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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Another Link Roundup: Dumbo, Toys, and Neil Patrick Harris is Seeing Blue

There's usually a manageable amount of Disney news to report on, but today there was simply an avalanche of great things in the world of Disney. This post will point you in the right direction so you can read all about it.



The Official Disney Parks Blog has released the above video to tell us all about their upcoming attraction, the Silly Symphony Swings.


Last year, The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios showcased tons of great stuff from Up. This year, they are showcasing Toy Story 3 props, artwork, etc. Read about it over at The Pixar Blog.


The New York Post is reporting that the next Disney film that will be ported to the glittering lights of Broadway is Dumbo. This is pretty surprising, and I don't know if I quite buy it. A stage production of the classic Disney film would be just too weird.


Above you will find the newest Toy Story 3 character, Twitch. Read more here.

Stitch Kingdom has a great roundup about Disney's recent domain name purchases. They allude to possible new productions, including Cars Toons, Ant Man, and more.


This final piece of news is, frankly, the most exciting. Neil Patrick Harris, it has just been said, will star in the upcoming Smurfs film! Mr. Harris has to be one of my favorite actors with a great sense of humor and a lot of talent when it comes to singing (hopefully he'll have a musical number in the Smurfs film). The Smurfs movie will be about real people, like Harris, stumbling upon the world of little blue people.

That's all the Disney, etc. news there is for today, but keep checking back. You just never know what might happen when it comes to Disney, Pixar, Movies, and everything in-between.

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