Muppet*Vision 3D closed for refurbishment 15th August 2016 - 22nd August 2016

DarthMileZ

Well-Known Member
I wish I could agree... I understand the draw of it and respect it, but myself and many others in the 25 - 35 age range just have no interest in the IP really. I think it gets worse as you go younger. Even sesame street has lost its audience to a wave of newer generations. Muppets was just a bad buy for Disney.

agree with that, such a weird buy for disney, im guessing they saw a cash cow like star wars and marvel but it has backfired.

maybe they can stay afloat with the movies, they don't seem all that bad.

I'd like to see Disney buy out EA or Ubisoft next. Disney's Assassins Creed
 

FullSailDan

Well-Known Member
agree with that, such a weird buy for disney, im guessing they saw a cash cow like star wars and marvel but it has backfired.

maybe they can stay afloat with the movies, they don't seem all that bad.

I'd like to see Disney buy out EA or Ubisoft next. Disney's Assassins Creed

Both are too big in their own right to fit into the Disney family I think. I wish they could have grabbed Irrational Games, Bethesda, or Media Molecule and let them run wild though with a good budget and marketing teams. Also a shame they haven't found a way to weasel their way into Nintendo for their goldmine of IP that's being floundered. If ever there was a case for a company that needs new leadership that can get them to focus on what they do well, it's Nintendo.
 

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
I wish I could agree... I understand the draw of it and respect it, but myself and many others in the 25 - 35 age range just have no interest in the IP really. I think it gets worse as you go younger. Even sesame street has lost its audience to a wave of newer generations. Muppets was just a bad buy for Disney.
I think the real mistake for both parties was the lack of a full merger. Disney's had issues trying to figure out what to do with the Muppets while the Jim Henson Company lost the engine that was driving things forward and holding things together. They haven't gotten any theatrical features off the ground in years, the experiments in adult-aimed puppetry have mostly been dead ends. Really they've been surviving on those CGI kids shows for PBS and licensing out the Fraggles and Creature Shop movies. I get the desire Brian Henson had to be able to have the creative freedom to do that mature skewing puppetry but they lack the resources to really get it done.

It'd be like if Lucasfilm only sold Star Wars and Indy to Disney and decided "We can survive on doing Willow spinoffs"
 

Sketch105

Well-Known Member
Muppets (the show) got axed because of low ratings, which means they couldn't charge as much to advertisers...and it sucks because even shows that only need a little more nurturing get cut often off the bat.

As for the Muppets Refurb, I hoped they PLEASE REMOVE CONSTANTINE from the pre-show. He made sense when Muppets Most Wanted was a thing, but now that the movie has disappeared from pop culture radar, it's time to replace it with the original pre-show.
 

DarthMileZ

Well-Known Member
Both are too big in their own right to fit into the Disney family I think. I wish they could have grabbed Irrational Games, Bethesda, or Media Molecule and let them run wild though with a good budget and marketing teams. Also a shame they haven't found a way to weasel their way into Nintendo for their goldmine of IP that's being floundered. If ever there was a case for a company that needs new leadership that can get them to focus on what they do well, it's Nintendo.

Imagine a Bethesda theme park...


Muppets (the show) got axed because of low ratings, which means they couldn't charge as much to advertisers...and it sucks because even shows that only need a little more nurturing get cut often off the bat.

As for the Muppets Refurb, I hoped they PLEASE REMOVE CONSTANTINE from the pre-show. He made sense when Muppets Most Wanted was a thing, but now that the movie has disappeared from pop culture radar, it's time to replace it with the original pre-show.


I think a good way for muppets to go would be a youtube show or something.
 

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
Something tells me muppets will soon fade into extinction after the recent axe of the muppets show.

i expect this to go completely and change to something else...

Good Dinosaur or Zootopia would be a good shout.
It is not fading into extinction. I have clients involved in the creation of new material for the show. I don't think it is being implemented during such a short closure, however, so sometime in the not so distant future.
 

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
Do go on.......
Ha ha. That's all I can say. I've actually already said too much already, but I just get tired of all these people insisting that the show is closing when that could not be further from the truth. I imagine an announcement is coming soon. Maybe this quick "refurbishment" is for them to evaluate what's going to change and how long the overhaul will take, etc. That's just a guess.
 

thequirkysarah

Active Member
Claiming that nobody between the ages of 25 and 35 has any interest in the Muppets is pretty ridiculous. I fall firmly in that group and love the Muppets. So do many of my contemporaries. I mean, my dog is named Kermit. I get that not everyone was exposed to the Muppets growing up, but I certainly was.

I wasn't a big fan of the TV show in its first iteration but the rework was working. Too bad that it was too little, too late. The Muppet movie with Amy Adams was quite good and decently received. The sequel was a bit clunky, though.

The Muppets is a solid IP, but Disney just hasn't figured out how to handle it yet. I'm hoping that someone with the proper vision can come along and really get things started in the Muppets department. There is an audience, if the subject matter is approached correctly.
 

FullSailDan

Well-Known Member
Claiming that nobody between the ages of 25 and 35 has any interest in the Muppets is pretty ridiculous. I fall firmly in that group and love the Muppets. So do many of my contemporaries. I mean, my dog is named Kermit. I get that not everyone was exposed to the Muppets growing up, but I certainly was.

I wasn't a big fan of the TV show in its first iteration but the rework was working. Too bad that it was too little, too late. The Muppet movie with Amy Adams was quite good and decently received. The sequel was a bit clunky, though.

The Muppets is a solid IP, but Disney just hasn't figured out how to handle it yet. I'm hoping that someone with the proper vision can come along and really get things started in the Muppets department. There is an audience, if the subject matter is approached correctly.

Please understand I didn't say, nor mean to imply, 'nobody has interest'. The number is just exceptionally low. I don't mean it as a swipe at you or people who do like it. As a former animator, I think the artistry behind the Muppets is beautiful. They just don't resonate with me. That could be for many reasons, but the big challenge I see with the Muppets is finding material that will captivate adults with nostalgia and bring in younger generations with charm. That is a very very tough tightrope to walk.
 

Rosso11

Well-Known Member
agree with that, such a weird buy for disney, im guessing they saw a cash cow like star wars and marvel but it has backfired.

You can't compare The Muppets with the Star Wars and Marvel purchases. Muppets costs pennies compared to those properties and Disney made their money back after just the first movie. It is quick and cheap to produce Muppets shows and movies. Most Muppets ventures they have done so far have been profitable. The initial success of the show shows Disney there is demand for the property. The show itself left a lot of people underwhelmed and the over 9 million people who initially started watching quickly abandoned the show after realizing it just wasn't well made.
 

Kman101

Well-Known Member
the big challenge I see with the Muppets is finding material that will captivate adults with nostalgia and bring in younger generations with charm. That is a very very tough tightrope to walk.

I'm in the 25-35 age range and love the Muppets ... but I agree with the part I quoted. They haven't really been able to find that balance. The sitcom was for adults, clearly. The Muppets were once very adult characters. But then you had half the audience who liked it and the other half were used to the Muppets playing dress-up as pirates or characters from the Wizard of Oz. The Muppet movie somewhat revived them, but then they came out with Muppets Most Wanted and, IMO, killed the momentum they had.
 

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
I'm in the 25-35 age range and love the Muppets ... but I agree with the part I quoted. They haven't really been able to find that balance. The sitcom was for adults, clearly. The Muppets were once very adult characters. But then you had half the audience who liked it and the other half were used to the Muppets playing dress-up as pirates or characters from the Wizard of Oz. The Muppet movie somewhat revived them, but then they came out with Muppets Most Wanted and, IMO, killed the momentum they had.
Gonna be really cynical, but "The Muppets" was successful probably because people wanted to see Jason Segel more then they did the Muppets. Which is a damn shame because Muppets Most Wanted was really fun and actually about the Muppets rather then Segel's self-inserts.
 

Kman101

Well-Known Member
Gonna be really cynical, but "The Muppets" was successful probably because people wanted to see Jason Segel more then they did the Muppets. Which is a damn shame because Muppets Most Wanted was really fun and actually about the Muppets rather then Segel's self-inserts.

I can agree with this. I didn't dislike or hate Most Wanted, it just wasn't the best, and agreed about Segel.
 

MrHappy

Well-Known Member
The ABC show was very different from the recent movies and park attractions. I'm honestly glad it got canceled - the show was awkward and the "Modern Family" tone and production is overplayed and not "on brand" for the Muppet's.

The attraction is very good. A few tweaks can be made particularly to the waiting area video and the end of the film (when the wall is broken through and the park goers are in "dated" 90s fashions). I'm fine with Waldo, he's there to help carry the 3D effects.

Bottom line though: I just took my 4 year old and 2 year old last week. And they tried grabbing the objects jumping out and loved the bubbles. The whole show was a hit to them. That's all that matters. I hope Diz further develops the Muppet's, glad to hear about the restaurant. I hope they even set up an Electric Mayhem stage in the courtyard!
 

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