It's time to meet the Muppets.
Nov. 23rd, 2011 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexandraerinSo, I mentioned before how a viewing of The Muppets is going to form a part of my family's holiday plans this week. I've read about Frank Oz's commentary about the direction of the movie and the handling of the characters, and with as much respect as I have for the man and his work, I'm still looking forward to it.
After Jim Henson died, Kermit stepped out of the spotlight for a while and other Muppets stepped up. That was probably a good move. But the absolute worst thing that could happen to Jim Henson's legacy would be for Kermit and company to be treated with reverence, because then you have to put them up on a shelf and give them only the lightest and most careful of dustings every once a decade or so. That's how a scamp like Mickey Mouse and a chaotic dynamo like Bugs Bunny became the relatively toothless corporate icons they are today.
I have a prediction to make about this film's reception. Anybody who goes in expecting The Muppet Movie will be disappointed, though they should take heart: The Muppet Movie still exists and is still quite eminently watchable. I should know, as I basically watched or listened to it every day for a year at an earlier stage in my career.
Anybody who goes in expecting a Muppet movie, on the other hand, is likely to be delighted. That is, if you don't already think everything post-Jim Henson is a horrible travesty already. I know some people do, but I don't. The series has had its ups and downs. I think Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island were actually inspired choices for what to do with the franchise after Jim's death. Muppets From Space was less so, and Muppet Wizard of Oz... there are things I like about it and things I don't.
Gonzo's cybernetic "T.I.N. Thing" smacked of a Syfy Original Movie style revamp that was at odds with the decision to go back to the book as a basis... as did the decision to have The Muppets as real celebrities in the real world of Kansas and characters in the fantasy land of Oz. Making the movie about Dorothy Gale's quest for stardom was an odd choice. Not one I disagree with inherently, as it ties the movie thematically back to The Muppet Movie and Muppets Take Manhattan, but it added to a "too much going on" atmosphere. Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island work so well for me because they work as straight adaptations BUT WITH MUPPETS. Muppet Wizard of Oz was being pulled in too many directions.
But even the missteps in the franchise aren't travesties to me. They're missteps. Much as a favorite actor will do movies that one doesn't care for... well, that's it. The Muppets have done movies I don't care for.
There will only ever be one The Muppet Movie... or possibly two, since Muppets Take Manhattan pretty much made lightning strike twice but the second time on the opposite coast. But I wouldn't want the fact that no one can make The Muppet Movie again stop anyone from making a movie with Muppets. I don't want Kermit as an icon. I want Kermit as a character. I want Kermit to be a person, a living, breathing presence who is capable of growth, taking chances and, yes, making mistakes.
The bottom line for me is that if the Muppets never did anything I didn't like, it would probably mean they weren't doing anything, which would mean they're nothing more than puppets under the control of a corporate entity that doesn't want to do anything that would cost them the goodwill of someone who might in the future buy a t-shirt or hat. That would be a travesty.
After Jim Henson died, Kermit stepped out of the spotlight for a while and other Muppets stepped up. That was probably a good move. But the absolute worst thing that could happen to Jim Henson's legacy would be for Kermit and company to be treated with reverence, because then you have to put them up on a shelf and give them only the lightest and most careful of dustings every once a decade or so. That's how a scamp like Mickey Mouse and a chaotic dynamo like Bugs Bunny became the relatively toothless corporate icons they are today.
I have a prediction to make about this film's reception. Anybody who goes in expecting The Muppet Movie will be disappointed, though they should take heart: The Muppet Movie still exists and is still quite eminently watchable. I should know, as I basically watched or listened to it every day for a year at an earlier stage in my career.
Anybody who goes in expecting a Muppet movie, on the other hand, is likely to be delighted. That is, if you don't already think everything post-Jim Henson is a horrible travesty already. I know some people do, but I don't. The series has had its ups and downs. I think Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island were actually inspired choices for what to do with the franchise after Jim's death. Muppets From Space was less so, and Muppet Wizard of Oz... there are things I like about it and things I don't.
Gonzo's cybernetic "T.I.N. Thing" smacked of a Syfy Original Movie style revamp that was at odds with the decision to go back to the book as a basis... as did the decision to have The Muppets as real celebrities in the real world of Kansas and characters in the fantasy land of Oz. Making the movie about Dorothy Gale's quest for stardom was an odd choice. Not one I disagree with inherently, as it ties the movie thematically back to The Muppet Movie and Muppets Take Manhattan, but it added to a "too much going on" atmosphere. Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island work so well for me because they work as straight adaptations BUT WITH MUPPETS. Muppet Wizard of Oz was being pulled in too many directions.
But even the missteps in the franchise aren't travesties to me. They're missteps. Much as a favorite actor will do movies that one doesn't care for... well, that's it. The Muppets have done movies I don't care for.
There will only ever be one The Muppet Movie... or possibly two, since Muppets Take Manhattan pretty much made lightning strike twice but the second time on the opposite coast. But I wouldn't want the fact that no one can make The Muppet Movie again stop anyone from making a movie with Muppets. I don't want Kermit as an icon. I want Kermit as a character. I want Kermit to be a person, a living, breathing presence who is capable of growth, taking chances and, yes, making mistakes.
The bottom line for me is that if the Muppets never did anything I didn't like, it would probably mean they weren't doing anything, which would mean they're nothing more than puppets under the control of a corporate entity that doesn't want to do anything that would cost them the goodwill of someone who might in the future buy a t-shirt or hat. That would be a travesty.