in the last scenes, when everyone was watching Dorothy on the tv... in the row right in front of Aunt Em and uncle Henry were 2 very special people...

the guy with the light brown longish hair is Steve Whitmire (aka Kermit the Frog :smile: ) and the guy next to him with the glasses and the grey beard is Dave Goelz (aka Gonzo :concern: )

I think that was the best part of the movie for me... just because you rarely get to see the muppeteers on the screen... so that was cool.
 

Emerald

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MWoO said:
You are an adult who is far too sensative.
You're right - I am sensitive. I'm a teacher, and I am tired of seeing first hand what our society is doing to children - our "future". I am offended that students associate the word "shot" with a bar instead of a doctor (true story - happened last week with a third grader). I am offended by first graders who have inappropriate song lyrics memorized and sing them without any understanding of exactly what they are saying. And I am especially offended by kindergarteners who wear skirts that barely cover their bottoms and have not been taught how to sit in a skirt, let alone play in one that is so revealing. Does this not alarm anyone else? Does this not set off sirens in anyone else's mind? And it's not just the entertainment industry that is responsible - it's also parents, family, friends, neighbors and anyone else who encourages the premature aging and removal of innocence from our children. However, children mimic what they see, and especially what their parents and sibblings love. Frequently today that means copying something that is NOT okay for a young child to copy.

MWoO said:
First off, if you actually watched the movie .......... why not wait to see how it unfolds.
From what I've read, I didn't miss much. And, by the way, if a train starts to derail in front of me, I don't need to stand by and watch the carnage. If it looks like a train wreck, I am going to spare myself the pain and suffering of watching it. Especially if it involves someone (or something - like the Muppets) that I love. Granted, I have and will continue watching it, but just a little at a time so as not to become immune to it.




MWoO said:
Second, the girls gone wild reference is NOT totaly tasteless. it was a joke by a character who fits the joke. It's not like 2 girls with their tops off ran by.
The Muppets are intended to entertain BOTH adults and children. This doesn't seem to you like something that children should not be repeating? I seriously wonder if you have or work with children. Trust me, the 3-10 year old crowd that watched the movie is quoting the movie, and that is one line they may quote, if not at home then at school. Especially if their parents or sibblings thought it was funny.


MWoO said:
Did you turn off Great Muppet Caper......The Muppet Movie........ Did you turn off Muppet Treasure Island........ Seriously, you turn off a movie because someone wanted to leave Kansas at the start and because Rizzo said Girls Gone Wild, but all that other stuff is ok.
I have to side with many of my parents' generation on this one: 1979-1984 was a different time. Children were treated and dressed like children. Dresses and skirts for children generally at least went to the knee. We didn't go to PG 13 movies (let alone R movies) until our age was at in the double digets. Children were taught to respect adults and were taught that swear and curse words were not allowed at school (and often not allowed at home, either).

For that matter, even 1996 was a different time. It was before the explosion of the internet, adult-themed spam, millions of porn sites, and child molesters who suddenly have easier access to their prey. It was before Janet Jackson's Super Bowl show, Monica Lewinsky, Columbine, and the destruction of the World Trade Centers. Anyone who thinks life is the same now as it was then may not be old enough to remember. Schools lock all but one of their doors during the school day now - even remotely located schools. TV news cuts into programming to tell us that an unknown plane is flying near the nation's capitol. Children are suspended an even expelled now for making threats - even if it is only that, a threat. This is not the world I grew up in. This is not the world my teenage brother grew up in.

My parents taught me (as did my friends' parents teach them) what is age appropiate for a child and what is not. They allowed me to have my innocence - in fact, they made sure I had it - until I was ready for the next phase of life. When does that next phase start? Maybe around 9, 10, 12 - it depends on the child and the community. But for most kids that phase does NOT start before age 8. Some parents are still preserving their children's childhoods, but not all of them are doing it. In fact, it's scary just how many of them are not.

MWoO said:
Again, you are way too easily offended.
People who are easily offended offend me.
When did you stop caring about our society? When did you stop caring about the children we, as a population, raise? I feel sad for you, that you have become so jaded by the world around you.

I challenge you - all of you - to look at what you watch, what you do, and decide if that is really what you want children to mimic. Is that appropriate? Is that a positive change from the way you were raised?

My parents were not perfect. I am not perfect. But my first thought at all times is for the children I teach. If that makes me overly sensitive, so be it. Far too many people are NOT SENSITIVE ENOUGH.
 

Convincing John

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shakeyboy said:
Did any of you notice (with the amount of muppet fanatics on here i am sure you did) that in the last scenes, when everyone was watching Dorothy on the tv... in the row right in front of Aunt Em and uncle Henry were 2 very special people...

the guy with the light brown longish hair is Steve Whitmire (aka Kermit the Frog :smile: ) and the guy next to him with the glasses and the grey beard is Dave Goelz (aka Gonzo :concern: )

I think that was the best part of the movie for me... just because you rarely get to see the muppeteers on the screen... so that was cool.
But...does anyone know for sure if Jerry Nelson is in the front row with them? Here's a link to my earlier post about it:

http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showpost.php?p=275128&postcount=84

No one's made any comments one way or the other...

Convincing John
 

MWoO

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Emerald said:
You're right - I am sensitive. I'm a teacher, and I am tired of seeing first hand what our society is doing to children - our "future". I am offended that students associate the word "shot" with a bar instead of a doctor (true story - happened last week with a third grader). I am offended by first graders who have inappropriate song lyrics memorized and sing them without any understanding of exactly what they are saying. And I am especially offended by kindergarteners who wear skirts that barely cover their bottoms and have not been taught how to sit in a skirt, let alone play in one that is so revealing. Does this not alarm anyone else? Does this not set off sirens in anyone else's mind? And it's not just the entertainment industry that is responsible - it's also parents, family, friends, neighbors and anyone else who encourages the premature aging and removal of innocence from our children. However, children mimic what they see, and especially what their parents and sibblings love. Frequently today that means copying something that is NOT okay for a young child to copy.



From what I've read, I didn't miss much. And, by the way, if a train starts to derail in front of me, I don't need to stand by and watch the carnage. If it looks like a train wreck, I am going to spare myself the pain and suffering of watching it. Especially if it involves someone (or something - like the Muppets) that I love. Granted, I have and will continue watching it, but just a little at a time so as not to become immune to it.






The Muppets are intended to entertain BOTH adults and children. This doesn't seem to you like something that children should not be repeating? I seriously wonder if you have or work with children. Trust me, the 3-10 year old crowd that watched the movie is quoting the movie, and that is one line they may quote, if not at home then at school. Especially if their parents or sibblings thought it was funny.




I have to side with many of my parents' generation on this one: 1979-1984 was a different time. Children were treated and dressed like children. Dresses and skirts for children generally at least went to the knee. We didn't go to PG 13 movies (let alone R movies) until our age was at in the double digets. Children were taught to respect adults and were taught that swear and curse words were not allowed at school (and often not allowed at home, either).

For that matter, even 1996 was a different time. It was before the explosion of the internet, adult-themed spam, millions of porn sites, and child molesters who suddenly have easier access to their prey. It was before Janet Jackson's Super Bowl show, Monica Lewinsky, Columbine, and the destruction of the World Trade Centers. Anyone who thinks life is the same now as it was then may not be old enough to remember. Schools lock all but one of their doors during the school day now - even remotely located schools. TV news cuts into programming to tell us that an unknown plane is flying near the nation's capitol. Children are suspended an even expelled now for making threats - even if it is only that, a threat. This is not the world I grew up in. This is not the world my teenage brother grew up in.

My parents taught me (as did my friends' parents teach them) what is age appropiate for a child and what is not. They allowed me to have my innocence - in fact, they made sure I had it - until I was ready for the next phase of life. When does that next phase start? Maybe around 9, 10, 12 - it depends on the child and the community. But for most kids that phase does NOT start before age 8. Some parents are still preserving their children's childhoods, but not all of them are doing it. In fact, it's scary just how many of them are not.



When did you stop caring about our society? When did you stop caring about the children we, as a population, raise? I feel sad for you, that you have become so jaded by the world around you.

I challenge you - all of you - to look at what you watch, what you do, and decide if that is really what you want children to mimic. Is that appropriate? Is that a positive change from the way you were raised?

My parents were not perfect. I am not perfect. But my first thought at all times is for the children I teach. If that makes me overly sensitive, so be it. Far too many people are NOT SENSITIVE ENOUGH.

You are insane if you think THIS movie is what caused the down fall of society and will make the world end. Seriously, there was nothing in it that was that bad. It was rated PG which means it was up to parents to let their kids watch or not. If a 4 year old watched it all the way through it is the fault of the parents if that kids starts saying he's sexy or starts asking if people smelled their burps.

All it takes is a little good parenting. Don't start blamming it on TV. It's far to easy of a cop out. Parents control what little kids watch, especially when it is on at night. Maybe parents should take some personal responsibility ionstead of blaming TV for not baby sitting their kids.
 

Convincing John

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thatannouncer said:
No, I wouldn't say that's Jerry.
I had my doubts too. Kinda looks like him, though...kinda.:smirk: Oh, well, I'm sure Jerry watched the movie, too. I wonder what he thought of it?:sing:

Convincing John
 
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