Great Muppet Ride

[PeterAlt]

The Great Muppet Ride was to be a spoof of It's A Small World with Muppet characters. It was going to join the Muppet 3D movie as part of a new Muppet theme section of DHS. Jim Henson himself supervised the planning of the ride before he died. From my understanding, planning and design work was completed before Henson's death, but, because the sale of the Henson Co. to Disney fell apart (and because of Henson's sudden death), the ride and the rest of the plans for the Muppet "land" died as well.

Years later, Disney would complete the buyout of Henson Studios. My question is, now that Disney owns the Muppets and all the rights that came with that merger, why doesn't Disney dust off their COMPLETED Great Muppet Ride plans? I understand that the plans may have to be reworked a little to fit into a new show building that wasn't planned for the original attraction, etc., but this was one of Jim Henson's last projects that he personally touched; therefore, it has to be a success and is not so risky for Disney to invest in.

Unrelated, when will the first Disney-Marvel movies or Disney-Marvel anything start seeing the light of day?

 

[erasure fan1]

My question is, now that Disney owns the Muppets and all the rights that came with that merger, why doesn't Disney dust off their COMPLETED Great Muppet Ride plans? I understand that the plans may have to be reworked a little to fit into a new show building that wasn't planned for the original attraction, etc., but this was one of Jim Henson's last projects that he personally touched; therefore, it has to be a success and is not so risky for Disney to invest in.

If the new movie is successful, hopefully the interest will be there for them to really consider building another attraction. If a new attraction does get planned, I agree that if Henson worked on plans heavily use those plans. I dont have a lot of faith in what Disney has done with the muppets so if Henson worked on it gets my approval.

 

[Vernonpush]

I thought I read somewhere that The Great Muppet Ride was supposed to be a spoof of The Great Movie Ride. There were to be gags about the Muppets causing mayhem behind the scenes of all the "Great Movies" :shrug:

 

[MarkTwain]

I thought I read somewhere that The Great Muppet Ride was supposed to be a spoof of The Great Movie Ride. There were to be gags about the Muppets causing mayhem behind the scenes of all the "Great Movies" :shrug:

Yup. The premise of the Great Muppet Movie Ride was that the Muppets would attempt to reenact scenes from famous movies, but something would go disastrously and hilariously wrong in every scene. Certainly very high up on my list of unbuilt attractions I hope will sometime see the light of day. It's possible, if the Muppet movie does well enough, but who knows.

More information and concept art here:
http://www.theneverlandfiles.com/tnf/disneyworld/greatmuppetmovieride.php

As for the Disney-Marvel connection, I have no idea, and I don't anyone really knows for sure, given the tremendous behind-the-scenes complexity with the existing Universal-Marvel deal.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Unrelated, when will the first Disney-Marvel movies or Disney-Marvel anything start seeing the light of day?

Well, as of now the parks are selling marvel related merch. I did see a pic of Thor Merchandise being sold at the Puffin Roost in Epcot. Plus there was a huge article in the latest Twenty Three Magazine of the Marvel Merger and listed a few movies under the merge such as Iron Man 3 and The Avengers films..I got feeling will be hearing more about this when the D23 Expo comes and I'm excited since I'm going to it.

 

[Clever Name]

The plain fact of the matter is that the wheels have pretty much fallen off the Muppet franchise for now. Eric Jacobson and Steve Whitmire just aren"t doing the job. Kermit doesn’t sound like Kermit and all the other characters sound as if they’re sick. New voice talent is needed if they are to survive.

Plus, they are not good puppeteers either. :wave:

 

[Crockett]

Well, as of now the parks are selling marvel related merch. I did see a pic of Thor Merchandise being sold at the Puffin Roost in Epcot. Plus there was a huge article in the latest Twenty Three Magazine of the Marvel Merger and listed a few movies under the merge such as Iron Man 3 and The Avengers films..I got feeling will be hearing more about this when the D23 Expo comes and I'm excited since I'm going to it.

Disney should leave Marvel to merch. and movies alone. They cannot top what IOA has done for Marvel with Marvel Superhero Island. Disney's version would most likely be meet 'n greets, possibly a Spider-Man breakfast, and more gift shops. I do not see a major Marvel attraction in Disney parks for a long, long time...if ever.

 

[Magenta Panther]

The plain fact of the matter is that the wheels have pretty much fallen off the Muppet franchise for now. Eric Jacobson and Steve Whitmire just aren"t doing the job. Kermit doesn’t sound like Kermit and all the other characters sound as if they’re sick. New voice talent is needed if they are to survive.

Plus, they are not good puppeteers either. :wave:

Yeah, I saw that video where Kermit's interviewing (a rather unenthusiastic, it seemed to me) Johnny Depp. Kermit didn't sound right at all.

There's another thread here that has the poster for the Muppets movie. Frankly, it kinda creeped me out. The characters look bad, and awkward. I thought the pig was supposed to look cute, not ugly. And that full-bodied Kermit walking towards you with those spindly legs...nightmare fuel. Disney better do better than that if it wants any box office for the film.

But then I'm one of those folks who think the Disney/Muppets deal was a mistake. Same with Marvel. I don't mind the Muppet attraction, Star Wars etc. being in DHS because I think of them as "guest stars" there. But to me, Marvel and Muppets will never truly be Disney, and their acquisition still upsets me. Buying them was corporate, not creative, thinking, and Disney used to be known for the latter. But I know that other people here think otherwise, and that's fine, and anyway it's all water under the bridge now...

 

[amypants]

Just an fyi the voice of kermit has been the same for the past 20 years at least. Steve whitemere has been flying kermit since Jim Hensons passing. So the voice hasnt changed in nearly two decades

I think work needs to be done to bring the muppets back to full force but the heart is still there. Perhaps not to warrent a new ride but enough to hold out hope. Check out their cover of bohemian rapsody for a good smile.

Sorry but I get a little defensive about the muppets.

 

[Mickey_777]

The Great Muppet Ride was to be a spoof of It's A Small World with Muppet characters. It was going to join the Muppet 3D movie as part of a new Muppet theme section of DHS. Jim Henson himself supervised the planning of the ride before he died. From my understanding, planning and design work was completed before Henson's death, but, because the sale of the Henson Co. to Disney fell apart (and because of Henson's sudden death), the ride and the rest of the plans for the Muppet "land" died as well.

Years later, Disney would complete the buyout of Henson Studios. My question is, now that Disney owns the Muppets and all the rights that came with that merger, why doesn't Disney dust off their COMPLETED Great Muppet Ride plans? I understand that the plans may have to be reworked a little to fit into a new show building that wasn't planned for the original attraction, etc., but this was one of Jim Henson's last projects that he personally touched; therefore, it has to be a success and is not so risky for Disney to invest in.

Unrelated, when will the first Disney-Marvel movies or Disney-Marvel anything start seeing the light of day?

I thought I read somewhere that The Great Muppet Ride was supposed to be a spoof of The Great Movie Ride. There were to be gags about the Muppets causing mayhem behind the scenes of all the "Great Movies" :shrug:

Either way, I approve. I'd love to see an attraction is tons of Muppet AA's. It looks spectacular in my imagination

 

[marni1971]

I thought I read somewhere that The Great Muppet Ride was supposed to be a spoof of The Great Movie Ride.

Indeed it was.

 

[Clever Name]

Just an fyi the voice of kermit has been the same for the past 20 years at least. Steve whitemere has been flying kermit since Jim Hensons passing. So the voice hasnt changed in nearly two decades

Yes, the voice of Kermit has not sounded right since Henson died. Steve Whitmire has never been able to nail the voice, gestures or personality of Kermit. That's because Henson was Kermit and Kermit was Henson.

The Whitmire Kermit doesn't sound, move or react like the Henson Kermit. The two Kermits are different as night and day.

Same thing goes for the Frank Oz characters. Trying to duplicate Oz is impossible. :wave:

 

[TinkerBelle8878]

Yes, the voice of Kermit has not sounded right since Henson died. Steve Whitmire has never been able to nail the voice, gestures or personality of Kermit. That's because Henson was Kermit and Kermit was Henson.

The Whitmire Kermit doesn't sound, move or react like the Henson Kermit. The two Kermits are different as night and day.

Same thing goes for the Frank Oz characters. Trying to duplicate Oz is impossible. :wave:

:sohappy:

That's exactly what I've been thinking. Although I think one of Jim Henson's kids, his son?, took over voicing Kermit briefly and he sounded more like the frog we all know and love. Whoever the other voice is, its too high and just..off. Maybe if no one had previously seen the muppets and this other voice is all they know...but having grown up watching the Muppet Show, Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Movie, etc...the voice now is off. Way off.

And Piggy's, who I know Oz voiced, been sounding off too. She sounds more mannish now or something. I couldn't figure it out exactly until you mentioned that someone else was now voicing her. Ironically she sounds more like Yoda now than she did before when the voice of Yoda was voicing her.

There are plenty of talented voice mimics. People who do dead on Kermits and Piggys based on the old original voices. I think Disney should try and put a little effort into finding them.

After all I'm sure they wouldn't want Mickey or Donald suddenly sounding 'off', would they? Kermit is the figurehead and most recognizable of the Muppets. Make him sound right.

 

[erasure fan1]

There are plenty of talented voice mimics. People who do dead on Kermits and Piggys based on the old original voices. I think Disney should try and put a little effort into finding them.

So true, my old high school english teacher did a spot on Kermit impression. If he could do it, I find it hard to believe you couldnt find a professional to take the reigns. Its always baffled me how bad a lot of the voices are, I know it will never be perfect, but it could at least be close.

 

[PeterAlt]

Just an fyi the voice of kermit has been the same for the past 20 years at least. Steve whitemere has been flying kermit since Jim Hensons passing. So the voice hasnt changed in nearly two decades

I think work needs to be done to bring the muppets back to full force but the heart is still there. Perhaps not to warrent a new ride but enough to hold out hope. Check out their cover of bohemian rapsody for a good smile.

Sorry but I get a little defensive about the muppets.

What Disney really needs to do is hire Gilbert Godfried to do the voice of Donald Duck's estranged, long-forgotten but recently discovered loud-mouth second cousin Afwhack.

I hear Gilbert needs a job, so perfect!

 

[CountryBearFan]

The plain fact of the matter is that the wheels have pretty much fallen off the Muppet franchise for now. Eric Jacobson and Steve Whitmire just aren"t doing the job. Kermit doesn’t sound like Kermit and all the other characters sound as if they’re sick. New voice talent is needed if they are to survive.

Plus, they are not good puppeteers either. :wave:

Ding-dong! You're wrong! DEAD wrong!

 

[CountryBearFan]

After all I'm sure they wouldn't want Mickey or Donald suddenly sounding 'off', would they? Kermit is the figurehead and most recognizable of the Muppets. Make him sound right.

If one were to be going by that awfully-flawed mentality, we would be saying that Mickey, Donald, et al. have been sounding "wrong" since the deaths of their previous voice actors (ie: "Mickey has sounded wrong since Walt stopped voicing him, Donald has sounded wrong since the death of Clarence Nash, etc.).

Leave Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson and all the other current puppeteers alone! They're all great, talented and have done the characters justice since they first took over the roles. After all, there's more to a character than a voice--it's about the performance. This whole "wrong-sounding Muppets" thing is just a bunch of baloney that deserves to be ignored at all costs. Those of you bashing the ever-talented (yes, ever-talented) next-generation puppeteers without thinking are completely wrong about them and really need to think before talking!

If you had a choice, which would you choose? A new voice actor that sounds slightly different from the original but is still very talented and knows how to act or a new voice actor that sounds like a 100% dead-on match to the original but has lousy acting skills? I know I would choose the former.

 

[wm49rs]

Ding-dong! You're wrong! DEAD wrong!

If one were to be going by that awfully-flawed mentality, we would be saying that Mickey, Donald, et al. have been sounding "wrong" since the deaths of their previous voice actors (ie: "Mickey has sounded wrong since Walt stopped voicing him, Donald has sounded wrong since the death of Clarence Nash, etc.).

Think before you talk!

You had to go back three months in an attempt to prove an opinion wrong? Good work there.....

 

[erasure fan1]

Leave Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson and all the other current puppeteers alone! They're all great, talented and have done the characters justice since they first took over the roles. After all, there's more to a character than a voice--it's about the performance. This whole "wrong-sounding Muppets" thing is just a bunch of baloney that deserves to be ignored at all costs. Those of you bashing the ever-talented (yes, ever-talented) next-generation puppeteers without thinking are completely wrong about them and really need to think before talking!

They may well be good, the problem is they are not in the same league as Oz and Henson. If the performance was spot on awesome than you are right, it wouldnt matter in the least, the problem is its not. The other issue (the larger one IMO) is the writing. For the most part its just been flat out bad with the occasional bit of muppet charm and humor. I have extremely high hopes for this movie to bring back that good old Muppet flair. But all the greatest puppeteering and voice acting in the world wont matter if the writing stinks.

 

[CountryBearFan]

They may well be good, the problem is they are not in the same league as Oz and Henson.

Oh, yes, they are!

End of story.