Muppets. Everyone knows them, they can be fun for kids (they are puppets, after all), and for adults (with their sharp humor). Being such traditional and famous characters, it makes me think: What happened to the Muppets?
In 2004, Disney acquired the Muppets rights for $75 million. After that, they made the successful 'The Muppets' 2011 film, followed by a sequel no one remembers (or seems to care). In 2015, they starred on their own ABC comedy, a The Office like show that wasn't really true to the characters.
Since then, this great Disney owned franchise has been sleeping. Even DHS's MuppetVision 3D's future is uncertain, even more now that they renamed both the Muppets Theater and Courtyard.
I really think they could (and should) do something with them, use the franchise. Maybe a revitalization of their old The Muppet Show on Disney XD! And why hasn't there been a live Broadway show starring America's favorite puppets?
So, what do you think Disney could do with this famous franchise?
The Muppets should do a Marvel movie. It would be kinda like the Team America Movie, but probably less swearing and puppet rutting. Certainly no scatology. I mean, they already did this for the Muppet Wizard of Oz, so this seems like a no brainer.
Kermit could be Captain America because he is the apple polishing carefully crafted corporate icon.
Miss Piggy could be Black Widow because Americans seem to have some strange fascination with seeing pigs in spandex.
Animal could be Hulk since they are both just dumb and menacing. Maybe Hulk should take up the drums in his spare time.
Gonzo could be Iron Man since I’m sure Gonzo could think of nothing better in the world than strapping rockets to his feet
I still can’t figure out who would play me. You know what? Screw it! The only one qualified to play me is me. We’ll just have to develop Muppool as performed by Deadpool. That, my friends, is a fantastic idea.
Any other ideas which Muppets should play the Marvel characters?
Everything they done for the Muppet was a mess. They must update the Muppets 3D movie. It's like they refuse to do the most obvious thing to keep the Muppets alive. They ruined their television series by making it for adult audiences who don't care. It's time to reboot it with new original characters and sideline boring Kermit and the ever inappropriate Miss Piggy. The Muppets must be standalone characters and not rely on the outdated celebrity pairing. Consider abandoning the puppets and go with full 3D animation. Skew younger like the 2 to 6 years crowd. No one over 8 cares anymore. My 8 year old already doesn't want to dress like a princess anymore.
I liked the ABC series. However in light of the recent movies it was an odd choice - either bring back the muppets as an all age thing, or do it as a "Nostalgic adult thing".
I think the first thing with the muppets is for it to be put in the hands of someone with a clear vision as to what to do with the brand. Then, when you've got that, you can worry about what theme park presence - if any - is appropriate.
I enjoyed the ABC special as well, yet as a kid from the 70s, it was awkward and strange. In today's world, I really fear the muppets have lost their relevancy in the entertainment industry. If they aren't found in the Apple Store or Google Play (and I just checked), kids today aren't going to care.
Jason Segal promised to give "The Muppets" the treatment they deserved when he wrote the 2011 Muppet Movie. This literally was their big chance to return to notoriety. Personally I didn't care for it and the new Walter character annoyed me. And then there was "Most Wanted"...OMG! What a train wreck! So it seems that Disney has been still trying find that niche for the Muppets but keep striking out.
The American History show is a nice use for at least keeping them relevant in some way. But will it make you buy a stuffed Kermit with a colonial hat on? Maybe....
The big problem is the Muppets are fairly small franchise that are now owned by a huge company. It was Michael Eisner that was interested in buying the Muppets, and shortly after that finally happened he was no longer the head of Disney. Right now Disney owns the Muppets, but they don't really have much interest in them. They either need to pay more attention to them or sell them.
When Disney bought Marvel and Pixar, they left the day-to-day operations of those studios largely the same. That did not happen with the Muppets. Jim Henson's children still own and run the Jim Henson Company and are no longer creatively involved with the Muppets. Disney was, and still is trying to figure out how to operate the Muppets. The movies were a step in the right direction, and the TV series wiile not perfect, did have its moments. Disney needs to understand that they can't treat the Muppets the same that they do with Mickey Mouse or any of their other franchises or characters. There will never be another Jim Henson, but Disney needs to have a small group of people in charge of the Muppets, and let them do their own thing. The Muppet Show was edgy, it was not sweet, and it was not made specifically for children. The TV show tried to be more adult, while ignoring the fact that the Muppets were for adults, even though they almost always kept it PG. Disney needs to listen to the puppeteers, and let them be in charge of the characters that they are performing. They know the characters best, and they should be the ones in charge of their future, or at least have a much larger say in their characters and the franchise than they do right now.
>>> If they aren't found in the Apple Store or Google Play (and I just checked), kids today aren't going to care.
theres the muppet thought of the day
As I mentioned in the post, I think a 'Muppets Show' Disney XD series could work, if done by the right people, in the right way. That's taking from the fact that Disney XD is known for making shows that, while not specifically for adults, hits all audiences. Shows like Gravity Falls, or the new Duck Tales series.
kermit has been a meme many many times, i think the muppets are as relevant now as they ever have been, just in a very different medium
I think Muppet Vision will stick around. It is a family attraction, relatively cheap to run, and probably saves Disney the headache of knocking down yet another building.
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Well, they have those fun "Muppet American History" thing at Magic Kingdom. The issue is, there were tons of plans but when Henson died in 1990, it threw so many of them off and such. It's tricky as they have a following still but right now, they're good where they are, MuppetVision still a fun show and don't need to overload them but sadly not as popular as they once were.