Go See 'The Muppets'

Briefly: Go and see The Muppets as soon as you can.

I know it's old news since I haven't had much chance to do much of anything lately, but do yourself a favor and follow my advice.

It is the best comedy I've seen this year, and possibly the best film, too. Not only does it bring back that lovable Muppets charm we've been missing for a few decades, but it also has catchy music, impressive cameos, downright funny jokes, and a plot with as much charm as a Lasseter picture. The jokes are in the classic style of the Muppets: self-aware, clever, and always fresh.

It's been a long time since I laughed out loud during a movie that also packed an emotional punch, but it happened routinely during The Muppets. I've been waiting for years to see something new from The Muppets, and I was not let down.

The Muppets are back, and I could not be happier.

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Full 'Muppets' Trailer

Above you'll find the full trailer for The Muppets, released earlier today.

Finally!! I'm so sick of seeing Kermit and The Gang be dragged into shameless Hangover and Green Lantern parodies. I am very glad to, at long last, see some actual plot from the upcoming film!

Now I'm finally getting more excited for The Muppets...

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'Muppets' Teaser: The Fuzzy Pack

Above you'll find the most recent Muppets teaser, "cleverly" titled The Fuzzy Pack.

If you couldn't tell, it's trying to be a witty spin-off of The Hangover franchise, playing on the film's recent hype.

However, I think this teaser falls completely flat. It's boring. I mean, "fuzzy pack" doesn't even sound like "wolf pack"--it has got a different number of syllables, for pete's sake. I am a bit irked that something as amazingly creative and funny as The Muppets would parody something as unoriginal as The Hangover 2. That's what's wrong with Hollywood, ladies and gentleman; they look at box office numbers and mimic whoever's on top without once considering their target audience, the art form that is film, the integrity of their project, etc.

I am excited for The Muppets and I have faith in it, I just wish their marketing strategy was a bit more . . . tasteful.

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NYTimes talks Muppets

Today, the New York Times posted a very interesting article about the upcoming Muppets film.

The article discusses the fact that Kermit and his pals, who have most likely been shoved aside in favor of more computer-generated characters, haven't had a decent hit since The Muppet Movie 32 years ago. If this next film (called, quite simply, The Muppets) is a flop, the Muppets may be gone forever. After all, having something that doesn't make money is bad business.

Before this film got the greenlight, the world's favorite banjo-playing frog was stuck doing theme park gigs and viral videos, but now he has a shot. And, so far, it looks promising. You have to remember that the Muppets were made to act as if they were real, and play to an adult audience. For that reason, it is a very good sign that Nick Stoller and Jason Segal (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) are the upcoming film's screenwriters. They know a thing or two about adult humor, which is meant to be in Muppet films.


The film features Amy Adams and Jason Segal bringing a new Muppet, Walter, to Hollwood in search of Muppet Studios. The studio is broken down, but Kermit is willing to get the gang back together for a big fundraising variety show!

The plot sounds rather cliche, but I don't care. I'm sure it'll be awesome once the Muppets take hold of it. And, although the script is very simple, it sounds like lots of awesome add-ons made their way into it, such as a massive song-and-dance number that shut down Hollywood Boulevard for two days. Or tons of celebrity cameos, including Neil Patrick Harris (!), Ricky Gervais, Zach Galifianakis, Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, Lady Gaga, Danny Trejo, and Dave Grohl. You surely know that I'm not one to drool over the star power of a picture, but come on! Neil, Ricky, and Zach!? In one movie with the Muppets?! How much better could it get? Maybe the fact that a Toy Story short comes before it!?!

OK. Sorry. I'm calm . . .

Needless to say, I love the Muppets. You love the Muppets. Everyone loves the Muppets. In fact, I am having serious trouble figuring out why Disney has waited so long to release a huge Muppets movie like this. Hollywood is obsessed with already-established characters, and it seems like a no-brainer to do a big budget Muppets movie.

Oh well, at least we're finally getting one; hopefully with more to come. Let's all hope, for the sake of future Muppets films and things, that this movie makes Disney lots and lots of money . . .

Read the full article here, and do your part on November 23 later this year and go buy three hundred tickets to The Muppets.

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Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation Stills

Above and below you will find the just released, hi-res stills from Pixar's upcoming short, Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation. The short will be attached to Cars 2 (and we will be treated to yet another Toy Story short before the upcoming Muppets film), and it looks like lots of hilarious fun . . . Awesome!!

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Viral Muppets: 'American Woman'

In honor of Memorial Day, the Muppets have released the above video, American Woman. Great! Very funny. I love these Muppet Viral Videos. Keep 'em coming, Jim Henson Company.

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Happy Easter from Disney, Etc. and The Muppets

Happy Easter! Enjoy the above video, courtesy of The Muppets. I am very glad that they are finally getting back to some dark humor. Good stuff. Enjoy.

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The Muppets: 'Ringing of the Bells'

Above you will find everyone's favorite group of puppets, the Muppets, performing the classic Christmas tune Carol of the Bells. I don't think there's anything that they can do that isn't really funny.

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The Muppets Perform Bohemian Rhapsody

And that's all there is to say about that.

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Day One of D23 and Other News

With the D23 Expo underway, as well as the Disney Studio always wheelin' and dealin', I've got a lot of news for you. Right here, right now:

• This first piece of news is Disney-related, but not D23-related. Guillermo Del Toro, one of my favorite writer/directors of such films as Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, has opened up an animation studio. This studio is known as "Disney's Double Dare You!". That's right: Disney's. One of Hollywood's best obscure/creepy filmmakers has opened an animation company within the walls of Disney Studios. The studio will be under the watch of Dick Cook and (hooray!) John Lasseter. Del Toro is very busy with his current slate of upcoming films, but will direct for DDDY (Disney's Double Dare You!) in the future. The current project at DDDY is Trollhunters, written (but not directed) by Guillermo who is also producing. So what should we expect from this new studio? Will the films be truly creepy, or just Coraline creepy? Will they appeal to kids, or to adults? I don't know...

• The Associated Press is reporting that 'Pirates 4' is officially official. It has a real title: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," and Johnny Depp is, of course, its star. The film will be released in 2011. I can't wait! Although I am not a huge fan of the 2nd and 3rd 'Pirate' films, I do love the character of Jack Sparrow.

• The D23 Expo is going on right now! To see what happened on day one, I'd recommend you check out the following links:

1. WDWNewsToday; Some stuff from the CarsLand room, and, mostly, the Disney Legends ceremony.
2. Disney and More: The really great-looking Imagineering Legends session.
3. Cinematical has an article about Tron at the D23 Expo, as well as a huge gallery of pictures from it.
4. The LA Times documents both days of the expo thus far, but mainly the stars that showed up, which include John Travolta, Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton. (The OC Register has a similar article.)
5. Jim Hill discusses an upcoming D23 presentation which will showcase what The Muppets ( I sure do love those little guys) will be up to in the next couple of years.

There is even more Disney news out there. Upcoming Pixar is reporting that Cars 2 is going to be a "Hitchcockian Spy Thriller." Their source is Mr. Lasseter who is quoted to have said:

Mater, who we know from the series of cartoon shorts Mater’s Tall Tales (more on that in our blog in a minute) is prone to exaggeration, gets involved in a "Hitchcockian" case of mistaken identity, saves the life of a British secret agent called Finn McMissile (who looks a heck of a lot like an Aston Martin) and becomes embroiled in a huge spy thriller. Only no-one believes him.

And, finally, here is the newest trailer for the upcoming Disney film, The Princess and the Frog. This movie keeps looking better and better:



That's all the news for now, but stay posted since we still have more Expo news headin' your way.

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