Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
Well, Bill Prady wrote Muppet*Vision....And the recently cancelled ABC Show...http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Prady
A bit awkward to mock one's own work...lol.
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Muppets Mini-Land / Muppets Courtyard Additions & Refurbishments
- Thread starter WDWbuff2001
- Start date
Well, Bill Prady wrote Muppet*Vision....And the recently cancelled ABC Show...http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Prady
A bit awkward to mock one's own work...lol.
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
And the show was actually good by the end of the season. Muppets Most Wanted was an ill-advised sequel though.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
Disney keeps the franchise on life support. The sad reality is that the public at large just won't embrace the characters.
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
The strange thing is the Sea World Parks while CTW Owns the Sesame Street Characters they are doing the complete opposite...With having them in the Busch Gardens park and the announcement of the retheming of Shamu's Happy Harbor to Bay of Play and their own Sesame Place Theme Park within Orlando they seem to be doing better promoting the other side of the Henson characters at other parks...
I think the problem is while everything is under "Disney" They feel it has to be cautious of what they do with their characters....If they put this under The Touchstone pictures side I'm sure they could get away with more since it was the Adult side to the Walt Disney Company..
jmuboy
Well-Known Member
However something like this outside people would have less of a problem with
This vertical "muppets" neon could easily be added to fill the facade face and make all of the new design work. Maybe something like this is happening. Lord knows these muppet "edits" we are getting are coming on VERY slowly.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
They keep it on life support because the public, at large, really does embrace the Muppet characters.
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FoozieBear
Well-Known Member
No, I just think Disney has been doing a bad job at utilizing them. That being said, they've been doing brilliant work with them, but we wouldn't be talking about this now if it weren't for the franchise-killer TV show. The sequel was a good one, but I said from the moment that the 2011 movie came out, that Disney needed to get on a Muppet Show style TV show to ride off the popularity of the franchise that the 2011 movie did so that they can maintain it for a few years. Sadly, they opted for a sequel instead, but all that meant was that all the work of rebuilding the franchise began to fade by the time 2014 rolled around, not to mention it was an overcrowded season (even Frozen was still playing in theaters, alongside The Lego Movie and Peabody and Sherman.). They could have fixed this easily though, but that TV show really single-handily killed them and it will take a painful amount of time for them to march on from this one.
This franchise has stuck around for nearly forty years and is still cherished and in the last five years, has proven that they are popular (third highest rated premiere of 2015 and ABC's highest/popular box office results in 2011/merchandising, etc.) The problem is that Disney has no idea what to do with them, and seems to fail to hire the creative leadership that actually does, that's why things are falling apart so miserably. I hate beating a dead horse, but really...that is why you should never rush a TV show to production in just two months.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
Proof? No real box office pull minimal TV viewership. No evidence except Disney fans holding out hope.
This coming from someone that grew up with... and loves the Muppets.
SirLink
Well-Known Member
Strong international demand and strong guest satisfaction numbers for the attraction.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Proof? How about the theater is almost always full after all these years. No, they don't flock to the movies and shell out ten bucks or more to see something that they saw for years on TV for free nor is anyone wondering what type of mischief those rascally puppets will get into next. My grown daughters no longer perform in dance recitals that I once was a member of the audience, that doesn't mean that I don't still love them and want to see them as often as I can, but, not with an admission charge other then what comes with being a parent. Wait... I know the response is going to be... you pay to get into WDW don't you? Yes! Yes, I do, however, it doesn't cost any extra to go to the Muppet movie, then if I don't and I go anyway. Like the TV where we don't figure in the cost of the TV or the cost of cable. They may indeed be taken out at some point, but, I highly doubt it will be anytime soon. They have spent a lot of money to keep it and work around the SWL mess... as much as they hate to spend money, I doubt they will do that and then rip it out. That park requires diversity and contrary to popular belief, not everyone is a Star Wars fan either. They need something to do while the rest of you are standing in 3 hour lines to get your SW fix.
FoozieBear
Well-Known Member
2011 had strong box office numbersand TV show did too at first. Everyone tuned jn giving the show a 2.1 rating at 9 million viewers
However it didnt attract audiencrs because of its lackluster quality and declined each week. I've never seen a TV show so hated by the general public before. Had the show given audiences the characters that they know and love, this show would have easily stuck around for a handful of years."Family TV" is almost non existent anymore, and it's a market that so many are craving, and its not even one that ABC could realize
Kman101
Well-Known Member
The 2011 movie did well and so did the first episode of the tv series. There's an audience there for them if done correctly. They're also steeped in pop culture history. They've lasted as long as they have for a reason.
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
The seem to be trying out if they could fit out online..Several small videos have been popping up on their youtube channel...Even still making Walter a thing in the Muppet-verse....And.....It's still too soft...It's up to the point where it has become Sesame Street humor..And nothing more aggressive..
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Yeah, they seem to go back and forth between wanting the Muppets to be more adult and then they go towards the Sesame Street/kid friendly version. That's where they lose people. Look how people reacted to the very adult Muppet TV series, people couldn't handle them. It's a shame. Neither approach seems to be working so they need to find a middle ground.
PizzaPlanet
Well-Known Member
Let's not forget that the Muppet Babies reboot is coming to Disney Jr. next year.
No Name
Well-Known Member
Yes, that's why they rethemed Pizza Planet to PizzeRizzo last year. And renamed the area Muppet Courtyard. (And added a show in Liberty Square last summer.) Because they have plans to completely get rid of the Muppets soon...
Despite a flop of a sequel and TV show, Disney keeps trying to make the Muppets popular again. I am not a huge Muppets fan, but I do like the effort.
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FoozieBear
Well-Known Member
I think the Muppets have a prosperous future ahead of them, at least on the big screen or small screen. It might be a few years before we get another movie (I think TV is off the table for at least another ten years), but they've stuck around long enough, and once Disney figures out how to properly utilize them, they'll find a lot of success. In my opinion, the best place for them to go right now is TV specials (like holiday specials, or Wonderful World of Disney-type shows). That'd be a great way to continue the brand without spending the budget a movie would need and build up popularity on a cheaper scale effort so that when they want to make another movie in a few years, the brand will have been sustained until then.
