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penpusherThe Muppets and some Disney characters are apparently becoming Star Wars Action Figures. I'm not sure what I think about this, but based on the commentary from Star Wars fans, this isn't going to be good.
I was a very huge fan of the Muppets, growing up. I've been sort of a satellite around them at various points of my careers. I actually got to be Kermit the Frog professionally for a day for an industrial film, which was a pretty unique experience. When FAO Schwarz was selling the Applause Kermit Puppets, I nearly always carried one around with me, and my Kermit wound up having quite a few conversations with a lot of people you know.
And I did cross paths with Jim Henson. It was a typical celebrity run-in for me. Jim and one of his daughters were exiting The Polo restaurant on Madison Avenue. I spotted him. He looked at me. There was this moment when I thought something was about to happen, he almost said something, but then nothing did, I smiled and kept on going my way.
Jim Henson was a very unique person. And his philosophy of what the Muppets were about is what made them so beloved. What was Jim's philosophy? You can sort of see it in the original "The Muppet Movie." It was about having a dream, and going on the journey to take yourself there. It's about gathering friends along the way and helping each other. It's about reasoning your way through the obstacles, not getting sidetracked by things that won't get you to where you want to be, and doing it with caring, friendship and with love.
The Muppets may have poked gentle fun at certain targets, but they never intended to be "mean spirited" or "rude" for the sake of a laugh. That was at the heart of Jim's philosophy. The Muppets were, if nothing else, kind. And they had a lot to say about being human, which, of course, is the fun of it, since most of them are some sort of animal.
But there is a reason the Muppets have fallen into disrepair. Nobody understood the Henson philosophy. Well, that may not be true. His children might have understood it, but they most certainly also resented the Muppets for taking so much of their father's time from them. They wanted their dad back but he was too busy producing the next thing.
But no one in the upper echelon of the Henson company, not Jerry Juhl, not Kevin Clash, not even Frank Oz seemed to grasp the point of the Muppets, which is why they are no longer relevant. And since Jim left, we have seen all of the the elements of his philosophy fall by the wayside. The movie "Muppets From Space" goes against every one of Jim's concepts for the characters. There are insult jokes, gratuitous violence, fear, and worst of all, one of the most beloved characters, Gonzo, is shunned in the very opening moments of the film by none other than famed ark builder, Noah!
Of course, they also fitted the characters into "A Christmas Carol" "Treasure Island" and "The Wizard of Oz," to some success, but that only demonstrates that no one really knows what to do with the Muppets. They have no rudder on this boat and are adrift, trying to come up with ways to make them work. That's how you get things like Kermit as Luke Skyfrogger.
Some say that Jim's philosophy is outdated, that the world has changed and the Muppets need to change with it. But I ask you, when has being kind gone stale? When has positivity reached its expiration date? When has giving humans an example to live up to rather than an embarrassment to live down something that we don't want?
Until someone within the organization really goes back, looks at and fully comprehends the work of Jim Henson, and brings that philosophy back to the forefront, the best they can do is stick the Muppets in board games, have them playing characters within the framework of someone else's stories or just leave them on Sesame Street, where their roles are clearly defined. Since Disney owns the Muppets, it seems highly unlikely that anyone there will do any of that legwork.
At least we'll always have the Original Muppet Show, And the movies made while Jim was alive.
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spaceagers)
I was a very huge fan of the Muppets, growing up. I've been sort of a satellite around them at various points of my careers. I actually got to be Kermit the Frog professionally for a day for an industrial film, which was a pretty unique experience. When FAO Schwarz was selling the Applause Kermit Puppets, I nearly always carried one around with me, and my Kermit wound up having quite a few conversations with a lot of people you know.
And I did cross paths with Jim Henson. It was a typical celebrity run-in for me. Jim and one of his daughters were exiting The Polo restaurant on Madison Avenue. I spotted him. He looked at me. There was this moment when I thought something was about to happen, he almost said something, but then nothing did, I smiled and kept on going my way.
Jim Henson was a very unique person. And his philosophy of what the Muppets were about is what made them so beloved. What was Jim's philosophy? You can sort of see it in the original "The Muppet Movie." It was about having a dream, and going on the journey to take yourself there. It's about gathering friends along the way and helping each other. It's about reasoning your way through the obstacles, not getting sidetracked by things that won't get you to where you want to be, and doing it with caring, friendship and with love.
The Muppets may have poked gentle fun at certain targets, but they never intended to be "mean spirited" or "rude" for the sake of a laugh. That was at the heart of Jim's philosophy. The Muppets were, if nothing else, kind. And they had a lot to say about being human, which, of course, is the fun of it, since most of them are some sort of animal.
But there is a reason the Muppets have fallen into disrepair. Nobody understood the Henson philosophy. Well, that may not be true. His children might have understood it, but they most certainly also resented the Muppets for taking so much of their father's time from them. They wanted their dad back but he was too busy producing the next thing.
But no one in the upper echelon of the Henson company, not Jerry Juhl, not Kevin Clash, not even Frank Oz seemed to grasp the point of the Muppets, which is why they are no longer relevant. And since Jim left, we have seen all of the the elements of his philosophy fall by the wayside. The movie "Muppets From Space" goes against every one of Jim's concepts for the characters. There are insult jokes, gratuitous violence, fear, and worst of all, one of the most beloved characters, Gonzo, is shunned in the very opening moments of the film by none other than famed ark builder, Noah!
Of course, they also fitted the characters into "A Christmas Carol" "Treasure Island" and "The Wizard of Oz," to some success, but that only demonstrates that no one really knows what to do with the Muppets. They have no rudder on this boat and are adrift, trying to come up with ways to make them work. That's how you get things like Kermit as Luke Skyfrogger.
Some say that Jim's philosophy is outdated, that the world has changed and the Muppets need to change with it. But I ask you, when has being kind gone stale? When has positivity reached its expiration date? When has giving humans an example to live up to rather than an embarrassment to live down something that we don't want?
Until someone within the organization really goes back, looks at and fully comprehends the work of Jim Henson, and brings that philosophy back to the forefront, the best they can do is stick the Muppets in board games, have them playing characters within the framework of someone else's stories or just leave them on Sesame Street, where their roles are clearly defined. Since Disney owns the Muppets, it seems highly unlikely that anyone there will do any of that legwork.
At least we'll always have the Original Muppet Show, And the movies made while Jim was alive.
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spaceagers)![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2008-03-28 07:24 am (UTC)