MuppetVision 3D closing for a month-long refurbishment in the summer

AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
Sped2424 said:
Waldo is definitely supposed to be weird and creepy and way too much though that's part of the gag. Basically its the Muppets making fun of a lot of the original character hosts that Disney used (Think figment not that he is annoying but that's what they were kinda of parodying) back in the day. He is over the top and weird and even kids get that! If you hate him good! They did their job lol He is a gag not a character you are supposed to like!
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He's also the "star" of the show, about the Muppets...

Look, if you chose not to read I understand - but I clearly said - it's not so much him, but how he is used, his outdated "gimmick", and the fact that this is the only Muppet theme park attraction in the world, and the Muppets are the supporting act.

Bairstow said:
18 seconds out of a, what, 15-minute long movie?

He may not be to your taste, but I don't see how Waldo doesn't qualify as a muppet.
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Oh My Goodness...

Again, comprehension, guys. I didn't come in and say "HE SUCKS HE IS EVIL HE IS NOT A MUPPET!"

(Though, technically, invented by Henson or not, he is not a Muppet, as that is a very specific definition given to the actual puppets with certain physical characteristics.)

And again, it's not simply my taste - it's an extremely outdated concept (3-D characters are everywhere and are not noteworthy, neat, or need explaining) and he takes the wayyy too much time (and far longer than 18 seconds) as the central being in the show. A show...about the Muppets. It would be like if they invented a new fish named Priscilla, and made her the star of the Little Mermaid ride, when nearly every scene revolves around Priscilla, and Ariel and her friends are seen in the backdrop a few times.

This was a temporary attraction to begin with. I am a fan of it, but I still recognize it's limitations. It is what it is, but it wasn't meant to be there 20 years later, and the Muppets deserve better.
 
Sped2424

Sped2424

Well-Known Member
AEfx said:
He's also the "star" of the show, about the Muppets...

Look, if you chose not to read I understand - but I clearly said - it's not so much him, but how he is used, his outdated "gimmick", and the fact that this is the only Muppet theme park attraction in the world, and the Muppets are the supporting act.




Oh My Goodness...

Again, comprehension, guys. I didn't come in and say "HE SUCKS HE IS EVIL HE IS NOT A MUPPET!"

(Though, technically, invented by Henson or not, he is not a Muppet, as that is a very specific definition given to the actual puppets with certain physical characteristics.)

And again, it's not simply my taste - it's an extremely outdated concept (3-D characters are everywhere and are not noteworthy, neat, or need explaining) and he takes the wayyy too much time (and far longer than 18 seconds) as the central being in the show. A show...about the Muppets. It would be like if they invented a new fish named Priscilla, and made her the star of the Little Mermaid ride, when nearly every scene revolves around Priscilla, and Ariel and her friends are seen in the backdrop a few times.

This was a temporary attraction to begin with. I am a fan of it, but I still recognize it's limitations. It is what it is, but it wasn't meant to be there 20 years later, and the Muppets deserve better.
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If you read what I said he is a parody character, he is made the host of the show or the mascot because at the time many attractions had them, he was a parody of that very idea. Thats the point behind him. The muppet show has everything you would come to expect from the muppets waldo included. Now you may not like him and thats fine, but there is a point to it, the Muppet's are very gag and humor heavy. Waldo certainty brought some charm and made a very nice gag for the attraction. By no means is he the star of the show though, his screen time is much less in comparison to Kermit or even bean. Even though the idea of 3d feels outdated I feel the animatronics and the 4d effects save the show from being just another 3d film. I agree with you though the Muppet's do deserve much better.
 
AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
Sped2424 said:
If you read what I said he is a parody character, he is made the host of the show or the mascot because at the time many attractions had them, he was a parody of that very idea. Thats the point behind him. The muppet show has everything you would come to expect from the muppets waldo included. Now you may not like him and thats fine, but there is a point to it, the Muppet's are very gag and humor heavy. Waldo certainty brought some charm and made a very nice gag for the attraction. By no means is he the star of the show though, his screen time is much less in comparison to Kermit or even bean. Even though the idea of 3d feels outdated I feel the animatronics and the 4d effects save the show from being just another 3d film. I agree with you though the Muppet's do deserve much better.
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I didn't say there was not a point. It was an interesting point 20+ years ago. Not so much now.

And I am not sure what Muppet franchise you watch where that has "everything you would come to expect" - particularly mentioning Bean's prominence (another relatively new and minor character that even Henson admitted the Muppet players hated).

Miss Piggy. Gonzo. Beaker. Bunsen. Animal. Janice. Dr Teeth. Rolf.

THOSE are the Muppets. And they barely have cameos. With the whole thing framed by a 3-D character, who by definition is not a Muppet (he is neither a marionette nor a puppet).

The thing wouldn't have lasted five years if Jim Henson had not died - several attractions were ready to replace it that got cancelled due to his death. It was a neat theme for a few moments there, but it was never intended to be here 20+ years later.

Regardless, like I said - I go multiple times on my visits to WDW because it's the only Muppet themed attraction that exists. It's not worth arguing more over - either you get the fact that it's based on the 3-D character gimmick which lost relevance nearly two decades ago, and the Muppets take a back seat in their own show, or ya don't.

/shrug
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
AEfx said:
I didn't say there was not a point. It was an interesting point 20+ years ago. Not so much now.

And I am not sure what Muppet franchise you watch where that has "everything you would come to expect" - particularly mentioning Bean's prominence (another relatively new and minor character that even Henson admitted the Muppet players hated).

Miss Piggy. Gonzo. Beaker. Bunsen. Animal. Janice. Dr Teeth. Rolf.

THOSE are the Muppets. And they barely have cameos. With the whole thing framed by a 3-D character, who by definition is not a Muppet (he is neither a marionette nor a puppet).

The thing wouldn't have lasted five years if Jim Henson had not died - several attractions were ready to replace it that got cancelled due to his death. It was a neat theme for a few moments there, but it was never intended to be here 20+ years later.

Regardless, like I said - I go multiple times on my visits to WDW because it's the only Muppet themed attraction that exists. It's not worth arguing more over - either you get the fact that it's based on the 3-D character gimmick which lost relevance nearly two decades ago, and the Muppets take a back seat in their own show, or ya don't.

/shrug
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The show there hasn't changed since it premiered, and has always been that "muppets 2.0" feel.

This was exactly what they were doing with the "New Muppet Show" which premiered at the time.
 
AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
englanddg said:
The show there hasn't changed since it premiered, and has always been that "muppets 2.0" feel.

This was exactly what they were doing with the "New Muppet Show" which premiered at the time.
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Never said it had changed since it's premiere - that's precisely the point (the outdated concept that runs through the entire production of "3-D animated character" being the cusp of technology). It was never intended to run for 20+ years. It was a placeholder to begin with, just like Mickey's Birthdayland.

There is no such thing as the "New Muppet Show" - in 1989, a few years before, they did segments on the Jim Henson hour, and several years after, Muppet's Tonight. Both shows heavily featured the original characters, which is primarily the issue with MuppetVision - that the Muppets are backdrop and not the stars.
 
Matt_Black

Matt_Black

Well-Known Member
I don't feel that M3D focuses on characters that aren't the Muppets. Waldo is just a gag, and Bean IS a Muppet (albeit one that didn't prove very popular and was slowly phased out). Now, the most recent movie? THAT focuses on things we don't care about. "Hey, here's this NEW Muppet who is SO awesome and you should TOTALLY think he's awesome." When your Muppets film gives more time to human supporting characters instead of Rizzo the Rat, your Muppets film isn't very good (though still better than Muppets From Space).
 
Fable McCloud

Fable McCloud

Well-Known Member
I think the attraction could use a good update. Remove the dated references, add in some stuff from the film, maybe add Walter, or else find a way to tie in the new film coming up.

I think the Muppets are great thing for kids, and the experience is a really neat way to experience 3D. Besides, who doesn't love the Muppets? Hell, it's sad they aren't on TV anymore, I'm hoping for a new Muppet show. Disney could really make bank if they played it right.

Jim Henson did all this to make kids smile, and this attraction makes everyone smile.
 
Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
Fable McCloud said:
I think the Muppets are great thing for kids, and the experience is a really neat way to experience 3D. Besides, who doesn't love the Muppets? Hell, it's sad they aren't on TV anymore, I'm hoping for a new Muppet show. Disney could really make bank if they played it right.
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Will see how This turns out around Thanksgiving....It's not John Denver but then again nothing is good on tv anymore...
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lady-gaga-to-celebrate-thanksgiving-with-the-muppets-20131018
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
Matt_Black said:
I don't feel that M3D focuses on characters that aren't the Muppets. Waldo is just a gag, and Bean IS a Muppet (albeit one that didn't prove very popular and was slowly phased out). Now, the most recent movie? THAT focuses on things we don't care about. "Hey, here's this NEW Muppet who is SO awesome and you should TOTALLY think he's awesome." When your Muppets film gives more time to human supporting characters instead of Rizzo the Rat, your Muppets film isn't very good (though still better than Muppets From Space).
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How about 'Tourguide Rizzo' from Muppet Treasure Island The 'cabin fever' number was a scream!
 
MadMax11

MadMax11

Well-Known Member
The part from the pre-show that gets quoted around my house quite a bit is:

Sam: Stop all this foolishness!!!

Gonzo: What sort of foolishness would you like to see?
 

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